Andy Reid Says Patrick Mahomes ‘Wanted to Fight’ After Ankle Injury

Patrick Mahomes suffered a scary ankle injury on Sunday, December 15, which led to a sideline disagreement between him and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

Mahomes, 29, left the Chiefs game against the Cleveland Browns in the fourth quarter on Sunday after being dragged down from behind by Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson while simultaneously being hit high by Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall. 

The two-time MVP was replaced by veteran quarterback Carson Wentz for the remainder of the game. According to Reid, 66, the decision didn’t sit well with Mahomes. 

“He wanted to fight about it, but we’ve got good support there behind him with Carson and it was good to get him a few reps in there too, and let our guys hear that snap count in case he has to go,” Reid told reporters after the Chiefs’ 21-7 victory. 

In a different situation, Reid said Mahomes probably could have stayed in the game. “There was no need for that,” he explained. 

After the game, Mahomes was seen being transported on a golf cart inside Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field. However, the quarterback avoided disaster — his ankle was not broken — and hinted he might be available to play next week when the Chiefs host the Houston Texans on Sunday, December 21. 

“It’s hard to say right now,” Mahomes told reporters. “You still [have the] adrenaline rolling and usually it’s kind of the day after when you kind of get a good sense of it. I feel like I could have finished the game in different circumstances.”

Mahomes added, “You just do what you have to do to get back, and I think that’s the most important thing. And now we just get back to the rehab part, the treatment part, and try to get ourselves ready on a short week against a good football team.”

As for the injury itself, Mahomes explained what led to the incident. 

“I was trying to run up in the pocket, obviously fourth down, trying to make a play happen,” Mahomes said. “As I threw the ball, I kind of got hit — and I haven’t seen it — but it felt like someone hit me from behind as well. So I kind of just got rolled up on. It kind of happens in football, and so I tried to bounce back up, but obviously, it hurt a little bit.”

Mahomes acknowledged he “probably would’ve fought a little bit harder” to go back into the game if the Browns had cut the game to a one-score deficit, but Wentz, 31, and the Chiefs’ defense were successful in securing the victory for Kansas City. 

“I have a lot of trust in Carson, too,” Mahomes said. “We put him out there and I thought he did a great job moving the football, running time off the clock and putting us in a position to win the football game.”

The Chiefs’ win over the Browns improved their record to 13-1, the best in the NFL.