The Kansas City Chiefs' gameplan for a second straight AFC Championship showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals will no doubt be altered to account for Patrick Mahomes' high right ankle sprain. As Sunday's highly anticipated matchup draws closer and closer, though, the MVP frontrunner seems to be shaking off most effects an injury many initially assumed would take him out of the postseason altogether.
Asked for specifics on the nature of Mahomes' recovery, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy pled his ignorance, simply noting that he wants whatever means of treatment the superstar quarterback has received since sustaining the injury in last Saturday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I have no idea. But I want whatever he's taking,” Bieniemy said, per James Palmber of NFL Network.
Mahomes right leg was fallen on by a Jacksonville edge rusher Arden Key late in the first quarter of the Divisional round. He finished Kansas City's ongoing series with a limp, then went back to the locker room for evaluation after a heated sideline exchange with coach Andy Reid, paving the way for veteran quarterback Chad Henne to take his place under center.
Not only did Henne lead the Chiefs on a 98-yard touchdown drive, extending their lead over the underdog Jaguars, but Mahomes returned to action after halftime. While clearly limited by his tender right ankle, Mahomes did enough for Kansas City to score 10 second-half points en route to a 27-20 victory.
Mahomes expressed surprise how well his ankle felt on the postgame podium, then practiced without restrictions on Wednesday. Viral video showed him participating in active stretching with his teammates, evidently no worse for wear even while breaking into a light jog.
Still, Patrick Mahomes knows he won't be at 100% on Sunday, and is up for the challenge of leading the Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance regardless.
“A lot of greats have done it. I think it's just about being a competitor,” he said on Wednesday, per NFL.com's Nick Shook. “You want to be out there. Especially in these games. All you can do is just mentally prepare yourself and your body throughout the week. And then like I said, you get to gameday, you just have to focus on the game. That's what I'll try to do, is prepare my body the best I can and get to the game and just go out there and play and try to find a way to win.”
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