As the entire football world keeps their eyes on the health of Patrick Mahomes, a big question remains: should he play or sit?
Kansas City Chiefs fans held their breath when they saw their franchise quarterback limp off the filed in the fourth quarter of the win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday after taking an awkward tackle. People feared the worst, but it wasn’t a season-ending injury after it was reported to be a ‘mild high-ankle sprain.’
The two-time Super Bowl MVP will carry a ‘week-to-week’ injury designation, meaning he could miss out on the Week 16 matchup against the Houston Texans. There has been plenty of chatter of what Mahomes should do this week, especially since Kansas City is in the middle of a stretch that includes three games in 11 days, which the quarterback had said before ‘is not a good feeling.’
Heading into Week 16, the Chiefs are the No. 1 seed in the AFC and have a two game lead over the Buffalo Bills. While it could afford missing Mahomes for a game, Kansas City could also secure the top seed as quick as possible so Mahomes could get extra rest in the final weeks of the regular season.
As Kansas City mulls over what to do, people in the NFL world have already chimed in on what the decision should be.
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ESPN’s Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark: Mahomes should sit rest of regular season
ESPN analyst and former NFL players Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark both agreed that Mahomes should not only miss this week, but possibly sit out the rest of the regular season.
‘You need to be smart about the way you protect him going down the stretch. We know that the postseason is ahead. Obviously, the Buffalo Bills are nipping at their heels, but it’s more important to me to have a healthy Patrick Mahomes than it is to force our way into home field advantage,’ Clark said.
Spears also said ‘home field advantage don’t mean nothing if he ain’t healthy.’
‘I get it, you might want these home games. If he can’t go or is going to be hampered, sit him down until the playoffs,’ he said.
Matt Ryan: ‘Don’t find any upside’ to playing Mahomes next two weeks
Fellow MVP and former quarterback Matt Ryan said the most important thing is to have Mahomes healthy for the playoffs. He noted Mahomes has dealt with ankle injuries before, but it still isn’t easy to play with in the playoffs.
With Kansas City playing Houston on Saturday and then playing Pittsburgh four days later on Christmas, Ryan said maybe the Chiefs could get Mahomes back in Week 18 so he could ‘get a little rhythm heading into the playoffs.’ But for now, the team can afford to rest him.
‘I’d have no problems about getting him some rest and making sure that he’s healthy, because in my opinion, you got to have him as fresh as possible if you want to make a run towards their third Super Bowl,’ Ryan said. ‘I would be cautious with it though, I really would. I just don’t find any upside to him playing the next two weeks.’
Kyle Brandt: Chiefs should keep Mahomes off the field
‘I’m not even talking about for this week. I’m not talking about Christmas. I also would give them the final week of the regular season and just let it be,’ he said.
If it means the Chiefs don’t get the No. 1 seed and home field advantage, Brandt added Mahomes has proven he can win on the road in the playoffs and can do it again this season. But if he’s hobbled in the postseason, the team’s chances of success aren’t high given the offense hasn’t been explosive this season.
‘The idea of Mahomes at 70%, not this year guys, not with this offense. Not with this offense that never scores much and the AFC is really good. Past years, maybe. I don’t think this Chiefs team can do anything else with other than 100% Mahomes’ Brandt said.
James Jones: Sit out Mahomes Week 16, then see progress on Christmas
Because of the quick turnaround in Week 16 and 17, former NFL receiver James Jones said the decision should be for Mahomes to miss the game against Houston and then reassess the contest vs. Pittsburgh.
‘We’ll see you on Christmas, and we’ll see how you feel, and we’ll get you ready for the game after Christmas,’ Jones said. ‘I want him to be healthy when the playoffs come. They got to be smart with Patrick.’