With starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ status remaining unclear, the Kansas City Chiefs may need backup Carson Wentz to show why he was once considered a rising star.
In Sunday’s 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Mahomes exited after suffering an ankle injury late in the game.
On Monday, NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported that tests confirmed he suffered a high ankle sprain. Rapoport added the QB could still practice this week. If he can’t, he’ll likely miss Saturday’s home game against the Houston Texans (9-5).
Against Cleveland, Wentz replaced Mahomes, completing 2-of-2 passes for 20 yards. In his postgame news conference, Mahomes said he could’ve finished the game, but letting Wentz play was the right choice.
“I thought the smart decision we talked about was to put Carson in,” Mahomes said. “I have a lot of trust in Carson, too. He’s played football, and he’s won football games. [We] put him out there, and I thought he did a great job moving the football and running time off the clock and putting us in a position to win the football game.”
Of course, Wentz can’t just be a game manager against Houston’s elite defense. The Texans rank 10th in the league in points allowed (21.4) and sixth in passing yards allowed (196.9).
Wentz may be more capable than the average backup, though. In his first eight seasons with the Rams, Commanders, Colts and Eagles, the 2016 No. 2 overall pick had a 47-45-1 regular-season starting record, tossing 153 touchdown passes and 67 interceptions.
When he was with the Eagles in 2017, Wentz finished third in MVP voting and posted an 11-2 starting record before tearing his ACL.
The former second-team All-Pro could succeed with an offensive mastermind in Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. If he does, that could help Kansas City (13-1) clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Per CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr, the Chiefs will secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they beat Houston and the Buffalo Bills (11-3) lose to the New England Patriots (3-11) on Sunday at home.
