Patrick Mahomes takes hilarious jab at Russell Wilson's plane workout when asked about ankle injury
In Week 15, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs registered a comfortable 21-7 win over the Cleveland Browns to improve to 13-1, maintaining their two-game lead over the 11-3 Buffalo Bills atop the AFC.
It was only the Chiefs' third win by two scores this season, highlighting how many close games they've been in this season. However, all didn't go to plan for Kansas City during their trip to Cleveland, as midway through the fourth quarter, Mahomes exited with an ankle injury and didn't return.
The two-time MVP knew the pain and the swelling could get worse overnight and cost him a game. So he didn't wait until the team returned to Kansas City to tend to the injury.
During his media availability on Wednesday, Mahomes revealed that he and the athletic staff took measures to ensure his ankle ailment didn't exacerbate. When asked what steps they took, he responded:
"I wasn't doing high knees or anything like that. We did some movement stuff. Some icing. Some stuff like that. We just kept moving. We didn't want to just sit there and (let the ankle) get stiff."
Patrick Mahomes joking that he didn't do any high knees was a reference to Russell Wilson's infamous revelation that he had worked out for four hours during the Denver Broncos' eight-hour flight to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The veteran quarterback's training routine included high knees.
Will Patrick Mahomes play vs. the Texans in Week 16?
Not doing high knees and tending to the ankle injury did wonders for Patrick Mahomes. The quarterback was diagnosed with a mild high-ankle sprain but was, surprisingly, a full participant in the Chiefs' practice over the past two days.
Mahomes is seemingly healthy and will play against the Texans on Saturday. Given that they have a two-game cushion atop the AFC standings, the Chiefs could have rested the quarterback and let veteran Carson Wentz start.
However, Kansas City has won 10 of its 13 games by one score. They cannot risk dropping a game and giving the Bills a sniff of the top spot in the AFC. Kansas City has a short turnaround after their game against Houston and will be back in action next Wednesday against Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If the Chiefs win both games, they will secure home-field advantage and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Their Week 18 clash against the Broncos will be inconsequential, meaning they could give Patrick Mahomes a series or two at the most before pulling him out or giving him the game off.
The quarterback and his team will look to power through the next two contests and ensure that the road to the Super Bowl for the AFC runs through Arrowhead Stadium.