Week 15 of the NFL has been wild. From the Packers hearing ‘Go Pack Go’ on the Seahawks‘ home turf, to Lamar Jackson throwing 6 TDs. And to Patrick Mahomes hurting his ankle in the game against the Browns. But the real highlight wasn’t him getting hurt. It was netizens mocking him for faking an injury to make himself look like ‘the tough guy’ in his next game. Well, the internet had its say, but for the Chiefs, it was a big worry. If Mahomes had to sit out, they knew they’d need to be ready. But Chiefs TE Travis Kelce was quite confident saying that the Chiefs won’t miss a shot even if the QB misses a game or two, as they have got Carson Wentz.

Recently, on his ‘New Heights Podcast,’ Kelce shared that even if Mahomes had to miss a game due to his injury, they’ve got Carson Wentz, who’s more than ready to step up as QB1. But former Chiefs backup QB Chase Daniel wasn’t buying it. Chase, who was the backup QB to Alex Smith for three years from 2013 to 2015, said, ” I was a career backup. I played for 14 years and some of those years. I was the best backup in the league, got paid the right way for it. It’s all okay. No team wanted to see me go in that game.” 

The former Chiefs player added, “So the Chiefs do not want to see what Carson Wentz has, they do not want to see, they want Mahomes to play. They take a 50% patch of Mahomes over Carson Wentz. That’s being real.” Imagine a former player telling you the team doesn’t want to see you leading the way. If Chase’s words reach Wentz, they will hurt him for real.

Carson Wentz finished the game as the starting QB after Mahomes limped off the field in the fourth quarter against the Browns. Initially, there were reports that Carson might lead the team in the next game, but maybe the Chiefs don’t want that.

Not Carson Wentz, but Patrick Mahomes will be the starting QB in Week 16

While Kelce said Wentz is “prepped and ready to rock and roll” as the starting QB, that’s not the case. Patrick Mahomes will be back on the field for the game against the Texans, as confirmed by Andy Reid. (Honestly, the netizens kind of called this the day he got injured.) A few hours before the game, the HC gave an update on the QB, saying he was a full participant in practice. “He did look good out there. He moved around pretty well.” Reid added that it amazes him every time how mentally tough Mahomes is. So, now with Patrick back in the picture, Wentz is going back to his QB2 duties. 

Although Chase Daniel’s words were quite bitter, there seems to be some truth in it. Can’t blame the Chiefs though, coming this far, they might not want to risk anything. The Chiefs have already conquered their division (AFC West) with 13 wins. Now, if they win the remaining three games, they will secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

For now, all eyes are on QB Patrick Mahomes. He had a week to rest and took the chance to celebrate an early Christmas with his family. The 29-year-old might’ve also had the pleasure of tasting some hand-baked cookies from his daughter, Sterling. And now he’s all set to grace the gridiron.