The status of Patrick Mahomes' ankle was widely discussed leading up to Saturday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.
While there was some doubt during the week whether the star quarterback would play against the Texans, he was able to fully get through the Chiefs' practice Thursday.
Mahomes was cleared to play and finished Saturday's 27-19 victory over Houston with 260 passing yards.
But the three-time Super Bowl winner turned some heads when he managed to stay on his feet after nearly being tripped and sprinted into the end zone for the first score of the game.
Mahomes was sidelined in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs' Week 15 game against the Cleveland Browns. Backup quarterback Carson Wentz stepped in for Mahomes and finished the 21-7 win over the Browns with 20 passing yards.
Mahomes' 15-yard scramble Saturday marked the longest rushing touchdown of his career. Moments after Mahomes crossed the goal line, broadcaster Noah Eagle wondered, "What bum ankle?"
This was not the first time Mahomes dealt with an ankle injury.
During the 2022 NFL postseason, Mahomes sustained what appeared to be a high ankle sprain in a divisional round playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The win over the Texans improved the Chiefs' record to 14-1. Kansas City had already clinched a playoff berth after winning the AFC West a ninth straight year.
The Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback took the field on Saturday, battling through an ankle sprain to deliver a 27-19 win over the Houston Texans. Mahomes passed for 260 yards with one touchdown pass and one touchdown run.
Mahomes was never a guarantee to play after leaving last Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns with the sprain. But it didn't even stop him from missing any practice this week, as Mahomes went through his typical routine despite the injury.
It was familiar territory for the three-time Super Bowl champion. Mahomes has played through an ankle sprain in the 2022 playoffs, when he returned in the AFC championship after suffering the injury to beat the Cincinnati Bengals and then played two weeks later to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
Mahomes' most recent ankle sprain was said to be mild, which typically still takes two to four weeks to fully heal. However, Mahomes has proven to be a player who returns from injury more quickly than expected.
The last time Mahomes missed a game due to an injury was 2019 when he missed just two games after suffering a dislocated patella against the Denver Broncos.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters during the week that he was "amazed" by his quarterback's ability to return from injury so quickly.
"I've been through it with him before, and he amazes me every time he does it," Reid said. "He's so mentally tough. It's a mindset he has going into it. Where he was a few days ago, I'd probably say it was a longshot. He's done well with it."
Mahomes, meanwhile, under-promised and over-delivered on his availability this week. He suggested to reporters on Tuesday that he wouldn't play unless he felt he wouldn't "limit the game plan" with his injury.
"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."
But with the win, Mahomes and the Chiefs close in closer on history. For vanity's sake, they have won their 16th straight game by one possession, breaking a tie with the 2004 New England Patriots.
More importantly, they are now just one win away from securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That would grant the Chiefs a first-round bye and home-field advantage en-route to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes and company are looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. Their road to achieving that just got shorter with Mahomes' latest heroics.
Earlier this week, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback 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 Chiefs' injury report and is good to go for Saturday's game against the Houston Texans.
Kansas City head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Thursday that Mahomes will "likely" play.
The injury comes at an inopportune time, with the Chiefs set for 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 on Sunday during the game 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.
"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," he 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 looking 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, on Nov. 17.
A win would improve the Chiefs to 13-1 and edge them closer to clinching the top seed in the conference.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift have notably not spent time together at as many Kansas City Chiefs games this season as last year.
The two are significant others of the top stars on the team in Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, respectively.
The apparent separation came as the two appeared to support different candidates in this year's presidential election. Mahomes liked a post from Donald Trump on Instagram and wrote several messages regarding her critics, while Swift openly endorsed Kamala Harris.
According to multiple outlets, Patrick and Brittany recently attended an Eras Tour-themed party hosted by Swift, and the quarterback rocked a tuxedo similar to the one Kelce wore while on stage at a show. Patrick's wife wore a sparkly silver dress.
Brittany posted several photos of the event, some of which included Swift, captioning the post, "My people" with a heart emoji.
Patrick, Brittany, Kelce and Swift attended the men's U.S. Open final after the Chiefs' first game of the season.
And Swift stood or sat alongside Brittany in the same suite for nearly every Chiefs game last year. However, this year, Swift was only seen with Mahomes twice at games — Oct. 7 against the Saints and Nov. 4 against the Buccaneers.
The duo made headlines at the Chiefs' first game against the Ravens when they sat in separate suites to open the season. The two sat separately after Brittany incited backlash for publicly liking a post by Trump on Instagram. Swift fan groups on social media were partially responsible for circulating screenshots of Brittany's like of Trump's post.
Trump even weighed in on the controversy after Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president Sept. 10. In an interview on "Fox & Friends" the next day, Trump said he liked Brittany "much better" than Swift.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Patrick Mahomes practiced Tuesday despite dealing with an apparent high ankle sprain.
Mahomes was listed as a full participant in a short practice week ahead of a high-stakes showdown against the Houston Texans. He exited Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns after being injured. He said he doesn't know if he'll be able to play Saturday, but he does know what he'll have to do if he does play.
"I want to be able to move. I want to be able to get out of the way," Mahomes said, adding the Texans boast a dangerous pass rush. The Texans have the second-most sacks in the NFL this season with 45, just four behind the Denver Broncos for the league lead.
"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.
If Mahomes can't go, the Chiefs will have to depend on backup Carson Wentz, a former Philadelphia Eagle. Wentz last started a game in the final week of last season for the LA Rams, leading the team to a 21-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
"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.
So, the Chiefs need two more wins to secure the top spot. Their final three games against the Texans, Steelers and Broncos will pit Mahomes and company against three playoff teams. The Steelers and Broncos have two of the league's top defenses. The Bills have a strong chance to win their last three games and with two against the Patriots and one against the Jets coming up.
The game against the Texans is ill-timed because Mahomes sustained the injury Sunday with just six days to prepare for the Texans.
The Chiefs will also have to turn around and play just three nights after that in a Christmas Day game Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
Mahomes previously griped about the scheduling in a press conference last week.
"It’s not a good feeling," Mahomes told reporters. "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."
Mahomes was asked whether he has ever had three games in such a short span.
"I haven’t in football," he replied.
"All you can do is focus on the game. The practice you have that day," Mahomes 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 is facing injury, dangerous defenses and a grueling holiday schedule, and he'll have to play on Christmas a second straight season.
He'll be dealing with this all while facing the pressure of caring for his pregnant wife. Brittany Mahomes is reportedly in her third trimester of pregnancy, according to her trainer, Kristy Rae.
"Third trimester's my fave stage of pregnancy when it comes to training," Rae wrote on a recent Instagram video of Brittany's workouts. "There's studies that show your body basically goes into superhuman mode to prepare for child birth."
Patrick Mahomes’ ankle injury came at an inopportune time for the Kansas City Chiefs, as they start down the home stretch of the 2024 season toward the playoffs.
Mahomes suffered the injury against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, days after he complained about having to go through three games in an 11-day stretch. NFL Network reported that he suffered a mild high-ankle sprain.
Matt Ryan, a former NFL MVP who led the Atlanta Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance, said Monday the Chiefs should rest Mahomes until the playoffs.
"If it was me, I would sit him. I think it's most important to have him healthy for the playoff stretch, and ankles are tough," he said on "CBS Sports HQ." "I know he's done it in the playoffs before, kind of played through that and played really well with it, but those are playoff games.
"I look at this regular season, they've got a two-game lead in the AFC, they've got these two games back-to-back. Maybe you can get him back for Week 18 to get a little rhythm heading into the playoffs, but we'll see what the extent of what the injury is and how he heals on it the next couple of days.
"I'd have no qualms about getting him some rest and making sure that he's healthy. In my opinion, you gotta have him as fresh as possible if you want to make a run towards their third Super Bowl."
Mahomes has dealt with ankle injuries in the past.
In 2023, he left a playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played through a high-ankle sprain in Super Bowl LVII as the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s unclear what the Chiefs will do at this point. They have a game on Saturday against the Houston Texans and then hit the road on Christmas Day to play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Patrick Mahomes suffered an injury during the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Cleveland Browns, and it came at a pivotal time for the team ahead of the playoffs.
The Chiefs’ victory kicked off an 11-day stretch in which they will play three games. Next up is a home game against the Houston Texans followed by a Christmas Day Wednesday game on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Adding to the pressure of playing three games in 11 days is another ankle injury that flared up on Sunday. It knocked him out of the game in the fourth quarter and forced Carson Wentz to come into the game.
Mahomes said the X-rays were negative.
"We'll get into the rehab part, the treatment part and try to get back on a short week," Mahomes said. "With all the adrenaline from the game, it's hard to tell now (if he can play). Usually, it's the day after when you get a good sense of it."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the ankle wasn’t broken.
Mahomes railed against playing three games in a short span in the days before the team played the Browns.
"It’s not a good feeling," he said Wednesday. "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."
He added that he never heard of playing three games in a short span when it came to football.
"All you can do is focus on the game. The practice you have that day," he said. "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."
The second game in the stretch will be played Saturday.
The Kansas City Chiefs picked up another win on Sunday, this time against the Cleveland Browns on the road, but it didn't come without an injury to quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Carson Wentz took over in the final minutes of the fourth quarter after Mahomes got crushed while making a pass.
On a 4th-down play looking to extend a drive, Mahomes jumped on his pass attempt to one of his receivers just as Browns defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson was diving to tackle him.
As Tomlinson made the tackle, he had Mahomes’ ankle wrapped up underneath him, and it didn’t help that Mike Hall Jr. also hit Mahomes above his waist to bend him backwards as well.
The nasty-looking hit saw Mahomes in immediate pain as he started to limp off the field, trying to stay off his right ankle.
After the game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided an update on the situation with this franchise signal-caller.
"His right ankle has been hurt," he said to reporters. "It’s not broken, but it’s sore. He’ll get started on the rehab part of it as we go. We’ll just have to see how he does down the road here."
NFL Network reported that Mahomes is considered week-to-week at the moment after his preliminary diagnosis, which included negative X-rays.
However, like Reid said, the Chiefs will know just how long Mahomes may be out following further testing on Monday.
Mahomes finished the 21-7 win with 159 yards on 19-of-38 passing, with Xavier Worthy as his top target with six catches for 46 yards. DeAndre Hopkins caught five passes for 36 yards.
The Kansas City Chiefs are 12-1, but if you ask just about anybody, they could be a .500 team.
Half of the Chiefs' victories have come on the final possession of games, including two walk-off field goals and another when they blocked a field goal attempt to preserve a victory.
It hasn't exactly been pretty for the Chiefs, and yet Drew Brees says it should surprise nobody if they come out on top a third season in a row.
"They’re never pretenders. They got Patrick Mahomes. And that defense is really good," Brees said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "They play complementary style football."
Brees says this Chiefs team is similar to last year's squad that limped into the playoffs but won its final six games to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champion in 20 years.
"The Chiefs' MO is, they have these moments in the regular season where they look like an average team, and yet they’re still finding ways to win. And everybody questions them, and they get in the playoffs, they hit their stride, they begin ascending and that’s what it takes to win in the playoffs. That’s been the Chiefs the last couple years."
The Chiefs beat the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders by a combined five points. And despite being 3-1 in their last four games, their point differential in those contests is minus-2.
It's not getting much easier for the Chiefs. While they do play the lowly Cleveland Browns this weekend, they are about to embark on a three-game, 11-day journey due to playing on Christmas.
Three of the Chiefs' final four games are on the road, with their home finale coming in Week 16 against the Houston Texans.
Every rookie entering the NFL wishes to make an immediate impact on their team, especially first-round picks who carry loads of expectation when they hear their names called by Commissioner Roger Goodell on Draft night.
After breaking the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Scouting Combine, Xavier Worthy raised his draft stock, entering that zone of being a potential first-round pick.
All offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs were among teams looking for another playmaker to work with Patrick Mahomes on offense. With the 28th overall pick in hand, Worthy was still available, and they wasted no time adding his speed to the roster.
While being over the moon that he was selected in the first round, Worthy quickly realized he had a two-time MVP, three-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowl quarterback that would be throwing him the football.
One can guess how he feels about that after 13 games and a 12-1 record.
"It’s kinda like a dream come true," Worthy told Fox News Digital ahead of Week 15.
Worthy understood there was no time to geek out over Mahomes being his new signal caller. It was time to get to work, and he quickly realized that all the winning that comes with being a Chief is business at the end of the day.
"You see why they win when you’re here," Worthy explained. "They work hard, they go about their business the right way. They have the slogan called ‘The Formula’ – I feel like Coach Reid has hit [on] that in an interview. They really go about that every day, and I feel like it says a lot about the program."
Of course, Worthy was not guaranteed to slot right in and get working with Mahomes immediately. First, he had to learn the playbook and then develop chemistry with his new quarterback on the practice field and in games.
Well, his first touch of his career, Worthy took an end-around flip from Mahomes to the house for a 21-yard rushing touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens.
Since then, Worthy has totaled 38 receptions on 67 targets for 448 yards with four touchdowns through the air, as well as 54 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
He feels the trust a quarterback needs in his receiver is there, leading to some pretty good first-year numbers.
"Pat, he’s more of a guy that’s like, if you show you can go out there and do it, and he trusts you, and you earn his trust, he’s going to trust you throughout the season," Worthy said about Mahomes. "I feel like I’ve earned his trust, and I feel like we’ve got something good rolling."
A prime example of that came in the latest close-game victory for the Chiefs, which required Mahomes to orchestrate another game-winning drive.
On fourth-and-6 with the game on the line, Mahomes was scrambling around the pocket as the Los Angeles Chargers' pass rush was barreling through his offensive line, looking for a receiver to give him a chance to extend the drive.
Mahomes could have looked to Travis Kelce, DeAndre Hopkins or other veteran options if he wished. However, knowing where Worthy was going to be, he released the ball just as he turned around to look at his quarterback. Worthy ran back to the ball, secured it and kept the team's chances of winning alive.
Job well done, even if there was some pain involved.
"I actually dislocated my finger on that same play. I popped it back in right after that – you can see it in the video," Worthy said. "But, it’s huge to be able to have that trust from my quarterback in the NFL. I feel like everybody talks about being that guy in the NFL, so just to be able to build that trust and stack days with your quarterback is huge."
The stacked wins have resulted in what every rookie wants: playoff football.
Worthy gets that as the Chiefs secured the AFC West title for the ninth straight season after beating the Chargers, and the rookie is excited to continue developing that relationship with Mahomes to hopefully help their case for a third straight Super Bowl victory.
IMPACTING YOUTH IN KC WITH DICKS
While Worthy has the pleasure of gracing a field with Mahomes, Kelce and so many other Chiefs legends, he also gets to impact the Kansas City community just like them, too.
That is exactly what happened with this year's DICK’S Holiday Shopping Sprint, where two lucky winners – Tanisha and her 8-year-old son, AJ, as well as Molly from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City – curated a $2,500 holiday wish list that Worthy collected with his record-breaking speed and brought to them personally.
"It was fun," he said of the experience. "It was always something I wanted to do just to give back to the community where I’m at, and it was just fun to see the reactions on the kids’ faces. It brightened my day."
Kansas City Chiefs rookie receiver Xavier Worthy knows it is his job at the end of the day, but he is having a lot of fun playing with his team each week.
How could he not be happy when he is 12-1 to start off his first season in the NFL. Not many rookies get that luxury.
However, the first-round pick learned quickly what comes with the territory of being a team in search of three Super Bowls – playing the villain role.
Worthy, who broke the NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard dash record back in April, said he hears the outside noise, especially those wanting the Chiefs to lose each week.
"I feel like everybody just wants us to lose," Worthy told Fox News Digital after highlighting the fun he had with the DICKS Holiday Shopping Sprint to impact kids in the Kansas City area for the holidays.
"Every week, it’s a new excuse. First, the goal post is helping us. Then, it’s the refs helping us. I mean, we can’t get a break. But it’s cool to have that. It shows that everybody wants us to lose, we have a target on our backs, and we have to continue working each and every week."
The Chiefs are a dynasty, and Worthy entered the fray right after they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to collect back-to-back Vince Lombardi trophies.
Just ask any other dynasty in the NFL what happens when they are on top. Fans will raise them up and ultimately want to watch them fall with a new winner crowned.
However, Worthy brings up a reason why some fans cannot stand to watch the Chiefs stack wins. They have been in so many close games this season, but they have maintained their winning streak in those one-score bouts.
For the last 15 games that have been determined by one score, the Chiefs have come out victorious. Yes, the goal post was involved this past week as Matthew Wright doinked it off the left side, but it went through to beat the Los Angeles Chargers. Additionally, there have been some controversial calls that have gone the Chiefs' way in the end.
Being the villain, though, is not something the Chiefs care about. They embrace it, and Worthy is just getting a taste of what Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and other veterans on the team have been feeling since last season.
"It fuels us," Worthy explained. "A lot of people say it’s hate, like, ‘Oh, people are always going against us.’ But how we look at it, the world’s watching us. You have all these eyes – you make the best of the opportunity with all these eyes on you."
Worthy is no stranger to having a target on his back after playing for a large college program like the Texas Longhorns.
However, he touched on the senior leadership that helps guide the pact, especially Mahomes, who he continues to build a rapport with each week.
The proof is in the game tape, as Mahomes, scrambling on fourth-and-6 to continue the team's game-winning drive, threw a pass to Worthy with the game on the line, and he came back to the ball, secured it and kept the drive alive.
He even injured himself on the play, but his quarterback trusted him with the game on the line. A little pain is worth it in that case.
"I actually dislocated my finger on that same play," he said. "I popped it back in right after that – you can see it in the video. But, it’s huge to be able to have that trust from my quarterback in the NFL. I feel like everybody talks about being that guy in the NFL, so just to be able to build that trust and stack days with your quarterback is huge."
With four games remaining and the AFC West title locked up for the ninth straight season, Worthy knows he will also be a rookie that enjoys playoff football at the end of the regular season.
He is also well aware that the target will be even larger with the Chiefs looking to become the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls.
If Kansas City has to be the villain to do so, then that is perfectly fine for Worthy, who is solely focused on being the team's hero when it is his turn to make a play.
IMPACTING YOUTH IN KC WITH DICKS
While Worthy has the pleasure of gracing a field with Mahomes, Kelce and so many other Chiefs legends, he also gets to impact the Kansas City community just like them, too.
That is exactly what happened with this year's DICK’S Holiday Shopping Sprint, where two lucky winners – Tanisha and her 8-year-old son, AJ, as well as Molly from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City – curated a $2,500 holiday wish list that Worthy collected with his record-breaking speed and brought to them personally.
"It was fun," he said of the experience. "It was always something I wanted to do just to give back to the community where I’m at, and it was just fun to see the reactions on the kids’ faces. It brightened my day."
Worth took pictures, had some catches and enjoyed the opportunity to make these kids and their families smile.
"Surprising our athletes with gifts off their list was such a delight," said Melissa Christian, vice president of global brand and category marketing at DICK’S Sporting Goods. "This was another way we could meet our athletes where they are – literally! – and to do to it in record time by having Xavier Worthy, who is known for his speed, shop and deliver to doorsteps was even more fun. He was the perfect partner for this year’s Holiday Shopping Sprint."
The NFL scheduled a rare slate of Wednesday games this season to ensure it will have games played on Christmas Day, and Patrick Mahomes is not happy about it.
The Kansas City Chiefs are one of four teams that will have to spend their Christmas at work with a matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Baltimore Ravens will play the Houston Texans later that night. That will also mean Mahomes and his teammates will play three games in 11 days. They play the Cleveland Browns Dec. 15 and the Houston Texans Dec. 21.
Last year, the Chiefs faced the Las Vegas Raiders in a Christmas Day game, but that game was on a Monday.
The Chiefs will have less time than usual to prepare for both the Texans and Steelers games. The Houston matchup will be played on a Saturday, and the Steelers game is on a Monday.
Mahomes, who already had to give up his holiday for a football game, agonized over the idea of playing all those games in that short amount of time.
"It’s not a good feeling," Mahomes told reporters Wednesday. "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."
Mahomes was asked whether he has ever had three games in such a short span.
"I haven’t in football," he replied.
"All you can do is focus on the game. The practice you have that day," Mahomes 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."
On top of a strenuous workload, Mahomes and his family will not be able to spend Christmas at home this year for the second year in a row. Mahomes and wife Brittany are both Christians.
"My Christian faith plays a role in everything that I do," he told reporters before the Super Bowl in February 2023. "I always ask God to lead me in the right direction and let me be who I am for His name. So, it has a role in everything that I do. Obviously, we’ll be on that huge stage in the Super Bowl that He’s given me, and I want to make sure I’m glorifying Him while I do it.
"I feel like I’ve grown in my faith these last few years, and I think that’s given me more sense of who I am and why I play the game. It just kind of relieves the pressure of playing a football game because I know that I’m on that football field to glorify Him before everything. So, it’s not about winning or losing. It's about going out there and being the best that I can in His name."
The NFL has played on Wednesday in the past. The most recent Wednesday game was played in 2020, when the Steelers and Ravens had their game pushed back because of a COVID-19 outbreak.
In 2012, the NFL’s opener between the Giants and Cowboys was played on a Wednesday so the TV networks could broadcast Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.
But before those games, the NFL had not had a Wednesday game since the Lions and Rams played Sept. 22, 1948.
"It’s a unique situation. You just have to manage it," said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, whose team will have played on every day of the week but Tuesday this season. "It is what it is. You make the best of it."
It’s not as if the games involved in the Christmas stretch are throwaways, either. Each has significant playoff ramifications.
The Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West, but they are trying to fend off Buffalo and Pittsburgh for the No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye. The Steelers are two games ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North heading into this weekend and could clinch a playoff berth if things fall their way. The Texans are two games up on the Colts in the AFC South.
"The main thing is you get guys ready for the game. Give them a chance to get ready for the game," Reid said. "They’re going to do whatever you present to them. You try to help them out with that. Right now we have a normal week right here. We have to take care of business here."
WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark said during an interview with Time magazine that Taylor Swift invited her to watch a Kansas City Chiefs game.
The publication named Clark its Athlete of The Year, reporting on her interactions with Swift in recent months. Clark said she met Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in person after attending two shows on the singer's Eras Tour.
"People are just going crazy that I’m there," Clark said. "I thought people would be so in their own world, ready to see Taylor. And it was just completely the opposite."
Swift's invitation to watch a Chiefs game would give Clark the opportunity to watch her favorite team with her favorite musical artist. Clark has previously said Swift is her favorite artist and welcomed Swift to the Chiefs fan base when the singer's relationship with Kelce went public in September 2023.
The invite also came during a year in which Swift has been visibly distant from Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kelce's teammate, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, compared to last season.
Swift stood or sat alongside Brittany in the same suite for nearly every game last year. However, this year, Swift was only seen with Mahomes twice at games — Oct. 7 against the Saints and Nov. 4 against the Buccaneers.
The duo made headlines at the Chiefs' first game against the Ravens when they sat in separate suites to open the season. The two sat separately after Brittany incited backlash for publicly liking a post by Donald Trump on Instagram. Swift fan groups on social media were partially responsible for circulating screenshots of Brittany's like of Trump's post.
Trump even weighed in on the controversy after Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president Sept. 10. In an interview on "Fox & Friends" the next day, Trump said he liked Brittany "much better" than Swift.
After Trump sent a post on Truth Social that said "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!," many of her fans called on Mahomes to disavow all of her support for Trump.
However, Mahomes never did that. She simply kept going to Chiefs games, sometimes sitting beside Swift and sometimes sitting with someone else, including model Paige Buechele, the wife of Chiefs backup quarterback Shane Buechele, in a game against the Buffalo Bills Nov. 17.
Clark declined to endorse any political candidate before the recent election, but she did like the Instagram post Swift used to endorse Harris. Clark advocated for athletes to encourage fans to vote when asked about the like.
Clark was previously placed next to Swift on the cover of Time magazine's recent Inspiring Women special edition issue that featured eight women in positions of leadership, including multiple athletes.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Patrick Mahomes gets the ball, the Kansas City Chiefs drive down the field in the final seconds and win the game.
Or how about this: the Chiefs defense comes through with a clutch fourth-down play to ice a victory.
Andy Reid’s crew has pulled this off for the past few years, as this Chiefs team has developed into a dynasty. However, the 2024 season has been so crazy when it comes to last-second wins or close games for Kansas City, that even the head coach has to smile talking about it.
"It’s a unique year," Reid told reporters after his team’s latest game-winning, field-goal victory. "They’re all unique, [but] this one is unique from the standpoint that we’ve had a lot of close games. We’ve been able to battle through some things to get these victories. I’m sure we’ll continue to do that."
Ask Mahomes, Travis Kelce and others on the Chiefs, and they’ll tell you they don’t want to be in this position every single week. However, the reality of the NFL is great teams win those close games, and the Chiefs do it constantly.
In fact, if the results were flipped this season in games the Chiefs won by one score or less, they would be 2-11 at the bottom of the barrel in the NFL standings.
The Chiefs just do not lose close games. After Sunday night’s win over the Chargers, when Matthew Wright doinked the game-winner off the left upright, but it somehow managed to go through, the Chiefs extended their wins-in-one-score-games streak to 15 straight, which is simply unheard of.
It has also created this villain arc for Kansas City, which usually comes with the territory of winning a lot of games. As a matter of fact, Mahomes won his 101st game as a starter in the NFL – he has played 127 games.
Looking back at some of these games, it’s crazy to think the Chiefs walked away victorious.
It all started in Week 1 as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was using Isaiah Likely on a potential game-winning drive if head coach John Harbaugh chose to go for two if they scored a touchdown.
That’s what appeared to happen when Jackson, dancing around the pocket, lasered a pass to Likely as the clock ticked zero in the fourth quarter, and his tight end snagged it. However, after video replay, Likely’s toe – now infamous – was on the white boundary in the back of the end zone. He was ruled out and the Chiefs won 27-20.
That next week, the Cincinnati Bengals head to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the latest chapter in the Mahomes-Joe Burrow rivalry. The Bengals, coming off a bad loss to the New England Patriots in their home opener, needed a stop on 4th-and-16 with 48 seconds remaining and a two-point lead.
Mahomes heaved a pass to Rashee Rice, and it went incomplete. However, yellow flags flew, calling safety Daijahn Anthony for pass interference, flipping the field in the Chiefs’ favor, and Harrison Butker did what he does best: kicking a game-winning field goal in the 26-25 win.
The list goes on and on, from Week 3’s controversial no-call of defensive pass interference on Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts to the Denver Broncos having their game-winning field goal blocked in Week 10. Kansas City’s last three wins have been decided by three points or fewer, two of which ended on game-winning field goals.
Again, this is what separates the great teams from the pack. The Chiefs have players like Mahomes, Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, DeAndre Hopkins and many others who have been battled tested and know they can win a game no matter what the clock says.
The question now becomes whether it is sustainable as the regular season moves into the playoffs. The Chiefs clinched their ninth straight AFC West title after beating the Chargers, and just four games remain to see if they can retain that No. 1 overall seed in the AFC.
For 15 straight games, almost a full season, it has been sustainable for these Chiefs to come through in crunch time, and they have back-to-back Lombardi Trophies to show for it.
If they are to make it three in a row this season, which has never been done before in league history, it is more than likely one-score victories are coming their way.
The Kansas City Chiefs are your AFC West winners for the ninth straight season, as they took down their divisional foe, the Los Angeles Chargers, on a game-winning field goal.
The 19-17 win moved the Chiefs to 12-1 on the season, which was a big victory to not only claim the division, but create separation from the Buffalo Bills for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Chargers are now 8-5 on the season as they continue to search for a playoff spot with four games remaining now.
This low-scoring affair saw a long drive from Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense that chewed up 8:29 of fourth-quarter clock, but it resulted in a field goal to make it 17-16.
There was more than enough time for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense to respond, and as we’ve seen too many times to count, that’s exactly what happened at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
On 3rd-and-10 on the ensuing drive, Mahomes escaped Chargers pressure and found his rookie receiver Xavier Worthy for a 14-yard strike, where he came back to the ball and secured it to extend the drive.
A Mahomes scramble and a few runs from Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt would continue to churn yards and clock, as the Chiefs got closer to the end zone for kicker Matthew Wright, who was perfect with three field goals, including a 50-yarder, made prior to stepping into the game-winner.
On 3rd-and-7 from the Chargers’ 20-yard line, it was imperative Los Angeles stopped the Chiefs to force the field goal and give Herbert another chance to get a game-winning drive himself.
But Mahomes’ magic took place yet again, as he rolled outside the pocket, made a tackler miss, and flipped the ball to Travis Kelce for the first down.
That allowed the Chiefs to run the clock down to the end of the fourth quarter, where Wright knocked the ball off the left upright from 31 yards out, but it was inside just enough to stay true for three points and the victory.
"Doink for the division!" NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico yelled from the broadcast booth.
It took a while for someone to find the end zone in this game, but it finally happened near halftime as DeAndre Hopkins caught a short pass from Mahomes and took it nine yards to make it 13-0.
The Chargers, who had to play without Herbert’s trusty rookie Ladd McConkey, couldn’t get going with five straight punts in the first half.
However, they turned it around in the second half with back-to-back touchdown drives to make this one a real AFC West battle.
First, it was the opening drive of the second half, as Herbert dissected the Chiefs’ defense over 13 plays where Gus Edwards, taking over the starting role with J.K. Dobbins injured, scored from three yards out.
Then, after forcing a three-and-out on the Chiefs, Herbert needed just four plays to eventually find Quentin Johnston for the four-yard score to take a 14-13 lead.
But when Mahomes and the Chiefs have the ball at the end of a close game this season, it just hasn’t worked out for the opponent.
Mahomes was 24-for-37 for 210 yards with his one touchdown pass, while rushing for 17 yards in the win. Pacheco, who had more of a lead role as he eases back from injury.
Kelce had the most yards by a Chiefs player with 45, while Worthy finished with 41 and Hopkins with 32.
For the Chargers, Josh Palmer had a game-high 78 yards on six receptions while tight end Stone Smartt, who saw a bigger role with Will Dissly hurt during the game, had 54 yards on three catches. Johnston finished with 48 yards on five receptions as well.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has only scored two touchdowns this season and is frustrated with his lack of production in the red zone.
"Where I take a lot of pride is once we get in that red zone, man, I get a little hungrier. And right now, just for whatever reason this year, I just can’t find my way into the endzone. I’m just not on the same page as Pat (Mahomes) and it can get frustrating, it can get f---ing frustrating, that’s for damn sure," Kelce said during a recent episode of "New Heights."
Jason Kelce cited one specific play during the Chiefs' 19-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders he thought Travis was talking about, but the tight end said it was not just that play.
"It was more than just one play. But that play was very unfortunate… That play specifically, it’s cover zero. I’m thinking if I don’t have it right now and the ball is still in Pat’s hand, I need to do something else to get open for him and I just went one way, and he threw it the other," Travis said.
Kelce had seven catches for 68 yards but was held out of the end zone in the win.
The Chiefs tight end saw his touchdown total dip last season, when he scored five touchdowns compared to 12 from the season prior.
However, Kelce scored three touchdowns in four games during the Chiefs' run to their second consecutive Super Bowl win.
Kelce has 75 catches for 627 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games this season, taking on a bigger role in the offense after wide receiver Rashee Rice went down with an injury.
The Chiefs are 11-1 and clinched a playoff spot with their win over the Raiders on Friday, but despite clinching a playoff berth, Kelce has not been pleased with his play.
"As s---ty as I’ve played, you know it does feel good to be in my tenth year in a row making the playoffs man," Kelce said.
The Chiefs are currently winning the AFC West and hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC, hoping to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Their next game is a showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, a key matchup in deciding who will win the AFC West.
It doesn't always look pretty for the Kansas City Chiefs, but they somehow found a way to get it done again.
After squandering a 13-point lead, the Chiefs managed to squeak by the Las Vegas Raiders, 19-17, on Black Friday.
Less than a week after needing a field goal as time expired to beat the three-win Carolina Panthers, the Chiefs took Friday's victory in bizarre fashion.
Down by two with no timeouts after the two-minute warning, the Raiders got inside field goal range quickly. However, with 15 seconds left, rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball too early, and the Chiefs recovered.
The Raiders argued it was a false start, which would have negated the fumble. But referees ruled it an illegal shift, and the Chiefs declined the penalty, giving them the ball and the win.
The Chiefs were up 16-3 toward the end of the third quarter, but the Raiders never gave up. Aidan O’Connell hit Brock Bowers for a 33-yard touchdown, and, after forcing a three-and-out, O’Connell hit Tre Tucker for a 58-yard score. The PAT gave them a 17-16 lead early in the fourth.
Kansas City answered with its fourth field goal of the game to regain the lead, but in the closing minutes, the Raiders were moving the ball again. On 4th and 11 with 2:21 left, the Raiders went for a 58-yard field goal, but it was no good.
The Chiefs, though, gave Las Vegas the ball back after the two-minute warning after throwing the ball on 3rd and 2 with the Raiders out of timeouts. The Raiders marched, though, getting inside the 40-yard line quickly.
With a touchdown pass to Justin Watson, Patrick Mahomes became the Chiefs' all-time leader in touchdown passes, surpassing legend Len Dawson. Mahomes now has 238 passing touchdowns in just under seven full seasons.
The victory clinched a playoff spot for the Chiefs, who will play postseason football a 10th straight season. They improved to 11-1, tying the Detroit Lions for the best record in football.
While Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright went 4-for-4 on kicks, the Raiders' Daniel Carlson missed three of his, all from well over 50 yards. It was also the ninth one-possession victory for Kansas City this year.
The Raiders dropped to 2-10 and have been eliminated from playoff contention, joining the New York Giants.
Kansas City had a 20-9 lead at halftime, and still led by 11 at the start of the fourth quarter. But the Panthers chipped away and played stout defense.
With less than two minutes to go, Chuba Hubbard scored a touchdown to cut their deficit to two, and after the Chiefs committed a defensive pass interference on the two-point conversion, Hubard took another handoff into the end zone to tie the game with 1:46 to go.
But as we’ve learned plenty of times, you never want to give the Chiefs any time. They quickly got into field goal range, as Patrick Mahomes scrambled for 34 yards. Several plays later, Spencer Shrader drilled the 31-yard field goal as time expired.
The Chiefs may have improved to 10-1, but they are certainly lucky to be in this spot. Just two weeks ago, they blocked a potential game-winning field goal against the Denver Broncos.
They have not played sharp, again, but the reigning back-to-back champions keep on getting the job done.
Mahomes went 27-for-37 with three touchdowns – DeAndre Hopkins caught the third.
Kansas City will host the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday – they beat them 27-20 earlier this season after losing both games against them last year.
"[The rule] has been in the books for years, and it hasn't really surfaced… haven't really noticed it that much until this year," one league executive said to CBS Sports last month. "Now it's almost an epidemic of them."
