Chiefs have built a team that can win if Patrick Mahomes gets hurt. That moment may have arrived

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Many of the decisions that the Kansas City Chiefs have made over the years have been with this exact situation in mind: Their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, gets hurt and they could need to win a couple of games without him.

Whereas the Chiefs once relied on the brilliance of their two-time MVP to simply outscore teams, the Chiefs the past few years have been able to lean on their defense to win games.

And under center, the Chiefs paid handsomely to bring in veteran Carson Wentz, who has started nearly 100 games during nine seasons in the NFL, to be Mahomes' primary backup.

This all became relevant on Sunday, when Mahomes had his ankle rolled up on while being tackled by the Browns’ Dalvin Tomlinson on a fourth down play late in the Chiefs’ 21-7 victory. Mahomes limped to the sideline and Wentz played the rest of the way in his place, though the two-time MVP said afterward that he would have tried to play had the game been closer.

Testing on Monday confirmed that Mahomes sustained a high-ankle sprain, a person familiar with the results told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the results were not announced by the team.

Now, the question is whether Mahomes — who has a history of ankle injuries — can recover on a short week. The Chiefs play the Texans on Saturday, then turn around for another short week with a trip to Pittsburgh on tap for Christmas Day.

“You know what you have to do to get back and I think that’s the most important thing,” Mahomes said after the game. “And now we just get back to the rehab part, the treatment part, and try to get ourselves ready on a short week.”

The Chiefs (13-1) have plenty riding on the next three weeks; they have a two-game lead on Buffalo for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, though the Bills have the tiebreaker. But they also understand the playoffs matter far more than the regular season as they pursue a third straight Super Bowl title, so they could be conservative and give Mahomes plenty of time to recover.

That seems a less daunting decision these days the way their defense has played. And with Wentz waiting in the wings.

What’s working

The Chiefs were minus-4 in turnover differential when they arrived in Cleveland. They were plus-2 when they left. They managed four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, repeatedly giving their offense the ball back in good field position.

“Coach (Andy Reid) kept preaching that it was time to turn the tide on the turnover margin. We know we’ve been a little short and we have to turn the tide,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said. "They come in bunches and it’s coming at a good time.”

What needs help

The Chiefs moved left guard Joe Thuney to tackle and inserted Mike Caliendo in his place, hoping to solve a season-long problem of protecting Mahomes' blind side. The decision seemed to be working in the first half, when Mahomes had more time to survey the field, but the Browns were still able to get far too much pressure on the quarterback in the second half.

Stock up

It's hard to believe that Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie was voted an All-Pro before he ever picked off a pass. He finally got the first of his 48-game career on Sunday, and added three pass deflections and a tackle for loss in a brilliant performance.

“I saw it was grabbed after for me, but I have not seen it yet,” McDuffie said of the football he intercepted. "Once I get that, it will be with me all day, and I will be sleeping with it tonight.”

Stock down

Joshua Williams continues to ride a rollercoaster as he replaces the injured Jaylen Watson. The cornerback struggled to contain Jerry Jeudy and was penalized for illegal contact and a facemask during the game.

Injuries

Besides the injury to Mahomes, defensive back Chamarri Conner left the game against Cleveland with a concussion.

Key number

1 — The Chiefs need one more victory to match the franchise record, set in 2020 and matched two years ago.

Next steps

The Chiefs play the Texans on Saturday in their regular-season home finale.