The Kansas City Chiefs received a "best-case scenario" for quarterback Patrick Mahomes after an MRI showed no damage other than a dislocated right kneecap, an NFL source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.
Mahomes suffered a right patellar dislocation during the second quarter of Thursday night's 30-6 road win over the Denver Broncos, sources told ESPN. Prior to the MRI, the team believed Mahomes would miss at least three games, sources said.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid on Friday said he didn't have results of the MRI, but a source told Schefter that the results of the MRI were "good."
Reid said the evaluation of Mahomes was ongoing, and a source told ESPN's Ed Werder that the team is working through second opinions.
"I just know what I know: The kid had the MRI, and we don't have all the information," Reid said. "That is what I can give you. I am trying to tell you what is real. Once I get all the information, we will give you everything that kind of happened and what's going on here ... the whole deal. We don't hide that."
The NFL's reigning MVP was injured during a quarterback sneak on fourth down with just over nine minutes remaining in the first half. As medical staff attended to him on the field, it appeared Mahomes' knee was straightened and popped back into place.
A cart came onto the field, apparently to take Mahomes for treatment. He was instead helped off the field by a couple of trainers. Players from both teams came by to offer encouragement.
Mahomes, 24, soon left for the locker room, walking under his own power but with a limp.
Chiefs players understood the severity of Mahomes' injury after his kneecap popped out of place.
"He was saying, 'It's out, it's out,'" guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif said. "Nobody really understood what he meant at that time, and then we saw it. ... That's when we started panicking. Not panicking, but seeing that he was not all right."
Duvernay-Tardif, a medical school graduate, said he didn't need any particular knowledge to immediately realize the seriousness of Mahomes' injury.
"Everybody could have known something was wrong," Duvernay-Tardif said.
Veteran Matt Moore, who joined the Chiefs (5-2) late in the preseason after backup Chad Henne broke his right ankle, replaced Mahomes. He threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill and completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards.
"He is a pro and has done a nice job," Reid said Friday of Moore. "Hard to be a relief pitcher. He has done it before. There's a certain way to prep for that. He understands that. It paid off for him.
"The best part is we didn't have to change up a lot of things. Hard thing to do is if one backup comes in and you have to change the whole offense. We didn't have to do that for him."
The Chiefs next play the visiting Green Bay Packers on Oct. 27.
"[The NFL] doesn't slow down for anyone or anything," said Reid, who coached the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFC Championship Game in 2002 after losing starting quarterback Donovan McNabb for six games late in the season. "The NFL keeps rolling, will still have games. If you are in the league and you are a player, you are expected to step up and play.
"... There's no looking back. Everything is looking forward in this league. Very seldom can you look back, and those that do are normally out of the league. When you are in it, you are only as good as your next game."