'Ultimate competitor': Injured Mahomes lifts Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid had a good idea early in the week that Patrick Mahomes would be available to play for the Kansas City Chiefs in Saturday’s game against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium. He got that sense from eight seasons of coaching Mahomes.

“He spoils the dog out of us,” Reid said after the Chiefs beat the Texans 27-19 to move to 14-1; they would clinch the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed by beating the Steelers on Christmas Day in Pittsburgh.

“So tough mentally and physically, so you just get used to it. Most guys don’t come back from that like he did, but he set his mind to it and then he jumped in that training room and stayed in there.”

What Reid didn’t know is that Mahomes, who was knocked out of last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns with a high-ankle sprain, would be as effective as he was. Mahomes scored the game’s first touchdown on a 15-yard run and also scrambled for 12 yards earlier in that drive.

He was also 28-of-41 for 260 yards and a touchdown.

“I didn’t think he’d be able to get out and run like that or would run like that, but he did a great job with all that,” Reid said.

Mahomes said he determined early in the practice week on Wednesday that he would be able to play. He could plant to make a throw, maneuver well enough in the pocket to protect himself and even run if the situation called for it.

“It’s just the stopping that was going to be hard,” Mahomes said.

On his touchdown run, Mahomes was hit hard by two Houston defenders as he crossed into the end zone.

“Once I got running I saw the end zone and just tried to get up in the air and get in the end zone,” he said. “It wasn’t like setting a tone or anything like that. I just tried to play football at the end of the day.”

Mahomes did acknowledge sending a message to his teammates. He often urges them to play through injuries that, like his, are more of the pain management variety.

“I ask a lot from the guys around me, and so I feel like if I’m going to ask them to play through pain, if I’m going to ask them to play through little nicks and bruises and stuff like that, I’ve got to do it,” Mahomes said. “That’s something that I pride myself on, is being out there with my guys and playing football, and I’m not going to put us in a position to be in a bad spot or lose a football game, but if I feel like I can compete and win, I’ll be out on that football field.”

Guard Trey Smith saw Mahomes play through a similar injury two years ago in the playoffs and Super Bowl. He said he had no doubt Mahomes would play against the Texans.

“He’s the ultimate competitor in my mind,” Smith said. “I haven’t been around a guy like that, at least in my athletic career, and for me, I know that if that dude’s going to be able to walk, he’s going to play.

“I think it’s almost more demoralizing for the other team where it’s like they put a lot of credence into the ankle injury, and he just sort of laughed it off and ran it right into end zone.”

Mahomes indicated he would be in the lineup for the game against the Steelers.

“You’re not going to feel great,” he said. “That’s kind of just what it is. You don’t make excuses in this league. You go out and play football, and you fight until the very end, and you try to get a win at the end of the day. You’re motivated to play a great football team to play in Pittsburgh in a great environment, a great stadium. It’ll be rocking playing on Christmas, so everybody’s going to be watching.

“I think more than anything it’s just getting off your feet when you can, but at the same time, studying and getting the game plan in, and Coach does a great job of it, but we knew this was part of our schedule from the very beginning, and then coaches prepared us, so let’s go out there and play our best football.”