Here is something you seldom see, the book makers made a mistake.
You can’t blame them.
If you saw Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes helped off the field in the late stages of his team’s win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, you wouldn’t have to be a doctor to see the signal caller suffered a significant injury. It was later diagnosed as a high ankle sprain which is an injury that most often sidelines an athlete for a week or more.
On Monday morning, the Chiefs released a statement categorizing the injury as a “mild high ankle sprain.” Yeah, sure, that is akin to the teenage girl explaining her situation as a “little pregnant.”
The books surmised that the Chiefs would be without Mahomes for their upcoming Saturday game against the Houston Texans. Kansas City is also scheduled for a game on Christmas Day, which means from the time of the injury Andy Reid’s men will play three games in 11 days. From all practical perspectives, that had the football thinking world considering the possibility that Mahomes would not only miss this Saturday’s game but the Christmas Day skirmish too.
Most often a high ankle sprain will tighten before it heals, making Monday and then Tuesday more painful than the day the injury was suffered.
With those facts to work with, the books installed the Texans as a point spread favorite against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Then on Tuesday, Mahomes fully participated in the Chiefs practice.
What?
How?
Is this guy human? I say the league that has been tormented by his ability to win since he broke in as a starter seven years ago run some further tests on Mahomes. I don’t think he is of this world, somebody might have made him in a foreign lab and shipped him to the United States to mess with our competitive balance.
How can he get literally helped off the field on Sunday with supports under both his arms and putting no weight on the injured ankle and then be back to fully participate in drills on Tuesday?
It is such an unlikely occurrence that the books made a mistake. The point spread on the Chiefs Saturday game was set with the assumption Carson Wentz would be running the Kansas City offense. Now with Mahomes fully participating in practice, the line shifted five points and today the Chiefs are favored by three.
If Mahomes is injured as much as it appeared on Sunday, he still might not play this coming Saturday. With the rigorous game schedule coming up and their division title already locked down, the last thing the Chiefs want is to further exacerbate the injury and have Mahomes less than 100% for the playoffs.
Bettors that took the Chiefs getting points before they switched to the favorite might think they have a huge advantage. I beg to differ.
I have been on the other side of this and my penchant for motivation over pure talent has often had me taking a team with the backup quarterback. With Wentz behind center this week, I would have been on the Chiers.
Here is the rub, everytime, I mean every time, I have seen a team prepare while thinking they were going to have to put out a special effort to compensate for their missing starter, and then the team makes a last minute switch back to the starter, that team has lost.
Why?
Because the team was motivationally prepared to make up for his loss and when the starter is suddenly available, the motivation drains out of the team like now they have less to worry about.
This Kansas City situation, where Mahomes appears likely to start as early as Tuesday, doesn’t hold the same switch-and-bate on motivation as a game day decision does. But the edge we thought they would have this Saturday without Mahomes, is already gone.
Leave it to the Chiefs to break another mold.