KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Andy Reid had a good idea earlier in the week that Patrick Mahomes would be available for the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Houston Texans on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium. He gained this instinct from eight seasons as Mahomes’ coach.

“He spoils us like a dog,” Reid said after the Chiefs beat the Texans 27-19 to move to 14-1; A win against the Steelers on Christmas Day in Pittsburgh would secure them the No. 1 playoff spot in the AFC.

“So hard, both personally and physically, that you just get used to it. Most guys don’t come back from it like he did, but he set his mind to it and then jumped into that training room and stayed there.”

What Reid didn’t know is that Mahomes, who left last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns with a sprained ankle, would be just as effective as he was. Mahomes scored the game’s first touchdown on a 15-yard run and also gained 12 yards early in that drive.

He was also 28 of 41 for 260 yards and a touchdown.

“I didn’t think he could come out and run like that or run like that, but he did a great job at it,” Reid said.

Mahomes said he realized he could play at the start of practice week on Wednesday. He could sit up to make a throw, maneuver in the pocket well enough to protect himself, and even run away when the situation called for it.

“It was just the stopping that was going to be hard,” Mahomes said.

On his touchdown run, Mahomes was hit hard by two Houston defenders as he crossed the end zone.

“When I started running, I saw the end zone and I just tried to get up in the air and get into the end zone,” he said. “It wasn’t about setting a tone or anything like that. I just tried to play football at the end of the day.”

Mahomes admitted to sending a message to his teammates. He often pushes them to overcome injuries that, like his, are more pain management related.

“I ask a lot of the guys around me, and so I feel like if I asked them to deal with the pain, if I asked them to deal with little scrapes and bruises and things like that, then I would…” “I have to do it,” Mahomes said. “That’s what I’m proud of, being out there playing football with my boys, and I’m not going to put us in a position to get in a bad situation or lose a football game, but when I feel like it, when I compete and If I can win, I’ll be on the football field.

Guard Trey Smith saw Mahomes overcome a similar injury two years ago in the playoffs and Super Bowl. He said he had no doubt Mahomes would play against the Texans.

“To me, he’s the ultimate competitor,” Smith said. “I’ve never dealt with a guy like that, at least not in my athletic career, and I know that if this guy can run, he’ll play.”

“I think it’s almost more demoralizing for the other team because they put so much faith in the ankle injury, and he just laughed it off and shot the ball right into the end zone.”

Mahomes indicated he would be in the lineup for the game against the Steelers.

“You won’t feel great,” he said. “That’s exactly how it is. In this league you don’t make excuses. You go out and play football, fight until the end and try to get a win at the end of the day. I’m motivated to play with a great football team in Pittsburgh in a great environment and a great stadium. It’s going to rock at Christmas, so everyone will be watching.

“I think more than anything it’s about stepping up when you can, but at the same time studying and executing the game plan, and Coach is doing a great job, but we knew from the beginning that this was part of our schedule.” Right at the beginning, and then the coaches prepared us for it, so let’s go out there and play our best football.”