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.
