Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice, which is an indication that he’s trending toward playing on Saturday against the Texans.
In his Wednesday press conference, Kansas City offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Mahomes looked fine on the field despite the ankle injury he suffered during last week’s win over the Browns.
“I thought for him, it’s a lighter day for us with the schedule that we have. So I thought, all things considered, he did well,” Nagy said. “We’ll just continue to keep an eye on it.”
The Chiefs have been through something like this with Mahomes before, like during the 2022 postseason when he suffered a high-ankle sprain during the divisional round. So the coaching staff knows what it needs from the quarterback to make sure he’ll be OK to play.
“Just for him to be able to be honest with us as he goes through this,” Nagy said. “It’s all part of the game. We know he’s a tough kid. So, we understand that. But at the same point in time, we want to be smart. We know our schedule this week — a little bit of a shorter week, so there’s a balance there to that. But so far, I think his mindset is to do everything he can. But at the same time, you still have to be able to see how he does throughout the week.”
If it so happens that Mahomes isn’t able to play, Nagy said the game plan wouldn’t change much for backup Carson Wentz — which means it’s not too difficult to craft something for both QBs.
“Carson has been in this league a long time and he stays prepared,” Nagy said. “And just like last week when he had to go in there, we all understood he was going to go in — and he made a great third-down pass there at the end. You’ve got to be mentally prepared in that moment as a backup. So, the same thing goes this week.
“Both guys, nothing changes. I’d like to say something changes — it doesn’t. Carson preps like the best of them so he knows that if he plays and it’s his time, he’ll be ready. Same thing if Pat plays, then he’ll be ready. So I don’t think it’s really much of a challenge.”
