Should Patrick Mahomes sit another week for the Kansas City Chiefs?

If the Kansas City Chiefs have the talent to beat the Tennessee Titans without him, should the Chiefs give Patrick Mahomes another week of rest?

On October 27, popular NFL reporter Ian Rapoport gave Kansas City Chiefs fans the timeline they wanted so desperately to hear: quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be returning on November 10 to face the Tennessee Titans.

Ever since that report, Chiefs Kingdom has been eyeing the Week 10 matchup with great anticipation along with cautious optimism that the wheels wouldn’t have completely fallen off without the reigning NFL MVP in the lineup.

Fast forward two weeks and the Kansas City Chiefs look more like Super Bowl contenders than when Mahomes first went down with an out-of-place kneecap. The defense has stayed the course since the turning point against the Denver Broncos. Special teams has returned to their typical “special” designation under Dave Toub’s coaching. The offense has maintained respectability with 50 points scored in the last two weeks.

Most importantly, the Chiefs not only defeated the Minnesota Vikings but nearly toppled the Green Bay Packers with Matt Moore under center. Those were two of the most difficult foes on the entire schedule and the Chiefs looked damn good against both.

Now the Titans are coming into view and the question must be asked: Are the Chiefs ready to switch right back? The Titans are 4-5 and look like one of the easier games left on the schedule. Moore and the offense are clicking and a now-vicious pass rush is ready to feast on Tennessee’s horrid offensive front.

If these Chiefs had to play without Mahomes, they could likely take out the Titans. And if that’s the case, why rush him back?

The downside to this, of course, is based on a few things:

1. Mahomes is good for business. There’s a reason we all suddenly invested in Hunt’s ketchup and Oakley sunglasses and Mahomes, well, everything. We love the guy. We want to watch him. We are thankful for Moore’s performance, to be sure, but if Mahomes is ready and able, let’s not keep the star of the show off-screen for any longer than necessary.
2. Nothing is a gimme. Nothing. The Dolphins are purposefully tanking and still beat the New York Jets on Sunday. The Titans are a near .500 team with hopes to still make noise in a very crowded AFC South. Mike Vrabel knows he’s going to face some tough questions if his team doesn’t come together with a win streak soon, and the Chiefs might be overlooking a tougher-than-expected opponent here.

If Mahomes plays on Sunday, he will have had 24 days of rest between reps on the football field. The Chiefs also have a bye week coming up after two more games, which means extra time for any ailing parts to get rest. If he’s ready to roll, it might be worth putting him out there.

Then again, if the ankle is still tender, if the knee is still in danger of swelling, if anything is not 100 percent at this stage, why risk it? The Chiefs could let Moore finish out the pre-bye schedule  and bring back Mahomes for the stretch run when it counts. At that point, he should be fully healthy and even hungry to return.

Both sides of the coin have some merit for the Chiefs, which makes it difficult to land convincingly on any single answer. Perhaps the doctors will make the decision easier one way or the other. Only time will tell.