Patrick Mahomes’ knee injury is a blow not just to the Kansas City Chiefs but to the entire NFL.

The NFL’s reigning MVP is a joy to watch and, even if you don’t root for the Chiefs, the league is more entertaining when Mahomes is playing.

But the 24-year-old is facing time out after dislocating his right knee in the Chiefs’ 30-6 win over the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.

Mahomes will undergo an MRI to determine whether there is any ligament damage, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The 24-year-old suffered the injury in the second quarter when Kansas City attempted a quarterback sneak on fourth down.

It appeared as though Mahomes’ knee was straightened and popped back into place by medical staff. He was taken to the locker room and didn’t return.

The best-case scenario for his return is “around three weeks”, a source told Schefter.

But maybe we should have seen this coming.

A curse has riddled the NFL in recent years: The Madden curse.

And Mahomes appears to be the latest to have been struck by it.

Players on the front cover of the game have gone on to suffer various fates over the years, from injury to suspension to poor performance.

Mahomes earned a spot on the cover of Madden 20 after his spectacular 2018 season, in which he threw 50 touchdowns and 5,097 passing yards.

The evidence supporting the case is quite extensive.

Madden 2000: Barry Sanders

1999 season: Detroit Lions’ running back Sanders abruptly retired before the season started and his cover was released.

Madden 2002: Daunte Culpepper

2001 season: Quarterback Culpepper endured an injury-hit season for the Minnesota Vikings which saw his form plummet.

Madden 2003: Marshall Faulk

2002 season: St Louis Rams Hall of Fame running back Faulk never reached 1,000 rushing yards again after gracing the cover for the 2003 game.

Madden 2004: Michael Vick

2003 season: Atlanta Falcons QB Vick broke his fibula in preseason and played just five games in the 2003 season.

Madden 06: Donovan McNabb

2005 season: McNabb only played nine games after tearing the ACL and meniscus in his right knee.

Madden 07: Shaun Alexander

2006 season: After rushing for 1,880 yards in 2005, the Seahawks RB missed six games and rushed for 896 yards at 3.6 yards a carry.

Madden 08: Vince Young

2007 season: With 2,546 passing yards, 9 interceptions17 interceptions, Young endured a miserable  campaign.

Madden 09: Brett Favre

2008 season: Favre threw a whopping 22 interceptions in 2008

Madden 10: Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu

2009 season: Injuries limited Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu to five appearances.

Madden 11: Drew Brees

2010 season: Brees’ interceptions increased from 11 to 22, which remains a career-high.

Madden 12: Peyton Hillis

2011 season: “Things didn’t work in my favour this year,” Hillis admitted after a terrible season which was affected by ailments including strep throat and hamstring injuries.

“There’s a few things that happened this year that made me believe in curses. Ain’t no doubt about it.”

An admission that the Madden Curse is real?

The curse went quiet for a few years, with Calvin Johnson, Richard Sherman and Odell Beckham Jr. among those to excel, before emerging again when Madden 17 came out.

Madden 17: Rob Gronkowski

2016 season: Gronk played in only eight games as a result of a back injury.

The tight end could only watch on as the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl.

Madden 18: Tom Brady

2017 season: Tom Brady had a chance to end the curse when he reached Super Bowl LII but the Patriots ended up losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and backup quarterback Nick Foles in Minnesota.

Madden 19: Antonio Brown

2018 season: The 2018 season was to be Brown’s last in Pittsburgh.

Although he led the league in receiving touchdowns with 15, Brown clashed with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and he was traded to the Oakland Raiders at the end of the season.

Brown didn’t last long in Oakland, though, and he was also released by the New England Patriots after playing just one game for the defending Super Bowl champions.

Madden 20: Patrick Mahomes

2019 season: Mahomes suffered a knee injury in the Chiefs’ win over Denver.