The Kansas City Chiefs have posted a 13-1 record during the 2024 NFL season despite dealing with numerous injuries to key offensive playmakers.
Players like Isiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown have all missed time; now, there are questions about whether star quarterback Patrick Mahomes will also be sidelined by an injury.
Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in the Chiefs‘ 21-7 Week 15 win over the Cleveland Browns. He attempted a fourth-and-3 pass while jumping to avoid pressure in the pocket but was rolled up at the end of the play by defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.
Mahomes got off the field under his own power but was walking with a significant limp. He did not return to the game for the final 5:23 after having his right ankle heavily taped on the sidelines.
How bad is Mahomes’ injury? It isn’t severe enough to keep him out for the rest of the 2024 NFL season. However, he may have to miss at least some time to heal, so his status for the Chiefs’ Week 16 game against the Houston Texans on Saturday is unclear.
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Here’s what to know about Mahomes’ injury and availability moving forward.
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Mahomes suffered a “mild high-ankle sprain” in the Chiefs’ win over the Browns, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That injury will likely earn Mahomes a “week-to-week” designation and could cause him to miss some time.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke about Mahomes’ injury after Kansas City’s victory. Reid classified his quarterback as “day-to-day” and said that Mahomes “probably could’ve gone back in” had the Chiefs not been leading.
“He wanted to go back in,” Reid said. “There was no need for that.”
Reid didn’t provide a definite timetable for Mahomes’ return, simply noting that the team will “have to see how he does” in his rehab to determine his status.
The good news is that X-rays of Mahomes’ ankle were negative.
“It’s not broken, it’s just sore,” Reid told reporters.
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Recovery from a high-ankle sprain varies depending on its severity. Mild sprains typically heal within 2-4 weeks, while moderate to severe sprains take 6-12 weeks to heal, per Dr. Scott Dixon of Integrative PT.
Mahomes’ sprain is of the mild variety, per Rapoport. That should give him a chance to recover from the injury without missing too much time.
It’s also worth noting that Mahomes played through a high-ankle sprain during the Chiefs’ run to Super Bowl 57. He first suffered the injury in the team’s divisional-round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023; he returned to the game after halftime with his ankle heavily taped. He aggravated that injury in the Super Bowl but played through it to deliver Kansas City another Lombardi Trophy.
Mahomes may not return as expeditiously, given that the Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West and have the inside track to the No. 1 seed. Still, based on his previous experience, it stands to reason that he should return on the lower end of that 2-4 week timeline for return – if he doesn’t beat it all together.
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Mahomes appears ahead of schedule in his recovery from the high ankle sprain. His status for Week 16 remains unclear, but he was a full participant at practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday. That indicates that he is tracking to be cleared for action despite the quick turnaround.
Mahomes told reporters Tuesday that his ankle was responding well to treatment. He also said it wasn’t as bad as the high-ankle sprain he suffered against the Jaguars in 2023.
“Obviously it’s a short amount of time but I thought we had a good day yesterday and good work after the game as well,” Mahomes said.
As a result, Mahomes is going to try to play on Saturday, though he didn’t guarantee that he would.
“That’s the reason you play this game,” Mahomes said. “I’ll get the work at practice and try to push it to see where I can get to. At the end of the day, I’m not going to put our team in a bad position.”
Meanwhile, Chiefs coach Andy Reid continued to describe Mahomes as “day-to-day.” He also said that the team’s compact schedule with three games in 11 days wouldn’t have an impact on his decision to start or sit Mahomes in Week 16 against the Texans.
“If he can go, he’ll go. If he can’t, then he can’t. Keep it simple,” Reid said. “That’s how we’ll roll with it. I’ll just take it day by day and see how he does.”
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Mahomes has not been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season. While his status moving forward is questionable because of the injury, Rapoport reports that it shouldn’t be a major concern for the veteran quarterback ahead of the postseason.
“He’ll be fine long-term,” a source told Rapoport.
The Chiefs have a two-game lead in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, so they figure to play it safe with Mahomes over the final three weeks of the regular season. However, given the timetables provided by Rapoport and Reid and Mahomes’ goal of playing in Week 16, it would be surprising to see him miss all three of Kansas City’s remaining regular season games unless the Chiefs can wrap up the No. 1 seed without his services.
Even then, Kansas City would probably like to get Mahomes a tune-up before the playoffs begin.
