KC Chiefs are playing with fire when it comes to Patrick Mahomes’ health

The KC Chiefs are likely without their MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the next several weeks. Or are they? Recent reports might have suggested otherwise.

There was a lot of buzz around Patrick Mahomes and his health on Wednesday, as an Adam Schefter tweet had mentioned the Kansas City Chiefs MVP quarterback was already back at practice.

Yup, not even a week after dislocating his kneecap and being helped off the football field, Mahomes was back at it and there’s even been some talk that he could play on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.

This would be downright stupid if it ended up being true. Patrick Mahomes cannot possibly suit up and play quarterback for the Chiefs on Sunday night. There’s no need for him to.

Let’s look at the reasons why, starting with the most obvious one, and that’s the health aspect. Mahomes’ injury was only a matter of time, as he had been playing on a bum ankle since week one. While he ended up hurting his other knee in the game against the Broncos, this is a chance for the Chiefs to get Mahomes rested up and healthy for the meaningful games this winter.

Now, let’s segue into that.

While people will call me out for being a Debbie Downer (what else is new?), I’m just going to say what a lot of other Chiefs fans are afraid to. The Chiefs aren’t going to win home field advantage this year. Sadly, that’ll be reserved for the Patriots, who – barring an epic collapse – should cruise to a 13-3 or even 14-2 record.

The Chiefs could still push for the second seed in the playoffs, but in my honest opinion, a Super Bowl might not be in the cards this year and that’s why it’s even more important to not rush Mahomes out there as quickly as possible. Rest him up and if the Chiefs get knocked out early this year, so be it. At least Mahomes would be healthy heading into 2020.

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There’s also the financial impact for Mahomes and the Chiefs. He’s going to get paid handsomely and if the Chiefs are going to shell out a huge chunk of change, it’d be better for everyone if it’s for a healthy quarterback and not someone who further injured himself because the Chiefs were careless and tossed him out there too soon.

I get wanting Mahomes to play as soon as possible, I really do. It’d be cool to see him and Aaron Rodgers go toe-to-toe on Sunday night. But when it comes down to it, holding Mahomes out until he’s healthy is the best case scenario for everyone.

The AFC West is weak this year, meaning the Chiefs don’t necessarily have that added pressure of needing to stay ahead of the pack in the division. They should be able to come away with their fourth straight division title, even without Patrick Mahomes.

Even if the Kansas City Chiefs are doing all of this to make the Packers think twice about their game plan, they need to not get cute and handle Mahomes with the utmost care. The next decade could hinge on this decision.