It looks as if the Kansas City Chiefs face some new adversity each week, and Week 9’s Monday night time showdown towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was no exception.
In an exhilarating 30-24 additional time win, the Chiefs pushed their undefeated successful streak to eight video games, overcoming a fourth-quarter harm scare to Patrick Mahomes that almost derailed their efforts.
The tense second unfolded simply after Mahomes threw a game-tying landing to working again Samaje Perine early within the fourth quarter. In the course of the play, Mahomes appeared to have landed awkwardly on his ankle —a non-contact harm that triggered rapid concern on the Chiefs’ sideline.
Happily, Mahomes downplayed the severity, although he admitted the state of affairs was scary initially.
“I used to be working for the aim line and dedicated to working the soccer, however on the final second, I noticed Samaje pPerine] and awkwardly rolled the ankle somewhat bit,” Mahomes mentioned after the sport. “Undoubtedly scary, and I believe it damage extra as a result of it was the identical ankle I rolled final week, however as soon as I took my breath and calmed down, it ended up being not too dangerous.”
Following the play, the Chiefs have been rightfully cautious with Mahomes, particularly given his historical past of ankle accidents. He was helped off the sphere by some trainers to maintain him from placing weight on it, main head coach Andy Reid to consider he could be taken out of the sport.
Nonetheless, Mahomes, with all his aggressive spirit, satisfied Reid in any other case.
“I informed him I used to be going to take him out, and he most likely wished to combat me,” Reid mentioned. “He’s a tricky child.”
After the sport, Mahomes elaborated on the second.
“I believed he was joking,” Mahomes recalled. “He mentioned it, and I used to be like, ‘Come on, we’re not doing this once more.’ He trusts me, and as soon as the docs checked it out and I used to be capable of get again and do the drops, he let me get again on the sphere.”
Mahomes rewarded Reid’s religion by main the staff on the game-winning landing drive, ending the night time with a formidable 34 of 44 on cross makes an attempt for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
Mahomes was additionally aided by a powerful supporting solid, together with Kareem Hunt, who rushed for 106 yards and a landing — and the dynamic duo of Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins, who mixed for 22 receptions, 186 yards and two touchdowns.
Regardless of being sacked 4 occasions — essentially the most allowed by the Chiefs in any sport this season— Mahomes credited his offensive line for a stable efficiency. He blamed the sacks on himself and admitted that the harm could have helped him settle into enjoying extra throughout the pocket, the place he went on to carve up an exhausted Buccaneers protection.
“It virtually settles me down, particularly within the pocket the place I can’t depend on my mobility,” Mahomes mentioned of the harm. “Early within the sport, I used to be working into sacks as a result of they have been doing properly of their cross rush lanes. That [injury] type of settled me within the pocket. After which when our offensive line is obstructing like that, I can sit within the pocket, undergo my reads and get to the fitting man.”
In fact, this isn’t the primary time Mahomes has handled an ankle harm.
Within the midst of the Chiefs Super Bowl run in 2022, he damage his ankle after getting rolled up on towards the Jacksonville Jaguars within the AFC Divisional spherical. Mahomes left the sport briefly however returned, visibly hobbled by his ankle, to steer the staff to the AFC Championship sport.
As followers bear in mind, Mahomes would go on to play by means of the ankle harm for the rest of that postseason run and in the end guided the staff to his second profession Tremendous Bowl victory. Reflecting on Monday’s incident, he reassured followers that this harm isn’t as extreme and expects to be prepared for subsequent week’s sport towards the Denver Broncos.
“The one within the playoffs a few years in the past was how I obtained tackled,” Mahomes mentioned when requested to match Monday’s ankle harm with the one from 2022. “It obtained caught, and it damage much more. For this, I can transfer, I nonetheless have mobility in my ankle, and I nonetheless did after this sport. Clearly, I’ll sleep and possibly get somewhat swelling tomorrow, however it’s a brief week, so that you go in there, maintain it, and be ready to play subsequent week.”
