After playing much of the postseason with a nagging turf toe injury, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is scheduled to undergo surgery soon to repair a torn plantar plate in his left foot.
Mahomes still managed to extend numerous plays during Super Bowl LV, but couldn’t do enough for his team to avoid a 31-9 blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Patrick Mahomes scheduled for turf toe procedure
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news of Mahomes’ imminent operation, which is slated for Wednesday and will entail a rehabilitation timeline of multiple months.
It’s a testament to Mahomes’ toughness that he gutted through the painful injury, which he initially appeared to suffer in the Divisional Round against the Cleveland Browns. The 25-year-old superstar exited that contest early with a head injury, but returned for the AFC title game to beat the Buffalo Bills and position Kansas City for back-to-back Super Bowl victories.
Although the Chiefs fell short, it was not really anything to do with Mahomes’ lackluster efforts. The offensive line in front of him was decimated, and the Bucs were able to chase him all night for a Super Bowl-record 29 quarterback pressures.
Next Gen Stats underscored just how under duress Mahomes was in Super Bowl LV versus Tampa Bay’s relentless pass rush:
A couple of potentially spectacular touchdown throws hit would-be pass-catchers in the facemask, as Mahomes finished the Big Game with 270 yards passing, completing 26 of 49 attempts with two interceptions. He also ran for 33 yards in five carries in addition to all the uncredited yards he racked up with his feet scrambling all over the field.
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Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs 2022 Super Bowl outlook
As was revealed mere minutes after Super Bowl LV concluded, Mahomes and the Chiefs are still favorites in the initial Super Bowl 2022 odds, followed by Tampa Bay and the Green Bay Packers, who were installed as No. 2 co-favorites.
There’s at least some reason for that. Mahomes is the best player at the most important position and should be in much better shape without an excruciating turf toe ailing him, and with a healthier offensive line to go forward with in the 2021 season, he shouldn’t face anywhere the pressure he consistently dealt with in Super Bowl LV.
As long as Mahomes is right, and Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce remain healthy, there won’t be many games where Kansas City can’t be competitive because of its ability to pile up points in a hurry.
On the contrary, though, perhaps the Chiefs should be wary of a Super Bowl hangover. Despite their obvious talent and strengths at key positions, the past two Super Bowl losers didn’t make the playoffs the following season.
The last team to repeat as Super Bowl champions was the New England Patriots, led by current Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Given how well TB12 and Tampa Bay fared in his maiden year with the team, under COVID-restricted circumstances, it stands to reason the Bucs have more than a fair chance to pull off two straight championships if they keep most of their core intact.
Another concern is that Mahomes has now dealt with several injuries over the past two years. Chiefs coach Andy Reid must figure out a way to help Mahomes avoid so much punishment. Some of it is the field general’s playing style, but the running game led by tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire needs to step up in 2021 so that Mahomes isn’t playing hero ball all the time.
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