Hand injuries for a quarterback can be a frightening proposition, their livelihood stemming from an extraordinary ability to grip and rip an oblong pigskin.
The hand issue for Patrick Mahomes could have been especially troubling for the Super Bowl hopeful Kansas City Chiefs. The K.C. offense didn't resemble anything we're used to seeing from Andy Reid's team after the QB hurt his hand in Sunday's win over the New England Patriots. The coach admitted earlier this week that he adjusted play-calling due to Mahomes' injury.
The initial fears, however, seem to have passed.
Mahomes was a full participant in practice Wednesday and said he's making good progress.
"Today was the first day I was really able to get a grip on [the ball],'' Mahomes said Wednesday, via ESPN. "I was able to kind of flick it around yesterday, but today was the first day I was able to really grip the ball, throw it and drive it down the field a little bit.
"It's doing better. A lot of the swelling went down these last two days, so I was able to throw the football around today. ... Definitely was a little scary after the game when it was a little bit bruised and the swelling and stuff like that. We've done more and more treatment since the swelling went away, so I was able to throw the football and everything."
With the Chiefs facing Denver -- the team against which he suffered a knee injury earlier this season -- Sunday, the progress appears good enough that we don't expect a heavily curtailed offense from Reid. It will be interesting to see whether the Chiefs start the game relying more heavily on the run game before letting Mahomes rip it.
With the AFC West clinched, the Chiefs have their eyes set on a playoff bye, which would be massive for a team that's battled through injury this season. To swipe it, they'll need a healthy Mahomes for the final three weeks.
