The good news for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday is they went into Cleveland on Sunday and powered their way through to another win, beating the Browns 21-7 to improve to 13-1 and holding their top spot in the AFC.
The bad news is that quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury late in the game and is expected to miss some time.
How much time remains to be seen, but according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport he is expected to be out on a “week-to-week” basis with a right ankle injury.
The Chiefs are in the middle of a grueling part of their schedule that will see them play three games in 11 days. After beating Cleveland on Sunday, they play the Houston Texans on Saturday and then travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a Christmas Day game next Wednesday.
Given that the Chiefs already have the AFC West locked up and have a two-game lead for the top spot in the conference and the bye week, there may not be a rush to get him back in the lineup.
Carson Wentz is the Chiefs’ backup and replaced Mahomes in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Mahomes has not had his best season in 2024, but he has still come through with clutch moments at the end of games.
Even with his down year, the Chiefs are not going to go far in the playoffs without him. His long-term health for the playoffs is far more important than winning any one of the next couple of games. Especially given the short weeks and how difficult those can be for teams and players to deal with.
