Mahomes' broken helmet 'did its job,' says manufacturer

VICIS, the helmet manufacturer that produced Patrick Mahomes' lid, says the piece of equipment didn't fail despite it breaking in the Kansas City Chiefs' wild-card victory over the Miami Dolphins.

"Extreme conditions like those experienced in Saturday evening's NFL playoff game are bound to test the limits of even the highest-performing products," VICIS said in a statement Tuesday. "While outer shell damage is not ideal, the ZERO2 helmet did its job of protecting Patrick Mahomes during a head-to-head impact in unprecedented cold temperatures."

The company added: "The exclusive multi-layer technology employed in the VICIS ZERO2 helmet model utilizes a deformable outer shell (and an) RFLX impact-absorption layer, followed by a stiff inner shell. This design approach is similar to the crumple zone of modern cars, effectively absorbing and dispersing impact forces at the point of contact."

A piece of Patrick Mahomes' helmet came flying off. pic.twitter.com/m2bFObIhnq

- Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 14, 2024

Mahomes mentioned that he didn't realize his helmet had shattered when he was hit.

"I didn't know it happened in the moment, but I got in the huddle, everyone was telling (me, and) I was like, 'I got y'all, but I'm just not coming out the game," he said postgame, according to Marleah Campbell of KCTV5.

However, officials made the Chiefs quarterback get a new helmet after the play.

Mahomes and the Chiefs will visit the Buffalo Bills next in the divisional round. Kickoff is slated for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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