After quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain during Sunday’s win over the Browns, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Tuesday that Mahomes will play if he’s able.
For his part, Mahomes said he’s going to do what he can to push to be available for Saturday’s matchup against the Texans.
“That’s the reason why you play this game, is to push to play. So I’ll get to work in practice and try to push it to see where I can get to,” Mahomes said in his Tuesday news conference. “But at the end of the day, I’m not going to put our team in a bad position. So, if I feel like I can play and go out there and win a football game, I’ll play. And if I don’t feel like that’s the best-case scenario, I’ll let guys like Carson [Wentz] play. I mean, he’s a guy that’s won in this league as well.
“So, it’s just about pushing it this week, seeing where I’m at, and making the best decision then.”
Mahomes noted that this injury isn’t as bad as the one he sustained during the 2022 divisional round against the Jaguars, with his ankle responding better faster this time around. But he added that he wants to be able to move, protect himself, and not limit the game plan if he’s going to play against Houston this weekend.
“I want to be able to get out of the way,” Mahomes said. “I mean, this is a good pass rush, a good defense. They fly around. You don’t want to go out there and put yourself in harm’s way. Obviously, it’s football, you’re going to take hits. But you want to be able to protect yourself. So, that’ll be where I’m at.
“I don’t want to limit the game plan — that’s another thing for me, is I want to still be able to move around the pocket so we’re not just sitting in one spot the whole entire game and letting their D-line really get after it. So it’s about me finding that balance, seeing where I’m at. I won’t know until close to the end of this week.”
That the Chiefs are 13-1 and currently have a two-game lead over the Bills for the AFC’s No. 1 seed does affect things, as Mahomes said it’s not “dire” that he plays.
“It’s not like in the AFC Championship Game where we’re playing to get to the Super Bowl. We have a little bit of room to kind of spare,” Mahomes said. “But at the end of the day, we’re trying to win — we’re trying to win the football game. And I’m a competitor — I want to go out there and play.
“So, I’ll push myself to get to the best place possible over these next few days and we’ll be able to make a decision then.”
Mahomes has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 3,348 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games this season. His 239.1 yards per game is a career-low.
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