Four stats show how Patrick Mahomes’ high ankle sprain could impact AFC Championship vs. Bengals
from Victor Barbosa, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Kansas City Chiefs fans got as good of news as they could’ve hoped for regarding Patrick Mahomes’ injured ankle on Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/HerbieTeope/status/1618306026666614800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1618306026666614800%7Ctwgr%5E60dde1336e7e401df18ce46616f7c0bb9c18e94d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yardbarker.com%2Fnfl%2Farticles%2Ffour_stats_show_how_patrick_mahomes_high_ankle_sprain_could_impact_afc_championship_vs_bengals%2Fs1_13132_38394251
Patrick Mahomes: “It’s doing good, few days of treatment, few days of rehabs, excited to get to practice and test it out.” #Chiefs
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) January 25, 2023
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said “everybody will practice” today, including Patrick Mahomes.
Reid said he anticipates Mahomes will do “everything” in practice. Sounds like a full-go, but we’ll see on the injury report.
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) January 25, 2023
Patrick Mahomes: “It’s doing good, few days of treatment, few days of rehabs, excited to get to practice and test it out.” #Chiefs
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) January 25, 2023
How much Mahomes is able to get around on his right ankle could determine what the Chiefs’ offense looks like during the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Why are we analyzing Patrick Mahomes’ high ankle sprain?
This season:
– 116 passes on the run (2nd in the NFL)
– 851 passing yards on the run (Most in NFL)
– 117 attempts from outside the tackles (Most in the NFL)
– 99 extended pass attempts (4+ seconds) (Most in the NFL)
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 25, 2023
Bettors have already seen how the MVP finalist’s ailment is impacting the Super Bowl odds this winter, and if he’s heavily compromised in Sunday’s game, it’ll certainly increase the chances of the Bengals eliminating the Chiefs for the second straight year in the AFC title game. While Mahomes doesn’t have the wheels of fellow star quarterbacks like Justin Fields, Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts, running has always been a significant part of his game.
His work outside of the pocket and his magic in escaping pressure makes him that much more dangerous of a downfield passer and is a huge part of the Kansas City offense. When Mahomes is called for a designed quarterback run or ends up scampering past the line of scrimmage as a result of good work in the opposing secondary, good things frequently happen for head coach Andy Reid’s crew too.
The 2018 MVP finished the regular season as the team’s second-leading rusher with 358 yards on the ground, despite having the fourth-most carries (61). Mahomes was also second on the team with his four rushing touchdowns and picked up 25 first downs via his legs as well.
Kickoff to the Bengals-Chiefs game on Sunday is still nearly 100 hours away, so the next few days should clear up some questions surrounding Mahomes’ ankle’s strength and how mobile he’ll be.