Patrick Mahomes Division Round review; Before and after the ankle
Patrick Mahomes Division Round review; Before and after the ankle
Examining how the high ankle sprain affected Mahomes, how he adjusted, and what it does (and doesn't) mean against the Bengals.
Each week here (or as many as I’m able), I review every snap by Patrick Mahomes, charting things that gauge quarterback performance and measure traits like accuracy, pocket presence, vision/awareness, playmaking, and ball protection. The idea is to quantify how the quarterback played beyond the box score and contextualize his play from supporting cast and scheme. You can find the terms and methodology here. This week, the emphasis is on how Mahomes’ mid-game ankle injury affected him and what he and Andy Reid did to adjust.
It is not exaggerating to say that every Chiefs’ fan’s worst nightmare appeared to be unfolding before our eyes. Patrick Mahomes, in a playoff game, was wincing and limping after a defender fell on his ankle at an awkward angle.
The longer he walked, the worse it looked. And when he tried to stay in, his limp was so pronounced that he couldn’t even hand the ball off effectively. A season in which the Chiefs were improbably contending for a Super Bowl (while performing a soft reset on offense and a much larger reset on defense) looked like it was coming to a screeching halt. Mahomes was sent to the locker room after arguing passionately with Andy Reid (an argument he lost, in a testament to Reid’s ability to control the team), and things looked grim.
Of course, you know what happened next. Chad Henne (Hennething is possible!) was steady in relief of Mahomes, who was able to return after halftime and performed at a level higher than anyone expected even as he was clearly gimpy. Travis Kelce was magnificent. Steve Spagnuolo dialed up some killer blitzes. And the Chiefs advanced.
The question becomes, then, now what? Mahomes was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, an injury that generally takes multiple weeks to come back from. And, optimism on how he’s practiced this week aside, it seems impossible that the injury won’t limit him to an extent.
But how much? To attempt to answer that question we need to look at how much it hindered him the night of the injury. We know the stats, but what did Mahomes look like on film before and after getting hurt? And so we go to the film. In case you didn’t know, Mahomes was in absolute peak form prior to getting hurt, creating yards constantly on his way to another incredible playoff performance.
But of course, what we’re interested in is the “after the ankle” snaps. What did Mahomes look like once his mobility was hindered? How did having his right ankle injured affect his throwing? What about his ability to move in the pocket (or out the pocket) and create? Let’s talk about it by looking at each snap and measuring the things that actually gauge QB play.
If you are unfamiliar with how I chart and write about quarterback play, the (unlocked) Week 1 review explains the methodology and reasoning, as well as the definitions used. The goal, as ever, is to separate the QB’s play from what is around the QB to get a better gauge on how he did on his own. You can find the previous pieces by clicking the links below:
Let’s talk Mahomes, playing on one leg, and the ways that the NFL’s best quarterback adjusted to being more human.