EXCLUSIVE: Was the bizarre pause in the Dolphins-Chiefs game due to Patrick Mahomes’ cracked helmet a valid reason, or just an unnecessary disruption?

The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins wild-card game was a frigid affair, evident in the snowy field, bundled-up fans at Arrowhead Stadium, and even Andy Reid’s icicle mustache.

However, perhaps the most noteworthy moment of “this game is incomprehensibly cold” occurred in the third quarter when Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes embarked on a run, collided with Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott, and witnessed a piece of his helmet shatter.

Despite the Chiefs eventually securing a comfortable 26-7 victory, the incident was undeniably unusual.

It appeared that the extreme cold had caused the plastic of Mahomes’ helmet to genuinely crack, leaving a visible hole to the left of his forehead. Such occurrences are typically unheard of in a standard NFL game.

The officials themselves seemed somewhat perplexed about how to handle the situation once they noticed Mahomes’ equipment malfunction.

They momentarily halted play, without deducting a timeout from either team, to allow Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to retrieve a backup helmet.

Unfortunately, the Chiefs fell short on the ensuing first-and-goal, leading to a 21-yard field goal that extended their lead to 19-7. Remarkably, Mahomes didn’t miss a single snap, although it did take some time to properly adjust the replacement helmet.

Following the game, Mahomes revealed that the issue with his backup helmet was that the cold had caused the padding inside to freeze.

He humorously mentioned that they would need to reconsider where they stored the backup helmet in such extreme conditions to prevent a repeat of the problem.

The helmet’s fracture may not have been solely attributed to the cold weather.

As previously highlighted before the season by The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, Mahomes was wearing a “soft-shell” VICIS helmet designed to absorb impact more efficiently, incorporating a “local deformation” feature similar to a crumple zone in a car to absorb impact while minimizing the movement of the entire helmet.

This advanced technology may have played a role in the unexpected outcome of Mahomes’ helmet during the game.