Could he be ready to play against Bills?

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes left Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the Cleveland Browns in the third quarter with a concussion, and he did not return. The Chiefs have won and will face the Buffalo Bills next week, but it might be without Mahomes.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning that Mahomes had entered the NFL concussion protocol.

This means that Mahomes will have to meet certain criteria before being allowed to resume training or play. While head coach Andy Reid told media on Sunday that Mahomes hit the back of the head, he was mostly positive about Mahomes’ condition.

“He got hit in the back of the head and kind of knocked the wind out of her and everything,” Reid said. “He’s doing really well right now, which is really positive as we look at this. We’ve made all the deals that he needed to get through so we can see where it’s going to go.”

What are the steps in the return to play protocol?

Reid’s take on Mahomes’ condition is good news, but the NFL return-to-play protocol doesn’t have a timeline, and it’s for a reason. Symptoms of a concussion do not always appear immediately. The player is expected to progress through the protocol steps at their own pace.

Here are the five protocol steps Mahomes will need to go through before being allowed to return to full contact training or playing in a game.

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1. Activity limited by symptoms: The player will need to rest and limit activities that worsen concussion symptoms. Light aerobic exercises, stretching and balance training can be introduced if the player can tolerate it.

2. Aerobic exercise: Cardiovascular exercise is introduced under the direct supervision of the team’s medical staff, as well as dynamic stretching and balance training. Neurocognitive and balance tests may be performed, and the results should return to baseline.

3. Football specific exercise: The player can participate in more intense cardiovascular exercises, supervised strength training, and can mimic sport-specific activities. They can participate in 30 minutes of sport specific exercise with the team under careful supervision.

4. Non-contact club training exercises: All cardiovascular, stretching, balancing and sport-specific activities can be continued and non-contact soccer exercises are introduced. The player can engage in throws, catches, runs and other activities specific to his position. This is the last step in any neurocognitive and balance testing that can be done, and the results should be back to basics.

5. Complete football activity / clearance: In the last step, the player must be evaluated by two different doctors. First of all, the team doctor must allow the player to participate in full contact football activities. Then the player must be evaluated by the independent neurological consultant assigned to his team, which has been jointly approved by the NFL and the NFLPA. If the independent neurological consultant agrees with the team doctor’s assessment, the player can resume training and participate in the team’s next game.

The Chiefs are due to resume training on Wednesday and it’s entirely possible that Mahomes could return to training in some form or another at that time, but that will all depend on how he reacts in the coming days. There’s a chance he may be allowed to return in time for Sunday’s game, but we’ll all have to wait and see.

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