Patrick Mahomes shrugged off a scare that unsettled the Kansas City Chiefs’ medical staff more than it unsettled him. A week after a hit to his right throwing elbow, doctors who reviewed the scans told the team he and the Chiefs had “got away with one”.
Mahomes hurt the elbow when New York Jets edge rusher David Bailey hit his right arm as he threw late in the second quarter, sacking him for the second time in three plays in Kansas City’s 35-12 win over the Jets on November 8. He walked off with his arm hanging at his side, then flexed the elbow on the sideline, threw a few warm-up passes and returned, finishing 23 of 31 for 242 yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs moved to 6-2.
An MRI the next day did not reveal major damage, but the Chiefs were not satisfied. According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, published by The Comeback via Yahoo Sports, vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder sent the scans to two renowned baseball doctors for second and third opinions.
Baseball doctors called in
The scans went first to Dr. Vincent Key, the Kansas City Royals’ head team physician, who specialises in Tommy John surgery and newer UCL repair techniques. Key then recommended Dr. Keith Meister, the Texas Rangers’ team physician and one of baseball’s best-known orthopaedic surgeons.
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According to the report, both agreed the damage was essentially a muscle strain, with one source describing a “very small sprain of his UCL”, the ulnar collateral ligament that holds the elbow together and that baseball pitchers routinely tear. Per the same report, Key felt the Chiefs and Mahomes had “got away with one”, and Meister offered a similar take when he was contacted on Sunday night. Both cleared Mahomes to keep playing.
Mahomes: ‘Any time it’s elbows and knees, it’s scary’
Mahomes himself admitted the moment was unnerving, especially after the knee injury that ended his previous season.
“Any time it’s elbows and knees, it’s always scary, just because you just don’t know,” he said, via ESPN’s Nate Taylor, adding that he could tell fairly quickly it was not anything too serious.
Head coach Andy Reid had initially labelled his quarterback day-to-day, with news “more positive than negative” from the first round of tests.
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Back on the practice field
Mahomes was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, November 11, Schefter reported, putting him on track to start against the Atlanta Falcons.
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