Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is set to play Saturday against the Houston Texans, unless his ailing ankle puts the two-time MVP in such a precarious position that he can’t defend himself or he “puts the football team in a bad position.”
Mahomes suffered a mild high ankle sprain in Sunday’s 21-7 win at Cleveland.
He began receiving treatment on the team’s flight home. “I wasn’t doing high knees or anything like that,” he quipped, and put in more than 12 hours of overtime work at the practice facility Monday, despite the team giving most of it the day off.
Mahomes returned to the practice field on Tuesday with Carson Wentz there to back him up.
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Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs highlights from Week 14 of the NFL season
“You don’t want to go out there and put yourself at risk. You’re going to get hit. But you want to be able to defend yourself,” Mahomes said.
“And I don’t want to limit the game plan. I want to be able to move in the pocket.”
Mahomes has a lot of experience with ankle injuries. He had a similar game against Jacksonville in Week 1 of the 2019 season and then a more serious one against the Jaguars in the 2022 playoffs got to play against Cincinnati for the AFC title and against Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
“Jacksonville was worse,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, that’s going to be the best thing to say. But I want to be in a better place than the next one.” game against the Bengals.”
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Speaking on Inside The Huddle, Jeff Reinbold says the rivalry between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen is the modern version of the Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady battle.
Mahomes has the luxury of timing that he didn’t have two years ago. The Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West title and a playoff spot, and he could miss a game or two if that means being fully healthy for the postseason.
However, with Houston on Saturday, the Steelers on Christmas Day and the Broncos on the final weekend of the regular season, this three-game stretch has a lot going for it.
The Chiefs (13-1) hold a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills for the No. 1 seed and the lone playoff seed, but the Bills hold the tiebreaker over them thanks to a win earlier this season.
“Every game is important,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “If your guys can play, they play as long as they’re going medically.”
While Mahomes has a reputation for playing through pain and has even argued with Reid in games he’s been hurt, Reid believes his quarterback will be honest about how his ankle feels throughout the week.
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Speaking on the Inside The Huddle podcast, Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinbold discuss whether Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is now the favorite to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.
“He’ll go through some things and we’ll see how that works out for him. And if he can’t work, then Carson will take the reps that Pat doesn’t,” Reed said.
“We have full confidence in Carson if he has to come in and play. I think everybody, the coaches and the players, have full confidence that he can come in and do a good job.”
Wentz, who signed a $3.325m (£2.6m) deal with Kansas City to replace Blaine Gabbert as Mahomes’ backup, has played in nearly 100 games in his NFL career.
He completed both of his pass attempts for 20 yards against the Browns in the final minutes, allowing the Chiefs to run out the clock in their victory.
“My feet got a little wet at the end of last game and I felt good,” Wentz said. “Nothing’s going to change this week. Patrick’s had a few bumps and bruises all year and I’ve been prepared the same way.”
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