The AFC Championship game was live on Sunday. The Cincinnati Bengals traveled to Arrowhead Stadium for a rematch of last year’s fixture. With the Joe Burrow-Patrick Mahomes rivalry in full swing, the game would set the stage for fireworks. Joe Burrow was going into the match spotless against his counterpart after a coin toss decided last year’s AFC Championship game. Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, was entering the game with speculation about the ankle injury he picked up against the Jaguars.
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Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle fracture in the first quarter of their divisional playoff game against the Jags. Jaguars’, linebacker Arden Kelly, fell on Mahomes’ right ankle, which left him with this injury. A medical evaluation revealed, 3 weeks was the ideal time for his recovery.
With this information out in public, Mahomes’ availability for the conference game was on the line. Joe Burrow and the Bengals were en route to making it 4-0 with the absence of Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs’ QB has had another MVP-caliber season this year.
Also Read: NFL Analyst Rich Eisen Provides Most ‘Thorough’ Injury Update on Patrick Mahomes
Real MVP behind the Patrick Mahomes show
With Mahomes’ availability being a big question mark, the Chiefs fans were quite doubtful of their presence at this year’s Superbowl. However, Mahomes showed up in his MVP avatar and put the team on his back. He threw for two touchdowns and wasn’t intercepted during the game. Mahomes guided the Chiefs to a narrow win over the Bengals. At 23-20, the Chiefs came out on top and are on their way to the Superbowl.
Patrick Mahomes took to Twitter to mention the hero behind his performance. While he was the face of the heroics, behind the scenes, there was someone else putting the team on their back. “Julie WAS the reason I was the guy I was on the field today! It takes everyone but she lead the charge all week!!! Now let’s get Super Bowl ready!!” tweeted Mahomes. Julie Frymyer is the assistant trainer at the Chiefs’ camp and she has been addressing his injury for a week. While Mahomes was the MVP on the field, their backroom staff had the real MVP.
From a report that sidelined Mahomes for three weeks to get him fit and perform like that within a week was no joke. Frymyer has probably been doing it for a while given she has been with them since 2018. Mahomes’ publicly shouting her out was a sweet gesture as not many athletes acknowledge the heroes in their journey. She will be back to preparing him to perform at his best for the Superbowl in these two weeks.
