Chiefs exhale as Patrick Mahomes' elbow MRI shows no major injury before Atlanta trip
Patrick Mahomes' MRI found no major elbow damage after the Chiefs beat the Jets. He'll be monitored for swelling before Sunday's game at Atlanta.
The Kansas City Chiefs appear to have avoided the worst. Patrick Mahomes had an MRI on his right elbow after Sunday's 35-12 win over the New York Jets, and it showed no significant damage, CBS Sports reported. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport called the injury an elbow strain or sprain. The team will watch it for pain and swelling over the next few days. That leaves Mahomes on track for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, though practice will be the real test.
The injury happened with 1:33 left in the second quarter. Jets edge rusher David Bailey hit Mahomes' throwing arm as he tried to throw downfield, and his elbow bent backward. Mahomes fumbled on the strip-sack and walked off with his arm hanging at his side. Because the Jets recovered the ball, he didn't miss a snap. He loosened the arm with throws on the sideline, and Yahoo Sports reported that assistant athletic trainer Julie Frymyer worked on it with him at halftime. Frymyer also helped lead his recovery from last December's left knee surgery.
He finished 23 of 31 for 242 yards and two touchdowns, both to Kenneth Walker III. Mahomes said his throws were off early in the second half and got better as the elbow warmed up. He told reporters that once he could throw, he figured the problem was muscular rather than a ligament. "If I'm able to play, I'm going to play," Mahomes said, according to Yahoo Sports, which credited the quote to ESPN's Nate Taylor. A to Z Sports noted that his first task this week is to get the swelling and fluid out of the joint.
What it means for Sunday at Atlanta
The win over the Jets snapped a two-game skid that included a 20-3 loss at Seattle and a 28-24 loss at Denver. Kansas City is now 6-2. The Chiefs have scored 202 points and allowed 143 through eight games, about 25 per game on offense and just under 18 on defense. Three of their six wins came by seven points or more. The other three were close: 33-30 over Indianapolis, 30-27 at Las Vegas and the 22-6 win over the Chargers. The trip to Atlanta is the next of several road games, and CBS has the broadcast on Sunday, Nov. 15.
The board for Chiefs at Falcons shows the market isn't treating the elbow as a major concern. Kansas City is favored at -174 on Novig's moneyline, with Atlanta at +167. The 11 venues differ on the spread. Novig lists the Chiefs at -3.5 at +111. Pinnacle has the best Kansas City number at -3, priced at -117. On the Falcons side, BetRivers has +3.5 at -114, compared with -122 at Novig. The total runs from 45 at BetMGM to 46 at Hard Rock Bet, with Novig at 45.5. Sportsbook hold ranges from about 3.1% to 5.0% depending on the market.
If Mahomes practices fully by midweek, expect those numbers to stay put. If he's limited, the gap between -3 and -3.5 is where the movement would show first.