Patrick Mahomes left Sunday’s 35-12 win over the New York Jets with an injury scare, but the early read out of Kansas City is more encouraging than alarming.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters Monday that Mahomes is “day-to-day” with an elbow injury and was at the team’s training facility that morning getting treatment. Reid said the quarterback’s status will be clearer later in the week, noting the team would check back in on Wednesday.
Mahomes got hurt late in the second quarter after being hit by the Jets’ David Bailey on a strip-sack. Edge rusher Will McDonald IV and defensive lineman Darrell Jackson Jr. were also part of the contact on the play. Mahomes came up grabbing his right throwing elbow, and the reaction on the field made the situation look serious in the moment.
He went to the sideline to be examined, then returned for the second half and finished the game while clearly dealing with discomfort. He later had additional testing, including an MRI.
Reid said the news coming out of those evaluations was better than feared.
“It was more positive news than negative news on Patrick. It looks like it’s just a matter of [him getting] some rehabbing in there and getting rid of some of the soreness.
We’ll just see where it goes from there. He’s in good spirits,” Reid said, also adding he was glad they weren’t practicing today and that they would see where Mahomes was at Wednesday.
Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network that Mahomes’ MRI “did not reveal significant damage,” and that he was diagnosed with an elbow strain/sprain. Rapoport added that Mahomes is expected to be monitored and could be limited in practice.
The Chiefs have three practices this week, but Reid said he wasn’t sure how much Mahomes would be able to do as the team works to bring down the swelling in the elbow.
Mahomes still managed to put together a strong outing before the injury became the story, throwing for 242 yards and two touchdowns, both to running back Kenneth Walker III.
If Mahomes can’t go, Kansas City would likely turn to Justin Fields, whom the team acquired in March in a trade with the Jets. Fields’ brief work against his former team didn’t inspire much confidence. He had two rushing attempts for negative yardage and lost a fumble on a first-quarter quarterback sneak.
Kansas City now heads to Atlanta for its next game against the Falcons, who have dropped their last two and sit at 3-6, last in the NFC South. The Chiefs improved to 6-2 with Sunday’s win and remain just behind the 7-2 Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
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