Doctor Is In: What Effect Ankle Injuries Will Have On Patrick Mahomes And T.J. Watt Saturday

Two of the NFL's biggest stars are nursing ankle injuries this week. Patrick Mahomes has a high ankle sprain and T.J. Watt has a more mild low ankle sprain.

And both are expected to play Saturday with huge stakes riding on the game outcome for their teams. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to clinch home field advantage and a first-round bye in the playoffs, while Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to clinch the AFC North title.

So, of course, these guys are going to hobble out there – probably. 

Dec 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) grimaces in pain as during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

T.J. Watt Plays But Where?

But there are issues. And possible fallout.

"I felt pretty good this week," Watt said Thursday. "Obviously it's a short week, but felt pretty good."

OutKick medical expert Dr. David Chao fully expects to see Watt. It would shock if he's not there. But there are caveats to what we'll see.

"He plays because A, he's T.J. Watt and B, they'll put him on the other side, and C, if you win this, you win the division," Dr. Chao said. 

But, wait, what's that about the other side?

"Expect him to flip to the other side," Dr. Chao said. "You can't edge rush against a right tackle with a bum left ankle. You have to edge rush against the left tackle. So Alex Highsmith has to go to the other side.

"Which is fine. At least he plays, right? But there's a reason he likes that side and Highsmith the other."

High Ankle Sprain Doesn't Stop Mahomes

Mahomes, meanwhile, is making an improbable push to play despite a high ankle sprain that typically keeps players out for weeks.

Having said that, coach Andy Reid has suggested Mahomes is trending toward playing. Some media reported Mahomes is definitely playing, but that's not what Reid said exactly.

"Yeah, listen, I don’t want to lead you one way or the other," Reid said Thursday. "I'm (going to) make sure that – we’ve been taking it day-by-day and that’s kind of where we’re at, but he did look good out there.

"He moved around pretty good. You’re always looking to make sure that he can get out of the way, not to further do any harm to him, so that’s what I look at."

Mahomes was listed as full practice every day this week so far. And Reid said that while backup Carson Wentz got more work than usual this week, it wasn't with the starters.

So the conclusion to draw is Mahomes is playing, barring some setback on Friday.

Patrick Mahomes knows how to five his offensive line a top-notch batch of Christmas gifts. (© Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Mahomes Did This In A Super Bowl

"Part of what I would say is it's a little surprising and look at how far we've come from 2022," Dr. Chao said. "With anyone else, a high ankle, it's weeks. And I always say not all high ankles are the same. And it's also positional. If Mahomes were a running back, he couldn't play."

So how does this happen?

Dr. Chao has said for some time that Mahomes is built differently than other people. He called him Gumby weeks ago.

"He is Gumby," Dr. Chao repeated. "I believe his collagen is just different. Your collagen is loose and flexible. It allows you to be more likely double jointed. It allows your arm to be more powerful because it's like a slingshot."

Mahomes dislocated his kneecap years ago. That's indisputable.

But because of the so-called Gumby factor, Dr. Chao said the Mahomes knee cap is more likely to stretch out of place than tear out of place. Most people that dislocate their knee cap need surgery because they've torn something out of place.

Mahomes never had surgery on that knee cap because he didn't tear anything. It stretched.

Patrick Mahomes Is ‘Elastic’

"Same you can argue with the high ankle injuries," Dr. Chao said. "He's more elastic, so he's less injury-prone and recovers more quickly."

That doesn't mean Mahomes will emerge unscathed from this game.

"His chances of making it more sore by playing on it are probably close to 100 percent," Dr. Chao said. "He is human. But he's also not the only one to play through high ankle injuries. See Justin Herbert earlier this season. His position helps.

"But chances of him playing and making it a higher grade sprain are not high unless he gets landed on again the same way."