The Kansas City Chiefs aren't yet ruling out Patrick Mahomes for Saturday's game against the Houston Texans.
Mahomes was listed as a full practice participant on Tuesday, two days after he suffered a mild high ankle sprain during Sunday's win over the Browns.
"Let's just see what he does," head coach Andy Reid said, per The Athletic, prior to practice. "Today's a lighter day. He'll talk to me. The doctor will talk to me. If he can go, he'll go. If he can't, he can't. It's that simple. That's how we'll roll. I'll just take it day by day and see how he does."
Mahomes told reporters on Tuesday that his ankle is responding well to treatment and is better overall than the ankle injury he suffered against Jacksonville during the playoffs two years ago when he missed only missed a portion of their Divisional Round win.
"I think it's done good with the treatment," Mahomes said, per The Athletic. "You have to (push it). That's the reason you play this game, to push to play. I'm not going to put our team in a bad position. It's about seeing where I'm at. I'm a competitor. I want to go out there and play."
Kansas City faces a quick turnaround for Saturday's game coupled with an even shorter break ahead of a Wednesday Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Chiefs (13-1) currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills and have already clinched a division title. A win on Saturday plus a loss or tie by the Buffalo Bills would clinch the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed for Kansas City.
With two games looming in a short window against two teams that have already booked playoff tickets, Mahomes was asked about balancing the big picture of his health for a potential Super Bowl run versus current seeding implications.
"You go out there and win two games you're gonna have a long break more than likely with that Week 18 game," Mahomes said. "Just as important as it is to get healthy, it is to get that No. 1 seed. If you can get through these games and win these games against two great opponents. It will give you some momentum going into the playoffs and hopefully give you a little bit of a break there at the end."
Veteran Carson Wentz is set to start in Week 16 if Mahomes is unable to play.
