There was never really any doubt that Patrick Mahomes would play in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the big question is how effective he will be. The Kansas City Chiefs are wondering that, too.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said Sunday that the Chiefs were encouraged by how Mahomes looked in practice and the way his sprained right ankle responded to treatment. However, the star quarterback has not run since he suffered the injury in last week’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. That is one of the reasons the Chiefs are unsure how the ankle is going to respond during Sunday’s game.
“We do not know how his ankle is going to react. My understanding is the Chiefs really don’t either,” Rapoport said. “Here’s what we know based on the week of practice for Mahomes: His ankle swelled up less on Monday than they were anticipating. That is good. He looked better in practice than they thought he would. That is also good. … He hasn’t run since. He hasn’t gone full speed. They have no idea how his ankle is going to react if he gets hit. That’s still a massive question for today.”
You can hear more below:
From @NFLGameDay: #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' ankle looked good this week, but there is true uncertainty about how it'll respond during the game. Plus, his OC Eric Bieniemy could be on the move as a play-calling OC. pic.twitter.com/kP8KHVLMSh
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2023
Mahomes will almost certainly be less than 100 percent healthy. The injury he is dealing with is a high-ankle sprain, which often causes players to miss multiple games. Though, Mahomes suffered a similar injury in 2019 and did not miss time. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week that Mahomes’ latest ankle sprain is less severe than the one he had a few years ago.
The injury to Mahomes has led to one very interesting prop bet. It is clear no one knows what to expect from the former MVP, even his own team.
