Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ended all notions that he would be unavailable for Sunday’s high-level AFC championship game.
Shortly after coach Andy Reid told reporters that Mahomes was likely to be a hit in Wednesday’s practice, the quarterback took to the podium and announced his injured ankle was improving.
“It’s good. A few days of treatment, a few days of rehab,” said the MVP candidate. “I’m looking forward to being on the practice field and trying it out and seeing where I’m at. But so far it feels good.”
Mahomes suffered a severe sprained ankle in the first half of Saturday’s 27-20 divisional round playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He began treating his sprain shortly after the win and has claimed he will be on the pitch for the AFC Championship.
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Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks down the sidelines during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 21, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“I was able to do some extra testing to make sure everything was fine the night after the game. And then do a few things to kind of get the treatment going,” Mahomes said. “And then the next few days were kind of an all-day thing where you either go into treatment or you go into rehab or you watch a movie.”
“But it’s an all-day thing where you’re trying to make sure you’re obviously prepared for the Bengals and the great football team – mentally and physically.”
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Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs aims to advance against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the fourth quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 21, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Mahomes was able to get back into the game against Jacksonville in the second half, but his style of play changed noticeably. During the regular season, he led the league in passes from outside the pocket but stayed between tackles for the remainder of the divisional round game.
In Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season, Mahomes sprained his left ankle, while Saturday’s injury affected his right ankle.
“Especially when you have different ankles in the quarterback position, you plant and throw different things,” Mahomes said. “So the last one was the leg I landed on so I had to find other ways to throw where I could land and keep it in the right spot. This time I need to find ways to be able to push it off and still be able to make throws the right way. So, definitely similar in a way, but different limitations and things I need to work through.
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Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs calls for a play at the line of scrimmage against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 21, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The five-time Pro Bowler noted that his right ankle feels better than expected but conceded he would have to work around the injury during Sunday’s game.
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“I’m going to push a little bit today and then the next day and then again the next day and see what I can do not to make the injury worse again of course but push it to see what I can do on Sunday do,” Mahomes said.
Chantz Martin is a sportswriter for Fox News Digital.