The NFL has implemented rule changes in recent seasons aimed at reducing lower-body injuries, including the ban on hip-drop tackles. Still, experts say the nature of the sport, built on speed, power, and rapid changes in direction, means ACL injuries remain a risk.

In the final two minutes of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Dec. 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Patrick Mahomes went down in pain, clutching his left knee. Following an MRI, the team later confirmed that the quarterback, 30, suffered a torn ACL.

With the Packers facing a possible ACL tear for Micah Parsons, here’s a look at other recent NFL players to suffer the injury and when they returned.

Two of the NFL’s biggest stars were hit with season-ending injuries this past Sunday, as both Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons suffered torn ACLs in their teams' Week 15 losses.

As Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons prepare for their long roads to recovery, these players should offer them hope.

Mahomes’ ninth season will end with him watching the Chiefs missing the playoffs. In an odd coincidence, NFL legend Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL in his knee during his ninth season. That came in the Patriots’ opener, which was against the Chiefs. New England missed the playoffs that season.

Barcelona have lost another promising youngster to a serious injury after confirming that teenage star Sama Nomoko will miss a year after undergoing ACL surgery. Nomoko has been likened to Lamine Yamal and tipped to make the breakthrough at Barcelona in the future but now faces a long spell on the sidelines.