Getty Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes will make his triumphant return to the field after two weeks sidelined from play. Head coach Andy Reid delivered the good news Friday afternoon that Mahomes will start against the Tennessee Titans “unless something happens.”
#MVPat returns 🚀
“You can go whatever direction you want to go with it — I’m going to see after this practice, but right now, that’s what it looks like,” the veteran coach added.
Per Reid, the medical and coaching staff both came together to make this decision, wanting to ensure they weren’t rushing the reigning NFL MVP’s return. Back-up quarterback Matt Moore will return to the bench, going 1-1 during his short tenure as starter.
Mahomes, who did participate in a full week’s of practice, was enthusiastic about suiting back up 22 days after his initial injury.
“I had a good week of practice, and I’m ready to get out there,” the 24-year-old said.
Injuries Have Prevented Mahomes From Potentially Earning Back-to-Back MVP Awards
Mahomes’ knee sprain dates back to Week 7 against AFC West rivals the Denver Broncos. While attempting a quarterback sneak during the first half. The star immediately went down in pain following the play and before walking off into the locker room, had his dislocated kneecap popped back into place by Kansas City’s medical staff.
Earlier this week, Reid was coy when pressed about Mahomes’ timetable for return. He wouldn’t confirm nor deny whether Mahomes would be in fact suiting up against Mike Vrabel’s men, only saying he was “day-to-day.”
“He obviously wants to play, I mean that’s him, he’s wanted to do that since 20 minutes after it happened,” Reid expressed. “We’ve just got to see, not only today when he works, but how he wakes up with it in the morning. I just think it’s day-to-day, we’ll get both guys ready to go like we did last week and we’ll take it from there and see how it all works.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes discusses when he knew he would start this week.
Mahomes did say that he’ll sport a brace on Sunday, something that functions more as an avenue to help boost his confidence. Overall, the Texas native has positive sentiments about overcoming this knock.
“It’s something that hopefully, was kind of a fluke thing,” Mahomes explained. “I’ll always be, I guess, a tad bit higher than the regular person (to re-injure the knee), but whenever you’re on that football field, there’s always a chance of injury, and so as long as I’m functioning, I’m moving around the right way, I think I can go out there and play.”
Reid Also Provided Injury Updates For Other Notable Chiefs Starters
Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor, who was the only Chiefs player who didn’t practice on Friday, has been officially ruled out of Sunday’s match up.
Alex Okafor was the only player that did not practice today. He will not play Sunday, per Andy Reid. #Chiefs
Left tackle Eric Fisher, who underwent core muscle surgery in September after sustaining what early reports considered a groin injury, returned to limited practice Friday for the second day in a row. Whether he will start on Sunday remains a mystery.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones (groin), back-up quarterback Chad Henne (ankle) and punter Dustin Colquitt (left thigh) were also listed as full participants two days straights.