Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes Discuss Star QB Playing Through Ankle Injury vs. Texans

Patrick Mahomes played through the pain in the Chiefs' Week 16 win over the Texans, and both he and Andy Reid reflected on it on Saturday afternoon.

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) drops back to pass during the first half against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Saturday marked yet another gutsy showing from the Kansas City Chiefs, and a lot of that stemmed from their superstar quarterback.

Less than a full week removed from suffering a high-ankle sprain, Patrick Mahomes delivered an efficient performance in the reigning champs' Week 16 triumph over the Houston Texans. The brave showing included extended plays from the onset, headlined by a 12-yard run on a third-and-12 and a 15-yard scamper for a touchdown. Mahomes, taped ankles and all, flashed early in the afternoon and never truly looked back.

It surprised many watching the game, and his head coach was no different. Following Saturday's contest, Andy Reid admitted he didn't think Mahomes would be that mobile.

"Yeah, look, I didn't think he'd be able to get out and run like that or would run like that," Reid said. "He did a great job with all of that. He had that mindset right from the get-go, Adam (Teicher) that he was going to be out there and going. He didn't miss a beat. He practiced every rep."

Additionally, Reid tipped his cap to Mahomes for fighting through the pain and working tirelessly to recover from a multi-week injury in just a handful of days.

"He spoiled the dog out of us there because he's so tough mentally and physically," Reid said. "You just get used to it, but most guys don't come back from that like he did. But he set his mind to it and then he jumped in that training room and stayed in there. They worked on him and they did a great job with that, our trainers. Most guys don't do that. You're right, Vahe (Gregorian), it sends a message to the whole team. Our guys, our leaders, are good in that way. They try to play through things like that."

Of course, this wasn't the first time Mahomes had to deal with a high-ankle sprain. He suffered the same dreaded injury in the 2022-23 Divisional Round of the playoffs, only to shrug it off and put up consistent games en route to the first of two Super Bowls in a row. Mahomes claims that the second practice of this week gave him the confidence he needed to thrive on Saturday.

It also didn't hurt that this ankle injury wasn't as serious or difficult to bounce back from as the aforementioned one.

"I felt like I was ahead of there," Mahomes said. "That one, it kind of hurt just to walk in general whereas now, I can kind of move around walking and stuff like that. Now, it's just trying to get even better for this next game. We're playing a good football team that's got a great defense – they're going to be getting after it. Try to get in a better spot so I can utilize my mobility and still be able to work within the pocket and outside the pocket as well."

In all, Mahomes completed 28 of 41 passing attempts for 260 yards and a touchdown. His 93.5 passer rating is nothing to write home about, but a clean game is a clean game either way. Dating back to Week 8's victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Mahomes has now thrown 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions after turning the ball over far too many times early in the season. On Saturday, an emphasis on getting the ball out quickly helped pave the way to victory.

Patrick Mahomes was most efficient in the quick passing game in the @Chiefs' win over the Texans, finishing 17 of 19 for 155 yards and a TD on passes under 2.5 seconds.

Mahomes averaged his fastest time to throw (2.50 seconds) in a game since Week 4, 2021.

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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 21, 2024

Already down left tackle D.J. Humphries, the Kansas City offense was at less than 100% in Week 16. That's even with wideout Marquise "Hollywood" Brown making his season debut. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor got hurt during Saturday's game, adding another ailment to what's been a long list of them for the Chiefs. Mahomes himself has appeared on the injury report every once in a while, and that's prior to the high-ankle sprain.

One thing remains constant, though: If Mahomes can lead, he's going to. He made that clear immediately after getting banged up in Week 15's win, and the message remains the same now.

"I ask a lot from the guys around me," Mahomes said. "I feel like if I'm going to ask them to play through pain [and] if I'm going to ask them to play through little nicks and bruises and stuff like that, I've got to do it as well. That's something I pride myself on, is being out there with my guys and playing football. I'm not going to put us in a position to be in a bad spot or lose a football game but if I feel like I can compete and win, I'm going to be out on that football field."

Read More: Updates on Chris Jones, Jawaan Taylor, Jack Cochrane Injuries vs. Texans