Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes may have tweaked nerve, in concussion protocol entering AFC Championship, per report

Your complete NFL got here to a screeching halt when it occurred. Patrick Mahomes, the previous league MVP and reigning Super Bowl MVP, scooted to his proper for a routine choice play with the hopes of gaining a few yards for a key first down in opposition to the Cleveland Browns within the AFC Divisional Spherical. There was nothing routine concerning the final result although, with the Kansas City Chiefs seeing the pinnacle of their half a billion greenback funding pushed to the grass — adopted by a scary second when Mahomes tried to and failing to face on his personal. 

The clearly woozy franchise quarterback was utterly out of kinds and was helped to the medical tent earlier than then going into the locker room, the place he was virtually instantly dominated out for the rest of the sport. Following the game, head coach Andy Reid made it clear Mahomes handed the league’s concussion protocol, which is sweet signal No. 1 for his availability going ahead.

“He acquired hit behind the pinnacle and kinda knocked the wind out of him and all the pieces else with it,” Reid stated. “He is doing nice proper now which is an actual constructive as we checked out this. Handed all of the offers that he wanted to cross so we’ll see the place it goes from right here.”

Mahomes took to Twitter so as to add extra optimism, replying to linebacker Mack Wilson, the Browns defender who tackled him on the ill-fated play.

So if Mahomes handed all the concussion assessments, what precisely did occur that prevented him from returning with all the pieces on the road in opposition to Cleveland? It seems Mahomes simply handed the concussion assessments as a result of he reportedly by no means had one within the first place, and the precise purpose he was immediately delirious was reportedly because of a nerve in his neck that acquired tweaked (or probably compressed) on the hit, per Carrington Harrison of CBS Sports Radio in Kansas Metropolis. 

This implies, whereas there’s nice information concerning the situation of his mind, he’ll nonetheless bear assessments this week on the affected nerve to ensure he is allowed a inexperienced mild in opposition to the Buffalo Bills within the AFC title sport (here’s a look at what he’ll have to do to be able to play). The Chiefs would possibly’ve gone on to win within the absence of Mahomes, due to the heroics of backup quarterback Chad Henne and outlandishly provocative play-calling from offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, however Kansas Metropolis will want Mahomes on the sector to extend its probabilities of staving off the equally high-powered Payments for a second consecutive journey to the Tremendous Bowl.

It goes with out saying that that is the headline to look at this week, as Reid confirmed on Monday that Mahomes is certainly in concussion protocol this week, although he isn’t failed any of these assessments.