KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain against the Cleveland Browns last week, his availability for Saturday’s matchup with the Houston Texans was put into question.
However, according to head coach Andy Reid, as well as the team’s injury report and multiple NFL insiders, Mahomes has been a full participant all week in practice and will look to suit up in pursuit of a first-round playoff bye week.
That’s not the only good news Chiefs fans got either. Wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is also likely to make his Chiefs debut this weekend after sustaining a shoulder injury in preseason. Coach Reid said there was a “good chance” Hollywood would play this weekend. That injury was initially reported to be season-ending.
While the impact of having Mahomes on the field is well known at this point, Chiefs fans have yet to see Brown suit up in red and gold in a regular season game. Brown will hopefully be another reliable target for Mahomes, along with DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Watson, Noah Gray and Travis Kelce.
Also, Mahomes has played through the same injury before. Just last postseason, Mahomes had another ankle sprain but persevered to lead the Chiefs to their second straight Super Bowl.
While the final push of the regular season isn’t comparable to the late postseason, it’s still very important for Kansas City.
Having the two offensive stars back for, potentially, the last three games of the year will give Kansas City a good shot at securing the number one seed in the AFC. That would provide the Chiefs with a bye week before heading into the gauntlet that is the NFL playoffs; a much-needed rest after a grueling regular season schedule.