Chasing their unprecedented 3-peat this season, the Chiefs have started from where they left last year. Although they had a fair share of luck in getting a result in their favor, their dominance is nowhere to be questioned. While getting those wins, other teams remained visibly frustrated, especially the QBs.
Going back to the first week, the Chiefs managed to get a result after the referees overturned a last-minute TD by the Ravens’ TE Isaiah Likely. This led to reigning Super Bowl Champion Lamar Jackson visibly expressing his frustration after the game by slamming his helmet to the floor. However, this wasn’t the only instance where QBs showed sheer disappointment after losing to the Chiefs.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Compilation of the #Chiefs making their opponents QB miserable.
(via @ClayWendler)pic.twitter.com/pPdJqNbbOa
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 30, 2024
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Up next came the Bengals, who dominated the Chiefs during the major parts of the match-up. But a controversial call for a pass interference in the dying minutes led to Harrison Butker getting a field goal opportunity with 48 seconds remaining on the clock. Although there were frustrated faces everywhere in the Bengals dugout. The one that caught the eye was Joe Burrow’s anger. The pitchside cameras caught the Bengals QB, throwing his helmet to the ground as a gesture of anger.
Well, this trend continued into the third week when the Chargers were leading until the first half. However, a late comeback courtesy and the failure of the Chargers to score a single point in the next half gave the Chiefs their third win in Los Angeles. Well, this time, it was the turn of Chargers QB Justin Herbert to continue the trend. And he did by slamming his helmet into the sidewalls. But one player managed to control his frustration after a defeat against the Chiefs.
Kirk Cousins broke the streak of breaking helmets, even though his team suffered a narrow defeat by 22-17 in Atlanta. After the game, Cousins instead took the blame upon his team. “I feel like we’ve left a lot of opportunities out there on the field. I look forward to getting better.” This showed the cool character that Cousins harbours compared to other QBs before him. Even Patrick Mahomes had a fair share of controversies with helmets being shattered.
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Patrick Mahomes’ tough love with NFL helmets
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Patrick Mahomes' shattered helmet—was the Chiefs' revenge justified or over the top?
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Amid the helmets that are broken every week, the Chiefs are unintentionally handing over $1000 bills to their opponents. Well, according to an official website, an authentic NFL QB helmet costs around $200-$1000. However, the Chiefs are pretty familiar with this outcome, considering Mahomes tough love with helmets this past season. Going back to last year, when the three-time Super Bowl champion threw an interception against the Patriots. Mahomes reacted to his mistake by slamming the helmet on the ground.
However, this wasn’t the only time where Mahomes lost his composure. Prior to facing the Patriots, the Chiefs came up against the Bills, where a controversial call led to him losing his cool. Well, those weren’t the only instances, as Mahomes got his helmet shattered due to a collision with then-Dolphins safety DeShon Elliot. During a 13-yard run in last year’s Wild Card match-up, the Chiefs QB collided with Elliot helmet to helmet.
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This led to one part of his helmet being completely shattered, as referees didn’t even notice that change. However, two plays later, Mahomes was asked to get a replacement, thereby continuing his magic of leading the Chiefs to a 26-7 victory on the night. Seeing Mahomes going through a similar bit of frustration doesn’t surprise us to see other QBs reacting the same way. But are the teams willing to write $1000 checks every time they face the Chiefs? Probably not. However, their dominance and championship mentality cannot be questioned after four games into the season.
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Patrick Mahomes' shattered helmet—was the Chiefs' revenge justified or over the top?