Did Patrick Mahomes actually suffer a concussion?

January 20, 2021

Patrick Mahomes exited Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Cleveland Browns with an injury suffered in the third quarter and was placed in concussion protocol. After the MVP quarterback was downgraded to “out” for the remainder of the game after being evaluated for a concussion, there was a wide assumption that the Kansas City Chiefs star had suffered a concussion. But now there are many signals calling into question whether or not Mahomes actually suffered a concussion against Cleveland.

For starters, it originally appeared as if Mahomes hit his head on the infamous rushing play in the third quarter. However, different angles showed that he did not hit his head against the Arrowhead Stadium turf. Instead, it appears that Mahomes may have been choked out on the play, which is something Jay Glazer reported on Sunday night.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the win that Mahomes passed all concussion tests. He added that Mahomes would have returned to the game in the old days, suggesting that it was the concussion protocol that kept Mahomes out.

Remember, players can be placed in concussion protocol for different reasons, and being in the protocol does not necessarily mean a player has been concussed. NFL reporter Ian Rapoport made this point on Wednesday.

From @GMFB: While there is optimism that #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will practice today, he remains in the NFL's concussion protocol. pic.twitter.com/LoxQbaiHuo

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2021

A report on Monday said that Mahomes actually suffered a neck injury and not a concussion.

Factor in that Mahomes has no symptoms and was able to take all the snaps in practice on Wednesday, and that leads to further questions about whether there was a concussion. Former Chargers team doctor David Chao also does not believe Mahomes was concussed.

Even if Mahomes was not concussed, he did suffer a toe/foot injury in the game, and that could affect him in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Bills.