Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain following Kansas City’s victory over the Bills in the AFC divisional round, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Mahomes, who returned to his team’s 27–20 win after a brief hiatus, already underwent X-rays that came back negative but was expected to undergo further tests on Sunday morning, Rapoport reported.
“He is getting checked out [Sunday morning],” Rapoport confirmed on NFL Gameday. “This is about to be the most talked-about ankle in, I don’t know, maybe NFL history.”
Though the sprain almost surely will limit Mahomes in practice this week ahead of the AFC championship game, the quarterback maintained after Saturday’s win that he would be “good to go.”
Mahomes suffered the ankle injury when Jaguars pass rusher Arden Key landed on him as the MVP frontrunner attempt to avoid pressure with 2:40 left in the first quarter. He limped to the sidelines and briefly returned to the field with the Chiefs on offense, but was eventually sent back to the locker room for further evaluation, though he appeared quite frustrated about having to leave the game.
After the win, Mahomes said he had not been given an official diagnosis just yet. He also revealed that the training staff gave an ultimatum during the game: go to the locker room or not be allowed to return.
“I did not want to go,” Mahomes told NBC’s Melissa Stark, per Sky Sports. “They kind of gave me the ultimatum of I was not going back in the game unless I went in the locker room—it’s going to take a lot to keep me out of a football game.”
Mahomes returned to the game after halftime and managed to close out a Chiefs’ victory with a critical touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. The 27-year-old finished the game 22-of-30 passing with 195 yards and two touchdowns.
Though Mahomes gritted through the injury to power Kansas City to a fifth straight AFC championship game appearance, the quarterback’s status will be the talk of the NFL over the next few days.
