Chiefs Patrick Mahomes says he's 'ready to go' despite injured ankle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It's the most anticipated question in the NFL this week, and it yielded the most expected answer.
"I'm doin' good, you know? AFC Championship Week, ready to go," Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs quarterback, said when asked about his ankle Wednesday afternoon.
Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain to his right ankle in the AFC Divisional game against Jacksonville.
Wednesday, the MVP finalist walked normally into a room to address questions about the injury, and how it could impact his game ahead of the AFC Championship game.
It's doing good, you know? I've got a few days of treatment, few days of rehab. Excited to get on the practice field and kinda test it out and see where I'm at, but it's feeling good so far.
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs quarterback
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Mahomes had already completed a team walkthrough prior to speaking to the media about the injury.
"He's had injuries before so he can bank on that past experience that he's had. He'll do fine. It's just a matter of making sure he's as safe as you can be out there on the football field," Reid said.
While the injury is what Reid describes as a "day-by-day injury," Mahomes is more focused on seeing exactly what he can do on his injured ankle.
"I haven't got to go out and practice yet and put myself in those positions. I've done limited stuff in a small box of what I can do, but I'll push it a little today and then the next day, and the next day again and see what I can do, but not reaggravate the injury obviously," Mahomes said.
The Chiefs quarterback did say his ankle felt better than he expected it to Sunday evening. Mahomes also said he's spent a lot of time receiving treatment and rehab over the past three days.
Yeah, for sure. I felt better than I thought I was going to be after the game. Moving on it during the game definitely hurt. After the game I was able to rest it and ice it up and different stuff like that. I felt in a little bit better position. Obviously the next morning felt a little bit better and I've continued to get better throughout the week.
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Quarterback
Mahomes suffered an ankle injury during a game against Jacksonville in 2019. While it was to his other side, Mahomes said it provided some perspective of what he needs to focus on with his current issue.
"It's very similar, just a different ankle. Especially different ankles when you're playing a quarterback position you're playing and throwing off different stuff. The last one it was the leg that I landed on. I had to find ways to throw where I could land and keep it in the right spot. This time I'll have to find ways to be able to push off and be able to still make the throws the right way. Definitely similar in a sense, but different limitations that I'll have to work through," Mahomes said.
While Mahomes' ankle will change how he prepares for the AFC Championship game Sunday, he knows how to play through it.
I've dealt with a lot of them and you kinda mentally just get yourself to focus on what needs to be focused on ... and that's what I'm gonna try to do this week.
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Quarterback
While there are a lot of questions heading into Sunday, it's the first thing the Chiefs quarterback said that is giving Kansas City fans the most hope.
"I'm ready to go," Mahomes said.