Brandon Graham Fires off Take About Patrick Mahomes Injury in Super Bowl LVII

Eagles defensive lineman Brandon Graham chimed in on the ankle injury of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII.

Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts an apparent injury after a play in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Although it might seem as if the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles is a thing of the very distant past, the NFL's most recent game played took place just a handful of months ago. The Chiefs capped off their celebrations with a ring ceremony in mid-June, and the Super Bowl is still being reflected on by their opponents.

In a recent appearance on JAKIB Sports' Sports Take program with Derrick Gunn and Rob Ellis, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham chimed in on a variety of topics. One of them was February's crushing Super Bowl loss, a game in which Philadelphia put up 35 points but ultimately came up just short. On the other side of the field, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was an efficient 21-for-27 with 182 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball six times for 44 yards on a high-ankle sprain, winning his second Super Bowl MVP in the process.

Mahomes's ankle sprain in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars was a focal point among Chiefs circles throughout the postseason, as 'Ankle Watch' took Kansas City by storm. Mahomes played through the pain and remained effective, although he re-aggravated the injury during the Super Bowl and appeared to be in serious pain. Graham commented on the injury from his perspective: 

"When the first half came [to an end], we were in there and I was more thinking like, 'What's his name (Mahomes) went in there on the sideline and he's looking like he's hurt. We've got to get to him, we've got to get to him.' He came out, you can tell how tough he is, man, but that boy acted good. He sure put that face up [like he was hurt]."

Graham, who didn't record a box score stat in the Super Bowl while playing 18 defensive snaps (33% of those available), implied that Mahomes may have been playing possum a bit leading up to the halftime break. Philadelphia then made it a point to go after him in the second half, but the Eagles' defense had five total quarterback hits with no sacks for the game. Graham mentioned that the field conditions were less than ideal, citing pass-rushers slipping during the game:

"I just knew that when I saw Sweaty (Josh Sweat) when we looked at the film, there were a couple of times where if Sweaty doesn't slip, strip-sack. Oh my god, especially that first drive when he (Mahomes) threw it across the middle to (Travis) Kelce, he was right there. He slipped, and we could not believe it. When I looked at the film, it was just like 'Man, oh man. We're going to get that on the get-back. That's coming back.'"

Now 35 years old and set to enter his 14th season in the NFL, all with the Eagles, Graham has seen and done just about everything at the professional level. With 70 career sacks on his resume, as well as a Pro Bowl and a championship ring, he's able to recognize quality competition even when things don't go his team's way. He told Gunn and Ellis that he didn't want to use the field conditions as an excuse, later paying his respects to the Chiefs for the job they did while playing on the same surface:

"Credit to Kansas City, man. It's all love. Them boys, they played too. They played on that surface, too. I heard that they've got the same surface that they've got right there on that field (State Farm Stadium) at their place, and Vegas does. If we're going to win, we've got to go through the battle. If that's what they're putting out, that's what we've got to do. We've got to go out there and rise up through adversity."

Read More: Orlando Brown Jr. Raises Eyebrows Comparing Blocking for Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow