Jan. 22 (UPI) — Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and will play in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium.
“Talking to all of the doctors and going through all of the testing, we have the belief that I’ll have no lingering effects and I’ll be able to go out there and be who I am,” Mahomes told reporters Friday.
“You have to take it day by day. That’s the best thing. You can only control what you can control. For me, that was coming in every day with a positive attitude, try to make myself better, try to prepare myself as if I was going to play. Luckily enough, I haven’t had any symptoms and I’m able to play.”
Mahomes participated in all three of the Chiefs’ practices this week, with the expectation being that he would suit up against the Bills.
The 25-year-old Mahomes was knocked out of last week’s divisional-round win over the Cleveland Browns in the third quarter after taking an awkward hit on a running play. Mahomes was stumbling as he attempted to get to his feet, and the Chiefs ruled him out for the remainder of the game shortly later.
“There’s been a bunch of testing, a bunch of different things to make sure that I’m good to go and there’s no lingering effects or anything like that,” Mahomes said. “You want to be out there, but you have to go through the protocol and you have to do everything the right way. You have to look at it long-term as much as you look at it short-term.”
The top-seeded Chiefs will kick off against the Bills at 6:40 p.m. EST Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
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