Here’s what NFL media is saying about Patrick Mahomes’ status for Chiefs game Sunday
Will Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes play Sunday or won’t he?
That’s the big question not only in Kansas City, but around the nation. Mahomes, who entered the concussion protocol after a hard tackle during the Chiefs’ win over the Browns, practiced on Wednesday.
But his status for this Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills hasn’t been determined (or at least made known publicly).
Mahomes’ condition has been a hot topic, and here’s a bit of what’s being said around the country.
The Washington Post’s Mark Maske wrote a story with the headline, “Under NFL’s concussion protocols, decision on Patrick Mahomes’ playing status is out of Chiefs’ hands”
This is an excerpt of what he wrote: “The NFL bolstered its protocol for the 2018 season to require a concussion evaluation ‘for all players demonstrating gross motor instability (e.g., stumbling or falling to the ground when trying to stand) to determine the cause of the instability.’ That seemed to apply Sunday to Mahomes, who appeared wobbly on his feet after absorbing a third-quarter hit, although he was seen jogging to the Chiefs’ locker room soon after. ...
“Thom Mayer, the union’s medical director, said ... the NFLPA is ‘confident that things will be handled appropriately’ with Mahomes this week but the union, as always, will monitor developments on the player’s behalf.”
“No two concussions are the same, even in the same player,” Mayer told Maske. “That’s important to recognize. … Competitive considerations have absolutely nothing to do it with it. This is a scientific exercise, a medical exercise guided by rigorous, evidence-based protocols with a clear five-step return to play. … We fully expect that protocol to be followed.”
Mark Dominik, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager, was on Stadium’s “Inside The League,” and talked about the NFL’s concussion protocol and the key steps for Mahomes if he is to return.
“Really, the most important one is going to be the one when he gets to the point of exercising on the field and not feeling light-headed, not feeling dizzy, not feeling fatigued,” Dominik said. “That needs to happen towards the end of the week. That’s an important part. Then that gets you to the point of passing the player through the protocol.”
FiveThirtyEight.com currently shows the AFC Championship Game as a toss-up, giving the Chiefs a 50.6% chance to beat the Bills.
“At the moment,” Neil Payne wrote, “this matchup carries the possibilities of a couple games inside of it: If Patrick Mahomes is somehow unable to clear concussion protocols and suit up for the Chiefs, the Bills will be big favorites — 74 percent to win, according to our model. But although it’s ‘too early to say that he definitely will play,’ Vegas at least thinks that he will — which would give us the version of this matchup that we all want to see.”
Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd certainly wants Mahomes on the field Sunday. In fact, he proposed waiting to play the game until Mahomes is ready.
“We want Mahomes against Josh Allen, right? Like that’s reasonable,” Cowherd said. “And I’m sitting here this morning thinking if I’m the NFL, Patrick Mahomes is going through protocol. I find the day Patrick Mahomes can play — that’s when we play. Why not?”
Worried about Mahomes not being able to go all-out in practice this week? Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said things are a little different at this point in the season:
