Following a blazing start to the 2019 season, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss after falling short 19-13 to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. It also featured star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweaking his ankle once again that has created some concern over the injury. All of this should also generate the need to move more carefully with the entire situation regarding the reigning league MVP.

Chiefs’ hot start to 2019 season

Coming off a trip to the AFC title game, the Chiefs have hit the ground running to begin this season, grabbing wins in their first four games played.

Their momentum was halted a bit in Sunday’s loss, but the team is still in a premium position being atop the AFC West with a one-game advantage over the surging Oakland Raiders. Mahomes has been a large part of Kansas City’s strong start as he has been putting together another MVP-caliber campaign.

The 23-year-old is currently leading the NFL with 1,831 passing yards, tied for second with 11 passing touchdowns, third with a 114.6 passer rating, and tied for first with 9.4 yards per pass attempt. Mahomes is still on pace to set the NFL mark with 5,859 passing yards, along with tossing 35 touchdowns.

He has also tallied more than 300 passing yards in each of the first games while throwing for at least three touchdowns three times and held a passer rating above 130 on three occasions. That said, the attention has shifted a bit after the loss, with the reigning league MVP dealing with an aggravated ankle injury.

Patrick Mahomes isn’t concerned by ankle injury

The Chiefs dropped their first game of the season on Sunday night, but what has drawn more attention is Mahomes’ health.

The All-Pro quarterback is dealing with an ankle injury that has continued to linger. It notably impacted Mahomes’ play in the second half of Week 5’s action against the Colts, which has brought questions about how much it will affect him moving forward.

There hasn’t been any concern from the organization, with head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes voicing that it won’t put him out of action for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. If anything, it could see him have a lighter workload in practice this week in preparation for the tough matchup ahead.

The Texans look to be a team on the rise led by rising star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is coming off a career-best performance against the Atlanta Falcons.

Chiefs must continue to monitor Patrick Mahomes’ health

Mahomes may not voice any concerns about his injury, but this is the second time this season that he has been hampered by it.

The Chiefs’ chance of competing for the Super Bowl rests squarely on his shoulders. Mahomes has proven to be arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, which he has repeatedly shown to be an entirely different breed at the position behind the countless impressive plays he makes weekly look routine.

The Pro Bowler is what purely takes Kansas City’s offense to the next level as one of the most dangerous units in the league. Any absence from Mahomes would significantly impact the Chiefs, especially with their only other quarterback on the roster being journeyman backup Matt Moore.

There may not be any notable uneasiness over the matter, but it’s certainly a situation that could linger on if not handled properly. Given Mahomes’ massive importance to the team’s future, it should only heighten the team’s attentiveness to keep their star quarterback relatively healthy for the long haul of the season.