Patrick Mahomes Tweaks Ankle Injury in Super Bowl LVII
The condition of Patrick Mahomes's right ankle was arguably the biggest storyline for the Kansas City Chiefs leading up to Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles, and it's been a popular headline for most of the team's playoff run. That spotlight came back in full force late in the first half of the NFL's final game of the 2022-23 season.
After attempting a third-down scramble and getting tackled by Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards, Mahomes was slow to get up and had difficulty making it to the Kansas City sideline. In visible pain, Mahomes hobbled off the field and had a preliminary visit with some of the Chiefs' staff as backup quarterback Chad Henne began to warm up. The 2022 NFL MVP's ankle got twisted on the low tackle, stressing the injured ankle and presumably leading to the aggravation of the injury. A look at the play and tackle can be found here, and the aftermath is below:
Dating back to the Divisional Round of the postseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he suffered a high-ankle sprain, Mahomes has been limited in his mobility. After throwing for 326 yards and a pair of touchdowns in an AFC Championship Game win over the Cincinnati Bengals, though, there was extreme optimism that he'd be closer to his normal self for the Super Bowl. Dianna Russini of ESPN said on Sunday morning's SportsCenter that Kansas City had no limitations on what Mahomes could do in terms of the game plan, adding that Mahomes was "locked in" throughout this past week of practice:
"This past week, he and Andy Reid were collaborating on the plays. They had him rolling out and trying different ad-libbing with different scenarios to just see what the comfort level was. They went through a list of plays, and they checked off 'this is what I like, this is what I'm comfortable doing.' And it was all set and in place by Friday night. Overall, though, Mahomes feels really good. Speaking to players, they said that he has been locked in all week long."
At the time of his ankle tweak, Mahomes had completed eight of his 13 pass attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also had two carries for eight yards. The effectiveness of the Chiefs' offense was stifled in half No. 1, as Philadelphia's dominant defense allowed Mahomes and company to be on the field for just 8:06 while gaining only six first downs in the process. Kansas City was outgained by 142 total yards in the first half.
Former Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz speculated via his Twitter account on what Mahomes's process could be in the locker room as he and the team look to get him ready for the second half:
Mahomes was on the field to start the second half for the Chiefs, helping lead them down the field on a scoring drive.
This story is being updated with new information as it becomes available.