Patrick Mahomes injury: Everything to know, and will he play?

Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury during Kansas City’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but will he be able to play in the AFC Championship game?

The Kansas City Chiefs are on to the AFC Championship Game but there is some concern over the availability of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who suffered an ankle injury during the Chiefs’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday. The issue forced Mahomes to miss a few drives but he returned after the halftime break to help Kansas City survive an upset bid from Jacksonville.

While the Chiefs are still waiting to see if they will be in Kansas City or Atlanta for their next game, word on Mahomes’ status came in this morning. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Mahomes is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, which can be a tricky injury to manage.

Will Patrick Mahomes play in the AFC Championship Game?

Mahomes has indicated to the media that he plans to play in the AFC Championship Game, which is good news for the Chiefs since the downgrade from Mahomes to Chad Henne is massive. The sprain could be painful to play through for Mahomes, who may have more difficulty extending plays by scrambling, but it sounds like the ankle won’t keep Mahomes out of his fifth consecutive AFC title game.

Head coach Andy Reid may have to adjust his game plan to account for Mahomes’ injury, which could require him to spend more time in the pocket to prevent an aggravation of the issue. Using the Chiefs’ running game could make some sense as Isaiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon have stepped up nicely.

Kansas City will also need their offensive line to keep Mahomes upright, which won’t be an easy task against the strong defensive fronts that either of their prospective opponents (the Buffalo Bills or Cincinnati Bengals) have. Expect the Chiefs to take it easy on Mahomes in practice this week in hopes of having him as close to healthy as possible for the championship game.