Andy Reid Calls Patrick Mahomes Day-to-Day

Patrick Mahomes walked off holding his right arm late in the first half against the Jets, came right back, and then went 12 of 16 after halftime as Kansas City pulled away for a 35-12 win. On Monday the Chiefs got the news they wanted. Andy Reid said Mahomes is day-to-day with the elbow injury and that the imaging was “more positive news than negative news.”

That keeps the Chiefs’ chase on track. Kansas City is 6-2 and sits a half game behind the 7-2 Denver Broncos in the AFC West, with a trip to 3-6 Atlanta next. Losing Mahomes for any stretch would have changed the whole division race.

What Reid Said

Reid did not sound worried. “Patrick, he is really day-to-day right now,” he said. “It looks like it’s just a matter of some rehab in there and getting rid of some of the soreness. And we’ll just see where it goes from there.” He added that he had seen Mahomes on Monday and that the quarterback was in good spirits.

The way Mahomes played after the injury backs that up. He was hurt on a strip-sack late in the second quarter, tested the arm on the sideline, and did not miss an offensive snap. He went 7 of 10 for 81 yards in the third quarter and 5 of 6 for 41 in the fourth, and finished with 242 yards and two touchdowns.

The first injury report of the week comes out Wednesday, and that is the real tell. If Mahomes is throwing in practice, Sunday should be normal.

Two More on the List

Mahomes was not the only Chief Reid labeled day-to-day. Receiver Xavier Worthy is dealing with a hamstring injury and tackle Jaylon Moore with an ankle injury, and both got hurt in the win over New York.

Kansas City already showed it can lean on the run when it needs to. Kenneth Walker III scored three times against the Jets, twice on catches out of the backfield and once on the ground, and his 11 total touchdowns tie him with Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead. The Chiefs are 5-0 when he scores more than once.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Kenneth Walker III total touchdowns at Atlanta. He has scored multiple times in five games already, and with Mahomes managing soreness and Worthy day-to-day, Kansas City has every reason to keep feeding him near the goal line. If Mahomes is limited or held out of practice into Friday, the lean gets stronger; if he is ruled out, skip any Chiefs passing play until the starter is known.