Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is preparing to play against the Houston Texans on Saturday unless his ailing ankle puts the two-time MVP in such a precarious position that he can't defend or "puts the team football in a bad position". ."
Mahomes suffered a minor ankle sprain late in a 21-7 victory at Cleveland on Sunday.
He started getting treatment on the team's flight home — "I wasn't doing high knees or anything like that," he said — and spent more than 12 hours getting extra work done for him at the practice facility on Monday, even why most of the team was given a day off.
Mahomes returned to the practice field Tuesday with Carson Wentz there to back him up.
"You don't want to go out there and put yourself in harm's way. It's football. 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 around the pocket."
Mahomes has a lot of experience with ankle injuries to deal with. He sustained a similar one against Jacksonville in Week 1 of the 2019 season, then a more serious one against the Jaguars in the 2022 playoffs. In that case, he was unable to finish the game, but received enough treatment to play against Cincinnati for the AFC title and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
"Jacksonville was worse. That was very significant," Mahomes said. "Obviously he's responded better, quicker. That would be the best thing to say. But I want to be in a better place than I was the other game against the Bengals."
Mahomes has the luxury of time that he didn't have two years ago. The Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West title and a playoff berth, and he could miss a game or two if it means being fully healthy for the postseason.
Still, there's plenty of action in this three-game stretch against Houston on Saturday, the Steelers on Christmas Day and the Broncos on the final weekend of the regular season.
The Chiefs (13-1) have a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills for the No. 1 seed and just the playoff bye, but the Bills hold the tie over them because of their win earlier this season.
"Every play counts," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "If your guys can play, they play, as long as they're medically good to go."
While Mahomes has a reputation for playing through pain and even arguing with Reid on the field about staying in games in which he's injured, Reid believes his quarterback will be honest with how his ankle feels. him all week.
"He's going to go through some things and we'll see how it works out for him. And if he can't work, then Carson will get 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 — the coaches and the players — have full confidence that he can go and do a good job."
Wentz, who signed a $3.325m (£2.6m) contract with Kansas City to replace Blaine Gabbert as Mahomes' backup, has appeared in nearly 100 games during his NFL career.
He completed both of his pass attempts for 20 yards in the final minutes against the Browns, allowing the Chiefs to run out the clock in their victory.
"I got my feet wet at the end of last game and felt good out there," Wentz said. "Nothing is going to change this week. Patrick has had some cuts and bruises throughout the year and I've prepared myself the same way."
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