Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave a positive report on his injured left wrist following the game on Sunday night against the Cardinals.
The Kansas City Chiefs left Glendale, Arizona feeling very good about almost every aspect of the team’s outcome in a blowout 44-21 win over the Cardinals in Week 1. The offense dominated and the defense impressed and even special teams had a heroic moment or two. That said, there were a number of injuries of note, including a left wrist issue for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes suffered the injury on a fall in the first quarter and managed to put up MVP-worthy numbers in spite of it, but going forward, it presents the sort of concern that could get worse if it doesn’t heal properly or gets hit again. Fortunately after the game, Mahomes had a positive report for questions about his wrist in comments to reporters.
"“I fell on it on that first touchdown, I kind of threw my hand back and fell on it,” Mahomes said. “But I just got it looked at, and everything looked good. Hopefully, it’s not something that lingers around, something that we can kind of get cleared up quickly.”"
Mahomes went on to say that he received x-rays on his wrist following the game and they were negative. It’s possible that further tests await Mahomes in the days ahead, but largely it seems like it’s a short-term concern that the team will try to protect as best they can with tape and preparation from the team’s athletic trainers.
The injury only shone a brighter spotlight on Mahomes’ performance on the day, which was near flawless as he completed 30 of 39 passes for 360 yards and 5 touchdowns with zero interceptions—good for a QBR 94.1,
The Chiefs now face the visiting Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night, and both teams are coming in with injury concerns that could use more rest than they will get. Mahomes is hardly the only member of the Chiefs wishing for more time to recuperate, but that’s the nature of the NFL’s schedule. The good news here is that Mahomes’ injury could have been worse and he was still able to thrive in spite of any discomfort or pain. With a few days, he should seem even better when taking the field for Thursday Night Football.