Frozen Fields and Shattered Helmets: The Unusual Chiefs-Dolphins Wild-Card Game

The wild-card playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins became a hot topic due to an unexpected incident involving Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The extreme cold weather conditions had turned the field into a snowy landscape, and the bundled-up crowd watched as Mahomes’ helmet cracked following a collision with Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott.

The helmet, a product of VICIS, was designed to protect players from impacts. Like a modern car’s crumple zone, the helmet features a multi-layer technology that includes a deformable outer shell and a stiff inner shell. This design helps absorb and disperse impact forces at the point of contact². Despite the cracked helmet, it’s worth noting that Mahomes continued to play without missing a snap, showing the helmet indeed did its job in protecting him.

However, the drama didn’t end there. When the officials paused the game for Mahomes to get a replacement helmet, it was found that the backup helmet was frozen due to the cold. This made it difficult for Mahomes to put it on, and he mentioned after the game that the process of getting a comfortable backup helmet took longer than necessary.

“We have to talk about where we store the backup helmet because it was frozen. I couldn’t get it on. We were able to warm it up a little,” Mahomes said. He added that he and the team would discuss how to store the backup helmet in the future to prevent it from freezing.

VICIS responded to the incident by stating that while outer shell damage is not ideal, the helmet did its job in protecting Mahomes. They further explained that extreme conditions like those experienced during that game are bound to test the limits of even the highest-performing products.

Despite the helmet issue, the Chiefs went on to win the game comfortably. Mahomes, showing no signs of injury from the incident, led his team to victory.