Head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs Andy Reid takes blame for quarterback’s ankle injury Patrick Mahomessaid the NFL legend Mark Schlereth.

Mahomes, 29, left the Chiefs’ game against the Cleveland Browns in the fourth quarter on Sunday, December 15, after injuring his right ankle. The two-time MVP suffered a high ankle sprain and is questionable for the team’s game on Saturday, December 21 against the Houston Texans.

“Part of my question is: Why are you still throwing the ball when you’re up 21-0?” Schlereth, 58, continued to ask on Monday, December 16 The Rich Eisen Show.

Mahomes’ injury actually occurred as the Chiefs were winning 21-7. After Mahomes left the game, backup quarterback Carson Wentz completed the win for Kansas City.

“There seems to be an aversion to Andy Reid running the football and eating things up,” Schlereth continued. “For example, ‘I’m going to win the way I want to win.’ I made this as a criticism when they lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few years ago (in 2021). They averaged seven yards per carry, but that’s not good enough. ‘We’re going to throw the damn ball every chance we get.'”

Schlereth, a former guard who played 12 seasons in the NFL between 1989 and 2000, further questioned Reid’s decision-making because the Chiefs “haven’t been able to protect your quarterback this year in the past.”

“You were at offensive left tackle for the fourth time in this game and you still took the lead,” he added. “I really don’t understand this Andy Reid philosophy. He’s a great coach, certainly a Hall of Famer. But sometimes I don’t agree at all with what he calls a game.”

After Sunday’s win, Reid, 66, admitted Mahomes was unhappy with his decision to keep him out of the game.

“He wanted to fight for it, but we have good support behind him with Carson and it was good to give him a few reps there as well and let our guys hear that snap in case he had to go,” Reid recounted reporters.

Related: Patrick Mahomes opens up about his “emotional” relationship with Travis Kelce

Patrick Mahomes gushed about his friendship with Travis Kelce after the pair scored the Kansas City Chiefs’ game-winning goal on Sunday, December 8. “He means everything to me, man,” Mahomes, 29, told reporters from Kelce after the team’s 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. “Without getting emotional, he is (…)

The injury occurred when Mahomes was pulled to the ground from behind by Brown’s defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson while also being hit high by Brown’s defensive tackle Mike Hall.

Mahomes told reporters that he “could have finished the game under different circumstances” and explained what left him feeling awkwardly crumpled up.

“I tried to run into the pocket, obviously on fourth down, to make a play,” Mahomes said. “When I threw the ball, I kind of got hit – and I didn’t see it – but it felt like someone hit me from behind too. So I just got upset. Things like that happen in football and so I tried to recover, but of course it hurt a bit.”

The Chiefs return to action, possibly without Mahomes, on Saturday, December 21 against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.