Alarm bells went off on Monday Night Football when Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury while throwing a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ 30-24 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9 of the NFL season. During the game, head coach Andy Reid expressed his disagreement with the quarterback, who was eventually able to finish the match.
Mahomes left the field for a few minutes, but stayed in the game and said he felt fine. Reid, however, did not feel the same way, and when he saw him in pain, he wanted to put backup quarterback Carson Wentz on the field. After an intense discussion, Reid decided to keep the three-time Super Bowl MVP on the field, who later revealed the severity of his injury.
“I expect my ankle to swell up this week, but I’ll be ready to play. It was definitely scary because it’s the same ankle I sprained in the last game. I took a breath, calmed down and it wasn’t that bad. Feeling the pain scared me,” Mahomes said of his ankle injury, which is not considered serious.
The Chiefs quarterback clarified the intense conversation he had with Reid as he walked off the field. “I wanted to run off the field and they told me not to. I had to argue with the coaches and Andy Reid to make them understand that it was okay. It’s just the mentality of football,” Mahomes said.
What was the moment of Mahomes’ injury like?
Midway through the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes threw the ball to running back Samaje Perine with 14:14 remaining. At that point, his leg gave out and there was concern throughout the Chiefs team. The quarterback, who had moved to his right to throw the ball, needed help getting to the sideline.
When Mahomes entered the Chiefs’ medical tent, a hush fell over Arrowhead Stadium. After a few seconds, the 29-year-old player emerged to run and throw down the sideline, sending the team’s fans into a frenzy. Even though Carson Wentz was warming up, the star of the Kansas City franchise put his foot down and took the field to end the game and save the team’s undefeated record of 8-0.
Patrick Mahomes’ performance in the 2024 NFL season
Despite the injury, Mahomes completed 34 of 44 passes for three touchdowns and 291 passing yards with no interceptions in the Chiefs’ overtime win over the Bucs. His strong performance was highlighted by Travis Kelce’s 14 receptions and DeAndre Hopkins’ two touchdowns.