VICIS issues statement regarding Patrick Mahomes’ helmet breaking during playoff game vs. Miami

A piece of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ helmet detached and fell off on the field of play during the third quarter of this past Saturday’s 26-7 AFC Wild Card Round victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Mahomes, running for the end zone, met head-on with Dolphins defensive back DeShon Elliott near the goal line. A piece of his helmet immediately went flying, perhaps due to the sub-zero conditions at Arrowhead Stadium.

A piece of Patrick Mahomes' helmet came flying off. 😮 pic.twitter.com/m2bFObIhnq

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 14, 2024

VICIS, the maker of the helmet, issued a statement Tuesday saying that despite the failure of the helmet, it still successfully protected Mahomes.

“At VICIS, athlete safety is our top priority,” the company said, via Pro Football Talk. “Extreme conditions like those experienced in Saturday evening’s NFL playoff game are bound to test the limits of even the highest performing products. 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 exclusive multi-layer technology employed in the VICIS ZERO2 helmet model utilizes a deformable outer shell, 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. This technology, which has earned the top ratings of the NFL Performance Testing rankings and sits atop the Virginia Tech ratings, has been adopted by several athletes across the NFL, NCAA, and throughout high school and youth football.

VICIS claims helmet protected Patrick Mahomes despite piece falling off during collision

“VICIS helmets are extensively tested in high-impact conditions across a wide range of temperatures. 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. We remain focused on protecting athletes at every level of play by developing the highest performing products available. As the leader in technology advancement within the football protective space, our confidence in the superior performance of our helmet designs has never been greater.”

Mahomes played two plays with the cracked lid before officials forced him to retrieve a backup helmet.

“I didn’t know what happened in the moment. But I got in the huddle, and everybody was telling me,” Mahomes said. “And I was like ‘I got y’all, but I’m not coming out [of] the game. … It was a first for me.”

Mahomes said he had an issue with his backup, which had been sitting out in the cold all day long.

“We gotta talk about where we store the backup helmet because it was frozen,” Mahomes said. “When I tried to put it on, it was completely frozen. I couldn’t get it on. I don’t know if anyone got a picture of it. It didn’t look great. We were able to adjust it on the sideline… get it warmed up a little bit and get rolling.”