Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a one-person wrecking ball making history and chasing greatness with what seems like relative ease. After helping his team advance to the AFC Championship Game on Saturday on a hobbled ankle with a convincing 27-20 win over the surging Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes showed he is one of the best quarterbacks of his generation and possibly of all time.
What Playoff Passing TD Record Does Patrick Mahomes Hold?
Over the weekend, “Showtime” collected the 29th and 30th playoff passing touchdowns of his career. He handily passed Joe Flacco, who achieved 19 passing TDs from 2008-2012. The list before that features names like Brett Favre (18), Josh Allen (17), Russell Wilson (16), and Bernie Kosar and Ben Rothlisberger (15). Not bad for a 27-year-old. No other quarterback in NFL history has had even 20 passing touchdowns in the playoffs by that age. Additionally, Mahomes advanced the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game for the fifth year in a row.
Cue Jackson Mahomes for a celebratory dance.
Patrick Mahome’s High Ankle Sprain Is Concerning
If he defeats the tough-as-nails Cincinnati Bengals to go to the Super Bowl and wins another championship the world is looking at a dynasty in the Show Me State. However, that lofty goal comes at a personal cost for Mahomes, who suffered an injury during their win over the Jaguars.
Per reports, Mahomes recent MRI confirmed that he suffered a high ankle sprain during Saturday’s game when his leg got twisted during a tackle.
Nothing more than that was meant as in, No other damage aside from the high ankle sprain, which is a significant enough injury on its own.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2023
“MRI today confirmed that Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain during Saturday’s win over the Jaguars, per league source. ‘Nothing more than that,’ said one source, and Mahomes has said he plans to play in next Sunday’s AFC Championship Game,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted.
Schefter followed up with more details in another tweet.
“Nothing more than that was meant as in, no other damage aside from the high ankle sprain, which is a significant enough injury on its own,” Schefter said.
High ankle sprains are no joke for athletes. They are usually treated conservatively with physical therapy, per recovery physical therapy. However, if imaging shows significant damage to the supporting ligaments causing ankle joint instability, and if there is syndesmotic widening, surgery is often necessary.
“It feels better than I thought it was going to be now,” Mahomes said after the victory that got him back to the conference title game. “Obviously, I have a lot of adrenaline going right now, so we’ll see how it feels. But I’ll hop into the treatment and do whatever I can to be as close to 100 percent by next week. Luckily for us, we played the early game on Saturday, so we get an extra almost half a day that I can let that ankle rest.”
Mahomes Will Play Injured
While many other quarterbacks would look at self-preservation in a situation like this, Mahomes is willing to soldier through for Sunday’s championship game at home.
Joe Burrow is undefeated against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in his career 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ThYiV1AqVo
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) January 23, 2023
This weekend’s game is against Mahomes’ quarterback doppelganger, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals braved the wintry tundra of upstate New York to defeat Josh Allen and the Bills 27-10. The energy of the Bengals is infectious, and Burrow is healthy and focused on bringing the championship that escaped him in 2022 to Cincinnati.
Mahomes just has one thing to say to Burrow and the Bengals: an emoji of a clock.
⏰
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 22, 2023
Until then, Mahomes is still the man to beat, and his numbers reflect what is to come. Another Super Bowl win and he’s in a class by himself.
