Patrick Mahomes Named Two Reasons He Didn't Fight Hard to Get Into Game After Injury

Mahomes left Sunday's game midway through the fourth quarter.

Mahomes left the game early Sunday with an ankle injury / Nick Cammett/Getty Images

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was taken out of Sunday's 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns midway through the fourth quarter when he sustained an injury to his right ankle. Fans have seen the future Hall of Famer hobble and limp through pain many times before and his toughness is nearly as impressive as his skill. Yet this time things were slightly different because Mahomes did not make it back onto the field, allowing backup Carson Wentz to finish up the job as the Chiefs moved to an NFL-best 13-1.

He was walking gingerly on the ankle after the game.

Mahomes explained all of the reasoning that went into that decision while speaking to reporters after the win.

"I thought the defense was playing really well," Mahomes said. "I wanted to go back out there, and I probably would have fought a little harder if they got the game to one score.

"I have a lot of trust in Carson, too, I mean, he's played football and won football games," Mahomes added. "Put him out there, I thought he did a great job moving the football, running time off the clock, putting us in a position to win the football game."

With the immediate thought on Mahomes's injury being that he's day-to-day it looks like both he and the Chiefs avoided anything serious. Kansas City's next two games come with just six and four days of rest.

Getting hurt in the fourth quarter when your team has a two-score lead on a weak offense—plus knowing that the guy coming in relief has experience winning in big moments—is a huge bonus. That and knowing that the No. 1 in the AFC isn't dependent on being perfect down the stretch and getting Mahomes some rest and relaxation is very doable. There was no reason for him to force his way back into the proceedings on Sunday and it seems like he's learned with time that discretion can be the better part of valor.

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