Another Man Down! NFL, Y’all Good?

Talk about a rough start to 2021! Another injury has been reported, but this time from the Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This season has already been a little stressful for some athletes due to the coronavirus pandemic, so anything added on to that just feels like a giant “UGH!”

The AFC is approaching and Mahomes says he’s in the clear now and has taken all the steps needed to be there for the big game, however it was previously seen that the hit he took gave him a concussion. After an athlete suffers a concussion they are not allowed to wear helmets at practice. While a concussion is a serious matter, the league's concussion protocol has 5 steps that are required to be taken to make sure the athlete is fully in the clear and won’t sustain any after effects from playing again.

Mohomes said "The week has just been a bunch of testing, a bunch of different things just to make sure that I'm good to go and (there are) no lingering effects or anything like that," Mahomes said. "But everything's been good, and I've (gone) through what all the three, four different doctors have said. And everything's looked well, and I'm out of it now." Fans are happy to hear that, now that his chances of playing well and good as usual are likely. The team did have a backup option in case their quarterback was not able to play.

The nypost reported “If Mahomes doesn’t receive full medical clearance, Reid said the Chiefs would turn back to Chad Henne. Henne entered last week’s game in the third quarter after Mahomes was helped off the field at the end of an option running play. Henne also started Week 17 with the Chiefs resting key personnel.” Henne is also a very talented athlete, so either way the next game was bound to still be a good one.

According to cbssports.com “Mahomes was required to complete all five steps of the league's concussion protocol in order to return to action. He returned to practice earlier this week, first as a limited participant in a walk-through setting, then with increased activity on Thursday. Reid initially told the media Friday that his QB had just one step to complete in the protocol -- clearance from both a team physician and through an independent neurological exam. Now, the reigning Super Bowl MVP is officially good to go for Sunday's conference championship.”