Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m still thinking about Josh Allen’s improvised touchdown pass that got called back for a penalty.
In today’s SI:AM:
🤕 Mahomes hurt
🦅 Eagles win 10th straight
🤦 NFL sloppier than ever
Can they overcome these absences?
The NFL season is a war of attrition. By this time in the year, the most successful teams aren’t the most talented ones but rather the ones that are the healthiest. And this week saw a handful of playoff contenders dealt some bad breaks on the injury front.
Chiefs cautiously optimistic about Patrick Mahomes (ankle)
The most notable injury from Sunday thankfully appears to also be the least serious. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hurt his ankle during the team’s win over the Cleveland Browns. His ankle twisted awkwardly after a tackle on a failed fourth down conversion in the middle of the fourth quarter and he was limping heavily as he left the field.
Coach Andy Reid said after the game that the injury did not appear to be major.
“Patrick, his right ankle has been hurt,” Reid said. “It’s not broken, but it’s sore. He’ll get started on the rehab part of it as we go, and then we’ll just have to see how he does.”
Reid added that Mahomes “probably could have gone back in” to the game and wanted to keep playing, but it wasn’t necessary with Kansas City up 21–7. Mahomes also said that he would have “fought a little bit harder” to convince the training staff to let him return to the field if the game had been closer.
Unfortunately for Mahomes, he’ll have one less day to rehab the injury than usual before the Chiefs’ next game on Saturday against the Houston Texans. And even if he’s able to take the field, the prospect of Mahomes being hampered by a lower-body injury should be concerning for the Chiefs. Mahomes excels using his mobility to get creative outside the pocket, and if the ankle inhibits his ability to maneuver inside and outside the pocket, that could spell trouble.
It’s an especially big concern because the Chiefs’ offensive line has been their biggest weak point this season. Mahomes has been sacked 35 times this year, which is already a career worst just 14 games into the season. He has been sacked on 6.52% of his drop-backs—by far the worst sack rate of his career. He was only sacked on 3.96% of drop-backs before this season. If the ankle issue makes it more difficult for Mahomes to elude pressure, the already pedestrian Chiefs offense could be in trouble.
Geno Smith’s knee throws Seahawks’ playoff hopes in doubt
Mahomes wasn’t the only starting quarterback to go down with an injury on Sunday. Seattle Seahawks starter Geno Smith hurt his knee in the team’s loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.
Smith crumpled to the turf after a hit from Green Bay’s Edgerrin Cooper in the third quarter and was not able to return to the game. “Right now, structurally it looks like it's O.K.,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. Macdonald did not offer a timeline for Smith’s return to the field.
Losing Smith for any amount of time would be a massive blow for a Seahawks team that is locked in a tight playoff race. Sunday’s loss dropped Seattle to 8–6, tied with the Los Angeles Rams atop the NFC West. The Rams currently hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their win over Seattle in Week 9, but the two teams will meet again on the final day of the season in what could be a must-win for both sides. The Washington Commanders currently hold the final wild-card spot in the NFC playoffs at 9–5, so the most likely path to the postseason for the Rams and Seahawks is to win the division.
Staying afloat without Smith would be a tall order for the Seahawks, who saw backup Sam Howell struggle mightily in relief of Smith on Sunday. He completed just five of his 14 pass attempts and threw a back-breaking fourth-quarter interception.
More trouble for a banged up Lions defense
The good news for the Detroit Lions is that they’re still in first place in the NFC and in line for the first-round bye, even after Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. The bad news is that their beleaguered defense will be even more shorthanded.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell said after the game that cornerback Khalil Dorsey (ankle) will be out for the rest of the season, and defensive tackle Alim McNeill (knee) and cornerback Carlton Davis III (jaw) are also likely done for the year.
Dorsey plays primarily on special teams, but McNeill and Davis are key starters for the Lions’ defense and rank among the best players in the league at their positions. Pro Football Focus ranks McNeill 10th out of 212 interior defensive linemen and Davis 27th out of 213 corners.
Losing McNeill and Davis is a rough break for a Lions defense that already has several key contributors on injured reserve, including standout defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Albert Breer’s MMQB opens with a look at how Nick Sirianni guided the Eagles back from a rocky start and put the team on track to win 10 straight.
- Gilberto Manzano thinks Josh Allen’s performance in the Bills’ win exposed some holes in the Lions’ defense.
- Sunday’s games were full of examples of how the NFL product has been sloppier than ever this season, Conor Orr writes.
- Orr also made the case for why the Saints should hire interim coach Darren Rizzi on a permanent basis.
- Pat Forde and Bryan Fischer revealed and explained their Heisman Trophy ballots.
- Forde also covered Saturday’s Kentucky-Louisiville men’s basketball game, which was much more competitive than recent iterations of the rivalry had been.
- The PGA of America announced it will pay players who compete for the U.S. at the next Ryder Cup. Bob Harig has more on the plan and the discussion around compensating those who take part in the iconic tournament.
- Nick Chubb went down with a season-ending injury for the second year in a row.
The top five…
… things I saw yesterday:
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Three NFL Playoff Contenders Dealing With Significant Injuries.
