The only thing the Chiefs had to worry about in the final minutes Sunday was Patrick Mahomes’ ankle. Mahomes threw two touchdown passes before limping off with an injury in the fourth quarter Mahomes connected for TDs in the first half with Juju Smith-Schuster and Noah Gray as the Chiefs (13-1) built a 21-0 lead and then slogged their way through an ugly second half. The defending Super Bowl champions have 10 wins by seven points or less, with six coming on the game’s final play.
Mahomes didn’t finish the game, leaving when he got his ankle rolled up on while being tackled. Carson Wentz replaced him for the final 5:23. Mahomes finished 19 of 38 for 159 yards.
Patrick Mahomes limps off after getting tangled up on a failed 4th down pic.twitter.com/WnIgmsscfN
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Mahomes was driven to the Chiefs’ buses on a cart. Coach Andy Reid was relieved Mahomes was not more seriously hurt. “It’s not broken, that’s all I can tell you,” Reid said. “We’ll have to see how it goes down the road.” The Chiefs’ second TD – Mahomes’ 6-yard pass to Gray with 4:46 left in the first half – came on the same play Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett left the field in extreme pain with an apparent eye injury.
After the game, Mahomes said X-rays were negative. He said he would have lobbied harder to stay in if the Browns had gotten within one score. “We’ll get into the rehab part, the treatment part and try to get back on a short week,” said Mahomes, noting the Chiefs will play again Saturday – the second of three games in 11 days. “With all the adrenaline from the game, it’s hard to tell now (if he can play). Usually, it’s the day after when you get a good sense of it.”
Garrett was rushing Mahomes and being blocked by Chiefs left tackle Joe Thuney when he suddenly stopped. The league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year immediately grabbed his face mask and pulled off his helmet, flinging it away before dropping to the turf.
He was face down for several minutes before being helped off. As Garrett walked toward the locker room holding a towel to his face, Thuney came over and patted him on the back. Garrett was only gone for a short period before he ran back on to the field and finished the game.
The Chiefs took a 21-0 lead early in the third, capitalizing on a pick by Winston that went off Chubb’s hands. Four plays later, Worthy took a deep pitch from Mahomes, turned the corner and scored.
