Gardner Minshew injury update: Chiefs QB, Patrick Mahomes' backup, expected to miss rest of season
The Chiefs are down to Chris Oladokun and a QB they just signed off Buffalo's practice squad
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
1 min read
Bad luck would be better than the injury luck the Kansas City Chiefs have experienced this season. That trend continued during their Week 16 loss to the Tennessee Titans as quarterback Gardner Minshew -- who started the game in placed of injured starter Patrick Mahomes -- sustained a knee injury that led to him missing the majority of the game.
While it was initially feared that he had suffered a torn ACL, Minshew's ACL is reportedly still intact. However, Minshew is still expected to miss the rest of the season, which led to the Chiefs signing fellow quarterback Shane Buechele off the Buffalo Bills' practice squad for the season's final two weeks. A former undrafted rookie, Buechele won a Super Bowl in 2023 while serving as Mahomes' backup.
Minshew was replaced on Sunday by backup Chris Oladokun, who went 11 of 16 for 111 yards and was sacked four times after Minshew went to the locker room. The Titans took a 9-6 lead into intermission before pulling away for a 26-9 win.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Oladokun, 28, in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Oladokun signed three years ago after he hit waivers. His only previous regular season experience took place in Week 18 of the 2024 season. He had never thrown a pass in a regular season game prior to Sunday.
Minshew, 29, is in his first season with the Chiefs, his fourth team over the past five seasons. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023 after throwing for a career-high 3,305 yards in 13 starts with the Indianapolis Colts.
Mahomes sustained a season-ending knee injuring during the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14 that knocked Kansas City out of postseason contention. This season marks the first time since 2014 that the Chiefs will not be in the playoffs.
The Chiefs fell to 6-9 with Sunday's loss and will round out the season with a home game against the Denver Broncos on Christmas and a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
