Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered what looked to be a serious ankle injury last week against the Cleveland Browns. He appeared on the injury report early on in the week, which had fans panicked about his availability this week. With three games in a 10-day span, is Mahomes going to suit up and play against the Texans in Week 16?
Is Patrick Mahomes Injured?
Chiefs quarterback Mahomes, who was sidelined last week against the Browns with a high ankle sprain, is no longer a blip on the injury report and will start Saturday’s game against the Texans.
Mahomes was a full participant in Wednesday and Thursday’s practices and was deemed fit to play by Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid.
“He did look good out there,” Reid said. “He moved around pretty good. So, you’re always looking to make sure they can get out the way, not to further any harm to them. So that’s what I look at.
Patrick Mahomes, without much of a limp. pic.twitter.com/S9ioA3tErZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2024
“I’ve been through it with him before, and he amazed me every time he does it. The guy, he’s been so mentally tough and just puts it into a mindset that he has going into it [from] where he was a few days ago.”
The Chiefs and Mahomes will play three games in 11 days, a fact Mahomes is not happy with. He almost wanted to take the game off to get some rest for the playoffs and not push the ankle, but it has fully healed.
“It’s not a good feeling,” Mahomes said last week about the schedule. “You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It’s not great for your body. But, at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it.”
Mahomes, who has led the Chiefs to the last two Super Bowl titles, said he has to adjust his workouts and his preparation to be ready for the three-game stretch.
“All you can do is focus on the game. The practice you have that day,” he added. “I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch. That’s tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and prepare, and the coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice as hard as anybody, but they know how to dial it back when needed.”
Patrick Mahomes’ Fantasy Outlook
– Fantasy analysis provided by PFN’s Kyle Soppe
Before the injury, Patrick Mahomes II was just 3-of-8 against the blitz against the Browns (37.5% completion rate, his worst game of the season with at least five passes thrown in such spots). The Chiefs have their eye on the playoffs, so I’m not expecting an aggressive version of Mahomes this week, leaving me in a position to recommend you plan around a different option if you’d otherwise look Mahomes’ way.
The box score could have looked a little better last week if a sideways pass is ruled to be forward, but such is life in this low-octane attack. Mahomes is a player that no team wants to face in the postseason and no fantasy team wants to play right now.
I’m plugging in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold well ahead of him right now and not thinking twice about it, even if he’s fully cleared.
Kansas City Chiefs Week 16 Playoff Scenarios
Kansas City has won an astonishing 10 games by a touchdown or less this season. While most of the struggles have come on the offensive side of the ball with quarterback Patrick Mahomes dealing with a lack of weapons, a win is a win, and the Chiefs are a couple away from securing another No. 1 seed during the Mahomes era.
According to PFN’s Playoff Projections, the Chiefs have the highest likelihood, at 77%, to secure the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Bills have the next-highest chance, at 19.7%, and the Pittsburgh Steelers round out the final three teams in contention at 1.5%. However, while Kansas City has the best odds, it faces the most challenging test to finish the 2024 season.
The Chiefs have the seventh-toughest remaining strength of schedule with a home matchup against the Houston Texans before a two-game road trip against the Steelers and Denver Broncos. Conversely, Buffalo has the second-easiest remaining strength of schedule with two contests against the New England Patriots and a game against the New York Jets.
It looks pretty likely that the Bills will cruise through the remainder of their schedule. If Buffalo were to go 3-0 over the season’s final weeks, Kansas City would have to go 2-1 in its remaining games to retain the AFC’s No. 1 seed. If both end the season tied at 14-3, the Bills will take over as the conference’s top seed.
Can the Chiefs clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed in Week 16? Yes, but they will need some help. A Kansas City win and Buffalo loss would clinch the first-round bye for the Chiefs. However, a win alone cannot clinch the conference, and they would be forced to wait another week if both franchises win in Week 16.
While the schedule is demanding, Kansas City has some ground to give with the two-game lead. Yet, with the Texans, Steelers, and Broncos all fighting for postseason positioning, the Chiefs won’t get a break down the stretch. With its penchant for last-second wins, the last three weeks of Kansas City’s season are sure to be filled with drama.
