Mahomes overcomes 'scary' injury in key KC win, awaits game against Denver

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For a moment Monday night, Patrick Mahomes said he feared the worst. He had to be helped to his feet after injuring his ankle in the fourth quarter, and for a few seconds he wondered whether he would be able to finish the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Definitely scary,” Mahomes said later. “I think it hurt more just because it was the same ankle I rolled last week, so it scared me a little bit.”

“When you don’t know exactly what’s happening and you feel a lot of pain, you’re always afraid of the worst.”

Everything worked out for Mahomes, he was able to stay in the game. He later threw a touchdown pass to give the Chiefs the lead, and after the Bucs scored to send the game into overtime, Mahomes led a 10-play drive that ended with a touchdown run by Kareem Hunt, giving the Chiefs a 30-24 win and an 8-0 record.

Mahomes also injured his ankle in a 2022 playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then, due to Mahomes' protests, coach Andy Reid pulled him from the game and did not allow him to return until he underwent an X-ray.

This time, Reid again told Mahomes that he was getting out of the game.

“I thought he was joking,” Mahomes said. “I thought, 'Come on, let's not do this again.' ''

Reid even went so far as to tell backup Carson Wentz to get ready.

“He’s a competitor,” Reid said. “I told him I was going to take him out and he probably wanted to fight me, so he’s a tough kid.”

Reid relented after Mahomes told him the injury was not consistent with the one seen in the 2022 playoffs. Mahomes was also examined by doctors and underwent some mobility tests along the way.

Mahomes said he is ready to play in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos in Arrowhead.

Mahomes was injured on a non-contact play while throwing a touchdown pass to running back Samaje Perine early in the fourth quarter.

“I was obviously running toward the goal line and I was kind of determined to run the football and at the last second Samaje and so I kind of awkwardly rolled my ankle a little bit,” Mahomes said. “You feel the pain and that’s scary.” You. I've struggled with ankles before, but I just laid there and over time the pain subsided. . . I just got back into it, got moving again and felt comfortable going out there.

“That one in the playoffs a few years ago was a little bit of how I handled it. It got stuck and it hurt even more. (This time) I was able to move, I was still able to have the mobility of my ankle and I.” “After this game I'll probably have a little more swelling tomorrow, but in a short week, but go in there and take care of it and be ready to play next week.”