© Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Mahomes Tweaks Ankle, Chiefs Lose Four Starters in Loss to Colts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes limped off the field following Sunday night's 19-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but four other Chiefs starters didn't finish the contest, including defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Mahomes limped off the field late in the first half, emerging after halftime with a freshly wrapped left ankle. He sprained the same ankle in the team's season opener at Jacksonville, and the team continued to list him on their injury report each week since with the injury. One of the team's offensive linemen also stepped on the ankle stepped late in the third quarter.
“Just re-aggravated it a little bit there in the first half, and then got stepped on in the second half,” Mahomes said. “Obviously it's going to be a little sore tomorrow. For me, just kind of going into treatment and getting it better so I can be prepared for next week.”
Mahomes finished the game 22-of-39 passing for 321 yards and a touchdown. He was 2-of-4 for 43 yards with a 14-yard scramble on the team's final drive. He couldn't escape the Colts' pass rush on his final play of the game, however, absorbing his fourth sack of the contest with 1:19 remaining in the game.
Head coach Andy Reid said he doesn't expect the injury to keep his star quarterback on the sidelines.
“He was fallen on a couple of times and tweaked it just a little bit,” Reid said. “I think he's going to be OK, he was pretty good at the end of there. We'll see how that goes.”
Mahomes said he never considered leaving the game.
“I was going to battle through regardless,” Mahomes said. “We were in a hard fought game. For us it wasn't going our way, but I felt like we still had a chance so I was going to find a way to get through the rest of the game.”
The Chiefs endured a plethora of other injuries throughout the contest, starting from the beginning of the game. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins exited for good on the team's first drive with a hamstring injury. The same problem limited him in practice on Friday. Reid said he had not spoken to Watkins after the game and had no indication of the extent of the injury.
The Chiefs also lost linebacker Anthony Hitchens and defensive tackle Chris Jones to groin injuries during the game. Left guard Andrew Wylie left with an ankle injury near the end of the third quarter, and backup defensive tackle Xavier Williams also exited with ankle issue. The team finished the game with just five healthy defensive linemen, pressing rookie Khalen Saunders into action for his first NFL game.
The club started the day with three other starters on the bench. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill (shoulder) appeared on the field during pregame warmups running routes and catching passes from the quarterbacks. His return could prove near. The Chiefs still expect to play a few more weeks without left Eric Fisher as he recovers from surgery for a core muscle injury.
Defensive end Alex Okafor (hip) and linebacker Dorian O'Daniel (hamstring) were also among the team's inactives and did not play Sunday night.
Wide receiver Byron Pringle briefly left the game under the league's concussion protocol but was later cleared to return to the contest.
