Chiefs Face Quarterback Crisis as Gardner Minshew Feared to Have Torn ACL

The Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 season has descended from championship aspirations to a full-blown quarterback crisis in a matter of weeks. According to sources who spoke with ESPN, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew is feared to have suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. This devastating news comes exactly one week after the team lost superstar starter Patrick Mahomes to a season-ending torn ACL, leaving the franchise's most important position in complete disarray as their playoff hopes have already been extinguished.

The Injury Incident and Immediate Aftermath

The injury occurred during the opening moments of the game in Nashville. On just the third play from scrimmage, Minshew scrambled and fell to the turf with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. Immediately after the play, the quarterback reached for his left knee and struggled to get off the field. According to ESPN's reporting from the scene, Minshew attempted to continue playing but was visibly hampered, unable to use proper footwork on his passing attempts. He completed only 3 of 8 passes for 15 yards before ultimately being removed from the game.

The emotional weight of the moment was captured when Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs' vice president of sports medicine and performance, hugged Minshew on the sideline before the quarterback walked to the locker room without his helmet. This was Minshew's first start of the season, stepping into the role after Mahomes' injury the previous week against the Los Angeles Chargers. That loss had already mathematically eliminated Kansas City from playoff contention, making Minshew's injury a particularly cruel twist in an already disappointing season.

Quarterback Depth Chart Implications

With both Mahomes and now likely Minshew sidelined with serious knee injuries, the Chiefs turned to third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun. The young quarterback entered the game with just one previous NFL regular-season appearance to his name—a January 5 game where he backed up Carson Wentz in a 38-0 loss to Denver. In that appearance, Oladokun ran once for 5 yards, was sacked once, and had a fumble.

Oladokun's journey to this moment has been unconventional. He began his college career at South Florida before transferring to Samford and eventually South Dakota State. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he has been developing within the Chiefs' system since. Now, with the team's season effectively over, Oladokun may receive extended playing time to gain valuable experience, though the circumstances are far from ideal for his development or the team's competitive interests.

Broader Context and Team Outlook

This quarterback crisis represents one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent NFL history. The Chiefs entered the season as perennial Super Bowl contenders with Mahomes at the helm, only to see their championship hopes evaporate with his injury, followed immediately by the potential loss of his backup. The timing is particularly challenging as the team navigates the final games of a season that has fallen well short of expectations.

The organization now faces significant questions about how to approach the remainder of the season, player development priorities, and offseason planning. With two quarterbacks potentially recovering from serious knee injuries, the team's medical and training staff will be under intense scrutiny. Additionally, the front office must consider quarterback depth as a primary offseason priority, potentially looking toward the draft or free agency to bolster what has suddenly become a position of extreme vulnerability.

For Minshew personally, this represents another setback in a career that has seen him serve as a valuable backup and occasional starter across multiple teams. His recovery timeline and future with the Chiefs will now become part of the larger narrative of how the franchise rebounds from one of its most challenging seasons in recent memory.

Conclusion: Navigating Uncharted Waters

The Kansas City Chiefs organization finds itself in unfamiliar territory—without their franchise quarterback, potentially without his backup, and with their playoff hopes already extinguished. How the team manages these final games, supports their injured players through recovery, and plans for the future will define this challenging chapter in the franchise's history. While the immediate outlook appears bleak, the NFL has shown time and again that fortunes can change quickly, and the Chiefs' response to this adversity will reveal much about the resilience and long-term vision of one of the league's most successful organizations in recent years.