22 January 2023 , 20:43
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Patrick Mahomes has suffered a high ankle sprain which looks set to hugely hamper the rest of his playoffs, but the superstar quarterback is confident that he will be able to play though the injury.
The 27-year-old was injured after the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line were able to get pressure with Arden Key landing awkwardly on his leg after a hit on the quarterback.
Mahomes got up instantly from the tackle, but limped off and looked to be in a lot of pain, after he had made a tremendous start to the game. He went to the locker room where he spent around 10 minutes getting his ankle strapped up, and returned to the game in the second-half on what ended up being a close win over the Jags.
With Mahomes out, back-up Chad Henne ran the offense well, driving 99-yards for a touchdown - his first ever score in the playoffs despite being in the league since 2008.
After Mahomes returned, he struggled to move around, as he would have to jump to hand the ball off to the running back as well as not being able to use his legs to manoeuvre away from pressure in the pocket - something he does at an expert level to buy himself time to throw.
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And it was indeed confirmed after the game that he suffered a high ankle sprain, which could take as long as two months to recover from, but the quarterback is confident he can play through it.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter tweeted: "MRI today confirmed that Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain during Saturday’s win over the Jaguars, per league source. “Nothing more than that,” said one source, and Mahomes has said he plans to play in next Sunday’s AFC Championship Game."
Mahomes was injured in the first quarter (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images)Mahomes told reporters after the win: "It's going to take a lot to keep me out of a football game. I'll be good to go."
Thankfully, an MRI to check for any breaks came back negative, but the high ankle sprain is a significant injury, which will see his ankle likely swell up and putting him in a walking boot.
Tight end Travis Kelce was largely the difference in last night's game, with the Chiefs superstar scoring two touchdowns - one from each quarterback - and being the go-to man on a number of key plays for the offense.
He will be needed once again next week when they face the winner of tonight's playoff meeting when the Buffalo Bills face the Cincinnati Bengals.