Patrick Mahomes‘ MRI did not slam the door on the Chiefs quarterback returning this season, but the parties are still gathering information. Mahomes will seek a second opinion on the dislocated kneecap he suffered, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com tweets. A Mahomes return this season may be a dicey process, however. This injury carries a significant risk of re-dislocation, former Chargers team physician David Chao writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Mahomes will likely need surgery after the season, should he decide to put it off until then, putting him out for most of Kansas City’s 2020 offseason program. But for now, a potential return — likely after K.C.’s Week 12 bye, though Albert Breer of SI.com tweets a return before then is not out of the question — is on the table.
Here’s the latest from the Mahomes front, along with more from the West divisions:
- Chad Henne‘s preseason ankle surgery, which prompted the Chiefs to place him on IR and sign Matt Moore, was not a season-ending operation. Henne is a few weeks away from being ready to return, per Paylor. With Henne having been with the Chiefs for two seasons now, this would seemingly be a superior option to Moore. The 35-year-old ex-Dolphin was working as a Dolphins scout earlier this year after spending 2018 out of football. Moore was helping the Dolphins’ scouting department and serving as an assistant coach at his former high school, William S. Hart High in California, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com notes. Henne becomes eligible to return from IR in Week 9.
- While the Chiefs lost the highest-profile player in Thursday’s game, the Broncos lost another defensive starter. Safety Will Parks left Thursday’s game with a thumb injury, and Mike Klis of 9News notes the fourth-year defender has already undergone surgery. Parks is expected to miss at least two games. The 2-5 team is now down Parks, Bradley Chubb and Bryce Callahan on defense.
- In addition to three IR-stationed Broncos set to return to practice next week, Jake Butt will do so as well, per Klis. The injury-prone tight end saw another knee malady sideline him during preseason play. The Broncos stashed him on IR but have not ruled out redeploying him. However, with Drew Lock seeming certain to be brought back from IR, the team can only summon one of the Butt-Theo Riddick–Tim Patrick trio.
- Tyrell Williams will miss his second straight game. The Raiders‘ No. 1 wide receiver is out for Week 7. The Raiders are largely down to rookies (Hunter Renfrow, Keelan Doss) and in-season trade acquisitions (Zay Jones, ex-Packer Trevor Davis) in Green Bay.