Patrick Mahomes, previously critical of Chiefs' tight schedule, will play despite ankle injury

Earlier this week, Patrick Mahomes said he didn't want to put himself in "harm's way" and wanted to "protect" himself after sustaining an apparent ankle sprain.

Now, it seems Mahomes has nothing to be worried about.

The two-time NFL MVP is off the Kansas City Chiefs' injury report and is good to go for Saturday against the Houston Texans.

Head coach Andy Reid told reporters Thursday Mahomes will "likely" play.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes watches play during the second half against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Cleveland.  (AP Photo/David Richard)

The injury comes at an inopportune time with the Chiefs in a stretch of three games in 11 days due to playing on Christmas Day, a rare Wednesday NFL contest.

"It’s not a good feeling," Mahomes told reporters last week about the schedule. "You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It’s not great for your body. But, at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it.

"All you can do is focus on the game. The practice you have that day," he added. "I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch. That's tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and prepare, and the coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice as hard as anybody, but they know how to dial it back when needed."

Mahomes injured his ankle in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. X-rays were negative, but backup Carson Wentz entered the game for a brief period.

Mahomes said he wanted to "be able to move" and "get out of the way" if he were to take the field this weekend.

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) and linebacker Devin Bush (30) rush Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the second half at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland Dec. 15, 2024. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

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"You don't want to go out there and put yourself in harm's way. It's football. You're going to take hits, but you want to be able to protect yourself," Mahomes said this week.

"I don't want to limit the game plan," Mahomes said. "That's another thing for me. I want to be able to still be able to move around the pocket so we're not just sitting in one spot the whole entire game and leading the D-line to get after it. So, it's about me finding that balance and seeing where I'm at and, like I said, I won't know until closer to the end of this week."

The Chiefs are in a race to maintain their hold on the top seed in the AFC. At 13-1, they have the best record in the league and have a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills for a first-round bye. But the Bills would hold the tie-breaker over the Chiefs if they finish with the same record because Buffalo beat Kansas City, 30-21, Nov. 17. 

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) helps up Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after a tackle during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland Dec. 15, 2024. (Scott Galvin/Imagn Images)

A win would improve the Chiefs to 13-1 and closer to clinching the top seed in the AFC.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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