KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes has played through sprained ankles before, so he knew what to expect after getting injured late in last week’s win at Cleveland.
“He had that mindset right from the get-go that he was going to be out there and going, so he didn’t miss a beat,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
Before the sun came up and long after it went back down, Mahomes was at the Chiefs’ training facility last Monday for treatment.
Reid said Mahomes didn’t miss a rep at practice last week, but he wasn’t initially sure he’d be able to play on short rest during Saturday's win against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“The first practice it was still kind of iffy, but the second practice, being able to move a little bit and do some of the under-center stuff, I know I would have a good chance,” Mahomes said.
He then served notice that he was ready to be over-my-dead-body Mahomes on the opening drive, scrambling twice for 27 yards. That included a 15-yard touchdown run to cap the drive.
PATRICK DOES IT HIMSELF.@PatrickMahomes + #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/XmaWNwfCgL
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 21, 2024
Obviously, the game plan didn’t call for Mahomes to run, but it still served a purpose in forcing Houston to spy him and mix coverage more between man and zone.
“It wasn’t necessarily setting a tone,” Mahomes said. “... My plan was to not run, then I ended up running the first drive, but you’ve got to play ball at the end of the day.”
Right guard Trey Smith suspected that play had a significant impact on the Texans.
“They put a lot of credence into the ankle injury and he kind of laughed it off and ran into the end zone,” Smith said. “... 15 is the ultimate competitor in my mind. Haven’t been around a guy like that, at least in my athletic career. I know if that dude’s going to be able to walk, he’s going to play.”
If Mahomes set a tone for Kansas City, it was during the week as he gutted through the worst of the pain and rehabbed feverishly.
“I ask a lot from the guys around me and I feel like, if I’m going to ask them to play through pain, if I’m going to ask them to play through little nicks and bruises and stuff, then I’ve got to do it,” Mahomes said.
Mahomes said he wasn’t fully able to plant on his throws, but it was “good enough.”
“You’re not going to feel great, but you don’t make excuses in this league,” Mahomes said. “You play football and you fight until the very end and try to get a win at the end of the day.”
Reid said the rest of the Chiefs undoubtedly follow Mahomes’ lead in that respect.
“He spoils the dog out of us there, because he’s so tough mentally and physically,” Reid said. “You just get used to it, but most guys don’t come back from it like he did. ... It sends a message to the whole team and our guys are real good with that, our leaders are good in that way. They try to play through things.”
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