(Reuters) – Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is receiving treatment for a high ankle sprain, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said on Monday, with the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals waiting for them in the AFC Championship.
Mahomes fell awkwardly after being tackled late in the first quarter of the Chiefs’ 27-20 divisional round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.
He went to the locker room as backup Chad Henne took the reins, before returning in the second half and defiantly telling reporters he would be “good to go” for Sunday’s conference championship.
“That’s his mindset and then we’ll just take it day by day,” Reid told reporters, adding that Mahomes has worked hard in treatment and is doing “OK.”
It is not the first time Mahomes had to manage a significant postseason injury: The former first-round pick suffered a turf toe injury in the Chiefs’ divisional win over the Cleveland Browns two years ago.
A week later he completed 29 of 38 attempts to beat the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in the AFC Championship, helping the Chiefs to their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. He underwent surgery after Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at home.
Reid said it was too soon to say whether they would follow the same playbook that got the former MVP back up to full speed in 2021.
“I’m just going to see how he’s doing when we get to that Wednesday practice,” he told reporters.
The Chiefs face a significant hurdle to reach their third Super Bowl in four years, with the Bengals coming out on top in their last three meetings.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
