Patrick Mahomes may avoid taking part in practice this week but the Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to have their superstar quarterback start against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
In the first quarter of the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain as he was tackled by Arden Key and Corey Peters. Key fell on Mahomes’ lower right leg as the former MVP fell awkwardly to the ground and writhed in pain on the turf.
Mahomes went to the locker room while backup Chad Henne briefly took control of the Chiefs offence before he returned in the second half. The 27-year-old was clearly limited in the latter stages, throwing for just 111 yards and a touchdown to Marquez Valdes-Scantling while his scrambling threat was completely unavailable.
After leading the Chiefs to a 27-20 victory and a home AFC Championship Game appearance for the fifth successive season, Mahomes is being assessed on a daily basis according to head coach Andy Reid. On Monday, Reid insisted his star quarterback is getting treatment and taking it day by day with the ultimate intention of facing Joe Burrow and the Bengals this week.
Mahomes has never played without practicing, but such a prospect appears to be on the table. He insisted after the game that he will do everything in his power to be fit in time for Sunday's showdown with Cincinnati - and Reid declared they are sticking to the plan despite the MRI diagnosing the sprain.
“He told you guys - he mentioned it to you, that he's going to play,” Reid said of Mahomes. “That's his mindset - and then we'll just take it day-by-day and see how he does. He's never done that (played without practicing through the week), so I don't know. I don't have the answer for you on that.”
Reid suggested Mahomes' injury ‘isn't quite as bad’ as the similar one he suffered in the 2019 season opener, which was also against the Jaguars. He played the following week against the then-Oakland Raiders and threw for 443 yards and four touchdowns in a dominant win.
Mahomes - a two-time All-Pro - was clearly not at his scintillating best back then but the Chiefs still went 5-2 as he recovered through the problem four years ago. Reid added: “I think this one isn't quite as bad as that one, but they're similar. Sore, but not quite the same. As far as the reps, I'll have to see how he feels as we get ready for practice. We'll just take it day by day and see how he does.”
This isn’t even the first time Mahomes has played through a significant injury threatening to derail his postseason hopes after he suffered turf toe in the win over the Cleveland Browns in the Divisional Round two years ago. He led his Chiefs past the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game, but was helpless as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated Super Bowl LV.
Kansas City have now reached the AFC title game for the fifth straight season, and victory over the Bengals will send them to a third Super Bowl in four seasons. It will likely take more than a high-ankle sprain to keep Mahomes from taking to the field on Sunday.
“[The injury] feels better than I thought it was going to be now,” Mahomes said after the win. “Obviously, I have a lot of adrenaline going right now, so we'll see how it feels. But I'll hop right in the treatment and try to do whatever I can to be as close to 100 percent by next week. Luckily for us, we played the early game on Saturday, so we get an extra almost half a day that I can let that ankle rest.”
