NFL experts are unified in their advice for Andy Reid given Patrick Mahomes' injury

The Patrick Mahomes injury is a complicated issue for a team that has a lot to consider at this point in the season.

Nothing here is cut and dry. Let's get that out of the way.

Patrick Mahomes went down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs' most recent victory in Week 15 at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Cleveland Browns. With the victory, the Chiefs moved to 13-1 on the year and are squarely in the driver's seat to earn the AFC's top seed.

There's a reason teams chase that first seed with so much gusto. It comes with a couple of key prizes: 1.) home-field advantage for the postseason and, 2.) a first-round bye to skate through teh Wild Card round. Not having to play a third game in order to even get to the big game is a major advantage which is why the Chiefs should want to do all they can to get there.

But if part of "all they can to get there" includes a decision on how to handle the injury to Mahomes, it creates a conundrum for the team's coaching staff. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the game, so obviously they want him under center as much as possible. At the same time, no one wants his injury to get worse, nor do they want a hobbled Mahomes losing a game by forcing the issue.

On Saturday, the Chiefs play on a short week when hosting the Houston Texans. Only four days later, they play in primetime on Christmas Day at Pittsburgh against the Steelers. This schedule complicates all of these issues because it's not as if Mahomes even has a regular week to rehab and rest. Instead, the Chiefs are in the midst of a stretch of 3 games in 11 days.

For now, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has said that the team is taking things day-by-day with Mahomes. But the overwhelming response from talking heads online are pretty much in unison concerning what Reid and company should do in the face of these circumstances: Rest Mahomes.

Our friend Seth Keysor, who writes about the team in his Chief of the North newsletter, writes, "Mahomes is shot physically and mentally, and this is a rare chance to do something about it without risking too much."

Another friend of Arrowhead Addict, Daniel Harms, is a frequent podcast guest and a solid writer for the Draft Network.

Sam Monson is co-host of the Check the Mic podcast and formerly of Pro Football Focus. He's worried most about an even greater injury to Mahomes.

Over at Good Morning, Football on the NFL Network, co-hosts Kyle Brandt and Isaiah Stanback believe the best thing for Mahomes is to actually sit longer than just Saturday. They want Carson Wentz, his backup QB, to close out the regular season.

We're not sure about the amount of time here, but it definitely makes sense to go with Wentz at this stage on a short week and see if a game off allows Mahomes to feel better going into the team's game on Christmas Day.