According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback isn’t quite out of the woods when it comes to fighting injuries this week as he prepares to face the Buffalo Bills. In fact, Rapoport notes a lingering foot injury is actually turf toe and it’s still an active concern.
Last week, Mahomes suffered some sort of foot/toe injury against the Cleveland Browns early in the first quarter of the AFC’s Divisional Round. Mahomes went on to have a good game afterward, but the injury seemed to affect some throws, specifically to his left, and Mahomes grimaced in pain on multiple occasions after a play was over. Rapoport writes:
"As of now, there is not necessarily a belief that Mahomes will need surgery on the plantar plate injury. However, a source said that he’ll be re-evaluated following the season by a foot specialist to determine if he’ll need surgery."
Mahomes still has at least one game yet to play against the Bills in the AFC Championship on Sunday evening. After that, he could potentially have another two week break before taking the field in Tampa for Super Bowl LV, if the Chiefs win.
Entering the week, Mahomes was in the league’s concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in the same game against the Browns. It’s been a tense week in Kansas City as fans have waited to hear about any official progressions within or out of the necessary stages in order to play on Sunday. Finally, the Chiefs got the good news that he was cleared to play on Friday after being limited in practice all week.
It will be interesting to watch Mahomes’ toe injury early to see how much it’s affecting his ability to plant his foot for throws—or even to take off and run. The Chiefs and Bills are scheduled to kick off at Arrowhead Stadium at 5:40 p.m. C.T.