Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes says that he’s no worse for wear after playing on a high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaking to media members ahead of practice on Thursday, Mahomes was asked whether he took any steps backward after playing through the injury. His response should have Chiefs fans thrilled.
“I dont think so,” Mahomes said. “I was just generally sore from the game. It was a physical game. I mean, my whole body was a little sore. So, I don’t think I had any steps backward or anything like that. No like reaggravation of the ankle. Just the general little bit of pain I had playing with it, but other than that, I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
Nothing more than general soreness reported by the star quarterback is good news. Even better news — Mahomes was listed as a full participant in the team’s 10-10-10 practice on Thursday.
He clearly did a good job of protecting himself, even in one of the most critical moments of the game. Mahomes says that when Bengals OLB Joseph Ossai hit him late and out of bounds, he didn’t even try to stop himself because of the risk of injury to himself and others.
“The most pain I had was stopping,” Mahomes said. “So, once he pushed me, it would have been hard to put my foot in the ground and try to stop. I rolled through it. You get over there with the heaters and benches and people, that’s a lot of times where people get hurt. That’s why I think there’s the reason there’s a flag for it. Once I got pushed I just tried to roll and not hurt people and not hurt myself.”
With Mahomes managing to keep the ankle injury on the right track, he should be able to make even more strides toward being 100% for Super Bowl LVII.
