The league’s eyes are all on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 15’s win over the Cleveland Browns and could miss time in the final pivotal stretch of the regular season.
The Chiefs (13-1) are in prime position to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and earn a much-needed extra week of rest in the playoffs, but the Buffalo Bills (11-3) are hot on their heels. With Mahomes’s status for Saturday’s game against the Houston Texans still up in the air, Kansas City coach Andy Reid took the opportunity to deliver a strong message about backup quarterback Carson Wentz.
“He’s started in the league and has been successful,” Reid said in a press conference on Tuesday. “He has a great feel for this offense. Very smart. Big arm. I like the way he carries himself. I like everything about him. He should be starting in this league somewhere.”
A pretty bold endorsement from one of the NFL’s greatest all-time coaches.
Wentz replaced Mahomes in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 21-7 win against the Browns, completing his only two passes for 20 yards.
Wentz, who will turn 32 later this month, has left behind a trail of failed quarterback stints after being traded by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 and is several years removed from his sole Pro Bowl campaign in 2017. He signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs in April.
The journeyman quarterback has thrown 32 interceptions since the 2020 season and would serve as a risky starting option for the Chiefs in their final three games, despite Reid’s well-intentioned compliments.
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Andy Reid Makes Strong Statement on Carson Wentz Amid Patrick Mahomes Injury Concerns.