KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes completed a full week of apply on his ailing proper ankle Friday, and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid pronounced his All-Pro quarterback able to go for the AFC championship sport towards the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mahomes sustained a excessive ankle sprain within the first quarter of final week’s divisional-round win over Jacksonville, returning after halftime to shine off the victory. That despatched the Chiefs to their fifth consecutive AFC championship sport, the place they’ll face the AFC North champions on Sunday evening in a rematch of final yr’s additional time loss to the Bengals.
“He looks good,” Reid stated. “I mean, he’s moving around good. He’s going to go out and play.”
Mahomes has had maybe his finest season, throwing for a career-high 5,250 yards with a league-leading 41 landing passes, and garnered 49 of fifty first-place votes in All-Pro voting. He can be amongst 5 finalists for league MVP.
“I feel like I can still do a lot of things,” he stated this week. “We’ll see as we get closer and closer, and we’ll see during the game. You can’t fully do exactly what you’re going to be doing in those moments in the game (in practice), but all I can do is prepare myself the best way possible and then when we get in the game, you hope adrenaline kind of takes over.”
Mahomes vowed to play from the second the Chiefs beat the Jaguars final Saturday evening, striding to the rostrum simply exterior the Kansas City locker room and proclaiming his ankle felt higher than anticipated. Mahomes started therapy that evening, and a precautionary MRI examination taken the next day confirmed no structural injury.
His proper ankle wasn’t taped any greater than the left when Mahomes headed onto the indoor apply discipline Wednesday and Thursday. He was bouncing round as if nothing was amiss Friday for a last outside exercise.
“We’re preparing for Patrick Mahomes like he’s 100 percent,” Bengals move rusher Sam Hubbard stated, “because I’m sure he’s going to be playing 100 percent. That’s all you can do.”
The Chiefs have been coy about their sport plan for Cincinnati, which has crushed them 3 times within the final 13 months, together with that fateful AFC title sport final January. But there is a good probability Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy tweaked it to guard Mahomes, who’s uncanny in the case of extending performs along with his scrambling potential.
Mahomes has handled loads of accidents lately, and this is not the primary to occur on the playoff stage.
Two years in the past, Mahomes was positioned within the concussion protocol throughout a divisional win over the Browns, although he got here again the next week to guide Kansas City to an AFC title win over Buffalo. Mahomes additionally was coping with turf toe, which he stated this week was probably the most painful harm that he is performed via throughout his time within the NFL.
Mahomes wound up having surgical procedure for it after the Chiefs misplaced to Tampa Bay within the Super Bowl.
I’ve a number of good individuals round me in every single place,” said Mahomes, who praised the Chiefs training staff along with his personal trainer, Bobby Stroupe. “We’ve done a lot of ankle and knee and foot stuff, especially after the last few injuries I’ve had. I think that’s prepared me to bounce back quickly here and be able to be in a good spot.”
Mahomes also has gotten support from players around the league, including Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
“I have a good relationship with him now and he gives me a lot of advice,” Mahomes said. “Why would you not need to be taught from the GOAT? So anytime anyone like that desires to provide me recommendation, I’ll take it in, and it’s cool to see the fellows that you just’ve watched rising up your entire life be capable of discuss to you in that kind of platform.”
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