Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday that quarterback Patrick Mahomes does indeed expect to play in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game despite suffering a high ankle sprain in Saturday night’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Chiefs are preparing as if Mahomes will start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“He’s worked hard in the treatment and is doing OK,” Reid said. “He mentioned it to you that he’s going to play. That’s his mindset, and then we’ll just take it day by day and see how he does.”
Reid added that the Chiefs want to see how Mahomes looks in practice this week before making any final determination.
Patrick Mahomes Injury: What Is a High Ankle Sprain?
Mahomes injured his right ankle in the first half of Saturday’s Chiefs-Jaguars Divisional Round playoff game. His right foot got pinned, and his ankle rolled inward when Jags defender Arden Key landed on him.
Mahomes limped to the sideline but immediately returned to the game before leaving again for X-rays. When those came back negative, Mahomes was allowed to play in the second half. But his productivity was, not surprisingly, diminished.
Mahomes excels off-script, but after getting hurt, did not attempt a single pass outside of the pocket, per Next Gen Stats.
Mahomes, according to Fox Sports injury and performance analyst Matt Provencher, was “visibility limping and not able to put the same amount of weight on his throwing back right leg.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes suffers an ankle injury in the Divisional game against the Jaguars.@sportsdocmatt thinks the Super Bowl Champion QB will likely be ready for the AFC Championship game but with some reduced mobility. pic.twitter.com/sg8Q50NvpD
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 22, 2023
Provencher continued: “This is a typical injury pattern for a high ankle sprain, where the ankle is forced inward as the foot is rotated outward. In this case, the planted foot stays in place, and the ankle is pushed inwards by the tackle. This is very common for a high ankle injury, and he was ruled as questionable to return.
“This injures the Syndesmosis, or the ligaments between the tibia and the fibula above the ankle joint, which helps keep it stable. It also looked as though he might have tweaked his knee as he was tackled as well. Given that Mahomes is able to put some weight on his ankle and that most high ankle sprains are treated without surgery, I don’t think he’ll need surgery at this point. But we will await additional information from the team.
“… I would expect to see Mahomes next week in the AFC Championship, but he may be a bit limited. Our data would suggest he could be down about 12 to 18 percent in overall offensive productivity, especially in quarterback rushing yards, and more of a limited potential to throw the long ball.”
History of Quarterbacks Playing Through High Ankle Sprains
Limited doesn’t necessarily mean incapable. History has plenty of examples of quarterbacks toughing out high ankle sprains, and some have even had success on the field.
This NBC Sports Bay Area item from 2020 does a nice job recapping examples of quarterbacks playing through that injury, with some relatively encouraging results for the Chiefs.
Most notably: Peyton Manning (then with the Colts) not only played every game of the 2013 season despite a November high ankle sprain but also still threw for 55 touchdowns and won the league MVP award.
MORE: Can Chiefs Win Again With a Hobbled Patrick Mahomes?
Matthew Stafford had a three-touchdown day for the Lions in 2011, just a week after leaving the stadium in a walking boot.
But not all examples are as positive. Both Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady had poor outings in their first games back from high ankle sprains.
If Mahomes is unable to go, Chad Henne will make his first start since 2020 and just his second since 2015.