Patrick Mahomes should be on track to play in the AFC title game according to Jay Glazer, who indicated the quarterback’s injury may not have been what it seemed.
Jay Glazer isn’t a doctor, but his experience in mixed martial arts gives him some interesting perspective on the injury that knocked Patrick Mahomes out of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns.
While Mahomes is going through concussion protocol, there seems to be a chance he didn’t actually sustain a brain injury.
Jay Glazer just said in the post game on FOX about Mahomes and his status for Sunday. pic.twitter.com/07TisYYFox
— Jake Lebahn (@JakeLebahn) January 18, 2021
“The thought is that he will be okay to play,” Glazer said while pointing out how Mahomes’ condition may have been caused by being choked out instead of concussed. “There’s a lot of confidence that he’ll be able to go next week.”
Patrick Mahomes may not have suffered a concussion
Video of the hit that took down Mahomes does show the defender’s arm wrapped around his neck as they fall to the ground. Any contact to the head would have been caused by the ground.
That doesn’t mean Glazer’s assessment is correct. The Chiefs’ medical staff and the league’s independent doctors will be able to say for certain the quarterback didn’t suffer a concussion.
Still, an alternate explanation for his stumbling feet and dazed eyes is welcome, not just for his chances of playing going forward, but for his overall health.
Before he left the game, Mahomes threw for 255 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 14 yards and a score.
The Super Bowl LIV MVP looked primed for a big postseason before Sunday. Now the Chiefs are holding their breath to see if he will be cleared to face the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
If Mahomes can’t go, his backup is Chad Henne. He undoubtedly lacks the starter’s MVP-level skills, but Henne did come in and complete 6-of-8 passes for 66 yards against the Browns. While he threw an interception to put the Chiefs in danger of giving up the lead late, he also scrambled for key third-down yardage and converted a fourth-down throw to put the game away.