Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes has played in two playoff games with a high-ankle sprain and has been highly productive during those outings. So it bears asking: What is the actual severity of Mahomes’s ankle sprain?
One NFL insider has finally given us that answer.
“Mahomes suffered the injury on Jan. 21 against the Jaguars when Arden Key fell on his ankle trying to sack him,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport wrote on February 12. “X-Rays were negative, but sources say Mahomes suffered a low Grade 2 high ankle sprain.”
Rapoport also spoke with Julie Frymyer, the Chiefs’ assistant athletic trainer that was tasked with helping Mahomes rehab through his high-ankle sprain. Frymyer detailed the long hours Mahomes has put in so he can continue playing through the injury.
“He comes in at 6 a.m. and he won’t leave until 6:30 p.m.,” Frymyer told Rapoport. “A lot of hours. He’s in meetings a lot of the time, so he would come in super early, we had to capitalize on the time he had. I’d take some of it up to his QB meeting room so we could keep treating him around the clock. Obviously, we had practice then and getting him back in after, getting him in for treatment, then getting rehab in as well.”
Frymyer also detailed the progress she’s seen from Kansas City’s star quarterback.
“He’s made progress every day,” Frymyer said. “High ankle sprains can take a while to come back. So his tissue is not completely healed but he’s better than he was for sure. Every day he’s making progress, every day he’s feeling better and more normal. You can see it on the football field.”
Mahomes Playing at High Level Despite Injury
During Kansas City’s two playoff games thus far, Mahomes has completed 69.9% of his passes for 521 yards, 4 touchdowns, and has 1 turnover (fumble), per Pro Football Reference.
In a postseason without Tyreek Hill and playing through injury, Mahomes is putting up career-high numbers across the board. That speaks to why he’s the NFL’s Most Valuable Player this season and is already an all-time great quarterback.
Agree or Disagree?
Patrick Mahomes has only started for 5 seasons in the NFL but Peyton Manning says that if he retired today, he’s already in the Hall of Fame. Do you agree with Peyton?
Travis Kelce Gushes Over Mahomes
Speaking to the media during Super Bowl week, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was asked about what it’s like to be around Patrick Mahomes and gushed over Kansas City’s quarterback.
“His talent level goes far beyond more than his ability to instinctually just go out there,” Kelce said, via Nate Davis of USA Today. “He’s playing a step ahead, he’s almost playing chess out there in terms of he’s got three or four moves already in his pocket depending on what the defense does. That’s what’s gonna make him the greatest ever to go down.
“And I love playing with him, and he’s non-stop always trying to find ways to make himself better for this team. And you saw that more so this year than any other year that we’ve played knowing that the pieces were a little bit different in terms of the weapons that he has and the scrutiny that everybody was kinda looking to see how he was gonna take his game to the next level.”
Super Bowl LVII between the Chiefs and Eagles will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12 at 5:30 p.m. Central Time. It will be available to watch on FOX.