The Kansas City Chiefs had a safe lead against the Cleveland Browns when the one thing that couldn’t happen to them. They lost Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes left with a concussion. The Chiefs almost blew it. Then Chad Henne, Mahomes’s backup, pulled out some unlikely plays to seal a crazy 22-17 win and send Kansas City to the AFC Championship.
But before the Chiefs host the Buffalo Bills in that game for a spot in the Super Bowl, there’s one open question: Will Mahomes be available to play?
The odds are not great. From 2015 to 2019, NFL quarterbacks were held for an average of seven days after sustaining a concussion in a game, the league said. The AFC Championship is exactly a week after Sunday’s game, meaning Mahomes should return to play earlier than usual.
It’s also not as easy as Mahomes says he feels ready to play. It’s not in his hands. Nor is it in the hands of the team.