After Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' helmet shattered in a head-to-head collision during an NFL playoff game against the Miami Dolphins over the weekend, the company behind the helmet is saying it "did its job" by protecting him.
The Indiana-based football equipment manufacturer VICIS, which makes the helmet Mahomes was wearing, addressed the bizarre situation Tuesday, explaining how the "extreme conditions" Saturday night in Kansas City were "bound to test the limits of even the highest performing products."
With strong winds sending temperatures plummeting to nearly 30 degrees below zero, the matchup went down as the fourth-coldest in NFL history.
"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," VICIS said in a statement.
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"VICIS helmets are extensively tested in high-impact conditions across a wide range of temperatures," the company added. "We are committed to continuing our development of the safest helmets in football and working with our partners in the NFL and other organizations to constantly gain knowledge and continuously advance protective technology."
Mahomes told reporters after the game that the situation was a first for him, but said the extreme weather certainly played a part.
"I'm sure it had to do with it being really cold," he explained. "But yeah, I didn’t know that happened in the moment. I got to the huddle and everyone was telling me [it was broken], and I was like, 'I got you all, but I’m not coming out of the game.'"
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Mahomes was quickly given a backup helmet from the sidelines but seemingly struggled to get it on after it had been sitting out in the below-freezing temperatures.
"We have to talk about where we store the backup because it was frozen, so when I tried to put it on ... I couldn't get it on,'' Mahomes said with a smile. "It didn't look great. We were able to adjust it on the sideline, get it kind of warmed up a bit and get rolling from there."
Kansas City went on to beat the Dolphins by a score of 26-7, but the team isn't out of the cold yet: The Chiefs will take on the Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs in Buffalo on Sunday, where temperatures are again expected to be below freezing at the time of kickoff.
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