Breathe a sigh of relief, Kansas City Chiefs fans.
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes will suit up against the visiting Houston Texans on Saturday, head coach Andy Reid told reporters Thursday.
The three-time Super Bowl champion sustained a high-ankle sprain late in the Chiefs’ 21-7 win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday and had been limited in practice for a couple of days.
Backup quarterback Carson Wentz replaced Mahomes for the remainder of the final quarter. Mahomes did mention afterward that he “could have finished the game in different circumstances,” but opted to let Wentz take over as a precaution.
The Chiefs are 13-1 through Week 15, and while they’ve barely squeaked out some of those wins, it’s been enough to clinch the AFC West and a playoff spot. Although the double-defending champs could rest their star QB, it appears the Chiefs remain hungry for the top spot in the AFC.
Kansas City is currently clinging onto a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills for the No. 1 seed and a playoff bye. While that is a promising place to be for the Chiefs, their three-game stretch against the Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos is nothing to scoff at. Should Kansas City fall into a tie with Buffalo, it’s the Bills who own the tiebreaker by virtue of their victory over the Chiefs earlier in the year.
The six-time Pro Bowler has suited up in all 14 games to this point, racking up 3,348 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Mahomes won’t have things easy against a feisty Texans squad. Houston is coming off a 20-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins in which its defence forced three interceptions and two interceptions while sacking QB Tua Tagovailoa twice.
Heading into the week, Texans defensive tackle Tim Settle had a clear and simple message for Mahomes and the Chiefs: “We coming.”