Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has an update on the ankle injury that’s been slowing him down for weeks and it sounds like KC fans can start getting their hopes up for Christmas.
After suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns, Mahomes bounced back just six days later to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans.
Mahomes completed 28 of 41 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 33 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run to open the scoring.
Despite the injury, Mahomes was a full participant in practice throughout the week and said on Monday that he felt stronger than he did following the Cleveland game.
Now, the QB says he feels “in a lot better place,” which bodes well for the Chiefs’ Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We haven’t done a ton as far as getting out there on the practice field,” Mahomes told ESPN before today’s practice. “We’ve done a walk-through, actually two walk-throughs now, and I feel like I can move around and do what I need to do and now we’ll get to get to a little bit faster-paced practice and see where I’m truly at. But I thought, all in all, I came out pretty well.”
“I think I’ll be in a better place ankle-wise,” Mahomes continued. “Obviously the body’s going to be sore just with a short week and everything like that, but I think the ankle should be in a better place. We’ll see in practice, but as far as how I felt after this game compared to the one before, I’m definitely in a lot better place.”
A win over the Steelers would allow the Chiefs to clinch the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, guaranteeing them a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs leading up to Super Bowl LIX.
Heading into Week 17, the Steelers are 2.5-point underdogs and will be hoping to get key players like George Pickens and DeShon Elliott back on the field.
Meanwhile, they’ll need to monitor a list of Chiefs injuries, including defensive star Chris Jones and offensive tackle D.J. Humphries. For Pittsburgh, this Christmas showdown is shaping up to be a tough one, particularly if Mahomes is back up to full speed.
