Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gained some clarity regarding the ankle injury he sustained against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15.
“Sources: #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was diagnosed with a mild high-ankle sprain following tests, and he’s still considered week-to-week,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport wrote on December 16. “Tests confirmed initial thoughts.”
The update on Mahomes’s ankle injury confirms Rapoport’s initial report on Sunday that the team “feared” that Mahomes had a high-ankle sprain.
How Much Time Will Patrick Mahomes Miss?
Mahomes isn’t expected to be sidelined for very long if at all based on the fact that we saw him play through the same type of injury during Kansas City’s 2023 Super Bowl. But the injury could not have come at a worse time from a scheduling standpoint.
Starting with the team’s Week 15 win over the Browns, the Chiefs have to play three games in 11 games. The team’s next game is on Saturday, December 21 against the Houston Texans and then they have a quick turnaround with a Christmas Day matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers the following Wednesday.
Per Rapoport, the Chiefs will not determine Mahomes’s status for Saturday’s game against the Texans until he practices. If he cannot play, then backup QB Carson Wentz would likely start in place of Mahomes.
“The #Chiefs will know more as the practice week rolls on, and there is a chance that Patrick Mahomes practices this week,” Rapoport wrote on December 16. “He’s week-to-week, so his status this week is in doubt. Most importantly: ‘He’ll be fine long-term,’ a source said.”
X Users Reacted to Patrick Mahomes Injury Update
Users on X, formerly Twitter, reacted to Rapoport’s injury update on Mahomes.
“Only mild? That’s the best news than what it could have been Wentz plays Saturday and beats Texans at Arrowhead Mahomes plays on Christmas in Pittsburgh with 10 days of rest and beats Steelers to clinch the 1 seed,” one person wrote. “Will the Steelers even play their starters a full game if they beat Ravens on Sunday?”
“Yeah any other player & I’d have my doubts but we literally just saw this in the playoffs 2 years ago 4-6 weeks until it’s 100% healed, 2-3 weeks of limited mobility + elevated injury risk,” another person wrote. “Due to how he’s handled injuries in the past, I think there’s a good chance he doesn’t miss a game which sounds crazy to say (obviously assuming no reinjury).”
“I’d sit him this week and then see how he is for Christmas game and give him limited reps so that he is ready for the most important thing. PLAYOFFS,” another person wrote.
“With the way Mahomes played yesterday I feel the chiefs could play as good as that with wentz,” another person wrote. “The broncos and the Steelers both are very winnable games without Mahomes.”
“Sit him Saturday. Let wentz do what you brought him in for. If you win then don’t play him till week 18 for a quarter,” another person wrote. “If you lose then see if he can give it a go against the Steelers but don’t push it.”
“At least sit the Texans game. If chiefs win, sit him again for Steelers. If they lose, he should probably play against the Steelers to hold onto the 1 seed,” another person wrote.
