Patrick Mahomes suffers ankle injury in first half versus Jaguars
By Matt Conner
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hurt his leg during the first half of the team’s game against the Jaguars in the Divisional Round.
The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping that a limited Patrick Mahomes can at least keep the chains moving and the offense clicking after watching the star quarterback go down with a leg injury in the first quarter of the Divisional Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mahomes was attempting a pass when he was getting knocked down and his leg ended up getting rolled under Arden Key, a defensive lineman for the Jaguars.
From that point forward, Chad Henne, the Chiefs backup quarterback, began to warm up on the sidelines in case he was needed while the Chiefs took a timeout to give Mahomes a second. Mahomes ended up going back into the game after being looked at, but it was clear his leg was hurting him. He limped back to the huddle and the Chiefs called consecutive runs to Jerick McKinnon to protect Mahomes.
In case you missed the original play, you can see it here:
#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes limping heavily after taking this hit to his knee. He didn't come out of the game, however. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/HUmI709Ge6
— Devon Clements (@DevclemNFL) January 21, 2023
Ouch. Better look at the Mahomes injury pic.twitter.com/zEUp5eJSln
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladdtv) January 21, 2023
Going forward, the Chiefs are still rolling with Mahomes under center into the second quarter, but it’s clear the game plan is going to have to change. Already they’re relying heavily on the run and short passes to keep Mahomes upright, and the Chiefs are going to need a significant lift from their defense going forward.
As for the response of fans, you can imagine the sentiments on Twitter.
Unless Mahomes looks much more nimble next drive I think you have to put Henne in.
— Seth Keysor (@RealMNchiefsfan) January 21, 2023
Mahomes looks seriously hurt. If he is, JAC should blitz every play
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) January 21, 2023
That’s a high ankle sprain, Mahomes is tough as hell.
— The Cookie Expert (@JeffAllen71) January 21, 2023
Mahomes is a pretty freaky athlete. Insanely limber and recovers quickly. The best possible scenario would be to finish off the Jags fast and start his recovery process.
— Adam Best (@Arrowhead_Adam) January 21, 2023
Mahomes is a tough SOB. This is very bad and he’s battling his ass through this. Not sure how long his adrenaline will last, but they are gonna cast up his ankle with tape and hope for the best. This stinks.
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 21, 2023
Chiefs fans seeing Patrick Mahomes limping pic.twitter.com/MVEYwtjNCs
— Blake Garman (@FrostedBlakes34) January 21, 2023