Mahomes throws in practice after knee injury
Less than a week after suffering a dislocated kneecap, Patrick Mahomes practiced with the Chiefs. Said coach Andy Reid: “[We’ll] evaluate…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes practiced Wednesday for the Kansas City Chiefs, less than a week after dislocating his right kneecap during a Thursday night win over the Denver Broncos.
Coach Andy Reid said before practice that backup quarterback Matt Moore, who replaced Mahomes against the Broncos, would get “a good percentage of the reps.”
“We’re just going to see how he does and evaluate him from there,” Reid said of Mahomes, the reigning NFL MVP.
Moore said he has not been told whether he will start in Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium.
During the first 15 minutes of practice that was open to viewing by the media, Mahomes stretched and jogged with his teammates and then went with the quarterbacks to make a few throws — including one after dropping back, which looked mechanical.
General manager Brett Veach wandered over from another part of the practice field to watch the quarterbacks throw.
Mahomes was fourth in the quarterback line behind Moore, Kyle Shurmur and Chad Henne. He was wearing sweatpants, which didn’t reveal what he might have been using as protection for the knee.
“It’s surprising, but those injuries can go either way,” guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, a medical school alumnus, said before practice. “When there’s no [ligament] damage and it’s been put back in right after it happened and he’s feeling good about it. … He’s a tough guy. He wants to get back out there and he knows we need him, so he’s going to do everything he can.
“At the end of the day, if it’s safe for him to be out there, I’m sure he’ll be out there.”
Reid said he wasn’t surprised Mahomes made such a quick return to practice after receiving the results of the MRI on the injured knee.
“It was the best possible result, and I just kind of program in the way he rolls,” Reid said. “[Athletic trainer Rick Burkholder] does a good job of managing those [injured] guys so they’re not doing too much or not enough. … I trust them to do their job.
“After it happened, [Mahomes] thought he could go back in. That’s how he’s wired. He’s wired a little different that way. … He attacks everything. That’s how he goes about it. He’s been full steam ahead.”