Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is getting ready to play against Houston on Saturday, unless his injured ankle prevents him from being able to protect himself or puts the team in a difficult situation.
Mahomes hurt his ankle late in the Chiefs’ 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He started treatment on the plane ride home—“I wasn’t doing high-knees or anything like that,” he joked—and then spent over 12 hours receiving further treatment at the practice facility on Monday, even though most of the team had the day off.
Mahomes returned to practice on Tuesday, with Carson Wentz as his backup.
“You don’t want to go out there and put yourself in harm’s way. It’s football. You’re going to take hits. But you want to be able to protect yourself,” Mahomes said. “And I don’t want to limit the game plan. I want to be able to move around the pocket.”
Mahomes has dealt with ankle injuries before. He had a similar injury in Week 1 of the 2019 season and a more serious one during the 2022 playoffs. In that case, he couldn’t finish the game but received enough treatment to play against Cincinnati in the AFC Championship and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
“Jacksonville was worse. That one was pretty significant,” Mahomes said. “Obviously it’s responded better, quicker. That would be the best thing to say. But I want to be in a better spot than I was that next game going up against the Bengals.”
The Chiefs have more time to manage Mahomes’ injury than they did two years ago. They’ve already secured the AFC West title and a playoff spot, so he might be able to miss a game or two if it means he’ll be fully healthy for the postseason.
However, the next three games—against Houston on Saturday, the Steelers on Christmas Day, and the Broncos in the final week of the regular season—are important. The Chiefs (13-1) are holding onto a two-game lead over the Bills for the No. 1 seed and the only playoff bye, but Buffalo has the tiebreaker because of their win earlier this season.
“Every game counts,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “If your guys can play, they play, as long as medically they’re fine to go.”
While Mahomes is known for playing through injuries, and even arguing with Reid to stay in games when hurt, Reid believes Mahomes will be honest about how his ankle feels.
“He’s going to go through some stuff and we’ll see how that works out for him. And if he can’t work, then Carson will take those reps that Pat doesn’t,” Reid said. “We have full confidence in Carson if he has to step in and play. I think everybody—coaches and players—have full confidence he can go in and do a nice job.”
Wentz, who signed a $3.325 million contract with the Chiefs to replace Blaine Gabbert as Mahomes’ backup, has played nearly 100 NFL games. He completed both of his pass attempts for 20 yards in the final moments of the game against the Browns, helping the Chiefs run out the clock.
“Got my feet wet a little bit at the end of last game and felt good out there,” Wentz said. “Nothing is going to change this week. Patrick has had some nicks and bruises all year and I’ve prepared myself the same way.”
