The bionic Patrick Mahomes believes he has avoided a serious ankle injury.
Mahomes came down awkwardly while flipping a touchdown pass to running back Samaje Perine during the Chiefs’ 30-24 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
He spoke to reporters Wednesday about what he felt like in the moment.
“Definitely scary,” Mahomes said, as covered by ESPN. “I think it hurt more just because it’s the same ankle I rolled last week, so it scared me a little bit.
“When you don’t know exactly what happens and you get that sharp pain, you always fear the worst.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid initially told Mahomes that he had to come out of the game.
Mahomes said that he thought Reid was “joking,” and Reid ultimately relented when Mahomes was able to pass mobility tests on the sidelines.
Mahomes, who previously suffered a high-ankle sprain during the 2022-23 playoffs, is expected to play in the Chiefs’ game against the Broncos on Sunday.
“I was obviously running for the goal line and was kind of committed to running the football and at the last second [passed to] Samaje, and so I kind of awkwardly rolled the ankle a little bit,” Mahomes said. “You feel the pain, and that scares you. I’ve dealt with ankles before, but I just kind of laid there, and as time went on, the pain subsided.
“I just kind of got back to it and got back moving again and felt comfortable going out there.”
“The one in the playoffs a couple of years ago was a little bit of how I got tackled,” he continued. “It got stuck, and it hurt a lot more. [This time] I could move, I could still have mobility in my ankle, and I still do after this game. I’ll probably get a little swelling tomorrow. But with a short week, you go in there and take care of it and be prepared to play next week.”
