Tony Romo raises big question about Patrick Mahomes

Jan 21, 2018; Foxborough, MA, USA; Television announcer Tony Romo following the AFC championship game between the New England Patriots against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Romo raised some big questions about Patrick Mahomes while called Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills for CBS.

Towards the end of the game, Cincinnati was on its way to a 27-10 victory, so the announcers’ attention shifted to the following week’s conference championship game. Romo then related his experience playing with a high-ankle sprain and suggested Mahomes might not even be able to play against Cincinnati.

“It’s challenging, because when I did it, I wasn’t able to actually play the next week. In other words, you can’t walk. You can play the day of. So when it happened yesterday, I was like, ‘he’s going to play today. Tape it up. They’re going to go out there, adrenaline is going to kick in, he’s going to be fine. But the next day, he’s not going to be able to do anything. He’s going to be almost be on crutches on Wednesday,” Romo said.

Romo then said it’s not a lock that Mahomes will play against Cincinnati despite the stakes of the game.

“For what it looked like, I would tell you, for those of you thinking it’s 100 percent that he plays, it’s going to take a lot. Will he play? I think yes, he’s Patrick Mahomes, he’s young, but at the same time, I just don’t know for sure that he’s going to be able to be Patrick Mahomes. I can tell you right now he’s not going to have the same athleticism.”

Romo termed it a “huge challenge” for Mahomes to rehab well enough to be ready for the game.

“I do think it’s a challenge for Mahomes to get ready for next weekend. It’s going to be a huge challenge. If he is back, I think that he’s not going to be near as athletic. However, Mahomes unathletic is the best pocket passer in the NFL. It’s him and [Joe] Burrow.”

This will be the second year in a row that the Bengals and Chiefs will meet in the conference championship game in Kansas City. Last year, the Bengals won and went to the Super Bowl. This year, the Chiefs will be playing either with a limited Mahomes or backup Chad Henne.