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Patrick Mahomes' challenges vs. Bengals go beyond his bad ankle. But he is Houdini. | Opinion

Every superhero needs a villain to test the limits of their power.

Well, as yet another AFC championship game looms on the sacred ground of Arrowhead Stadium, Patrick Mahomes has not one, not two, but three distinct forces collaborating for potential doom:

Joe Burrow.

Lou Anarumo’s defense.

That sore right ankle.

In other words, it’s one thing for Mahomes to face the prospect of being upstaged again by Burrow and a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has been like kryptonite for him. Now he must also play through whatever pain and tenderness lingers from the high ankle sprain that hobbled him last weekend.

If Mahomes can punch another Super Bowl ticket under these conditions against a feisty opponent hell-bent on defending its AFC title, there’s hope for all of us. Maybe he can reverse global warming, too.

Sure, modern medicine and round-the-clock treatment can be a mother. And Mahomes caught a break with the playoff schedule allowing an extra day of recovery and prep after a divisional round date on a Saturday. The Kansas City Chiefs star was back on the practice field at the appointed times this week – reports were positive, almost glowing, from the few minutes each day that were allowed for media viewing – and his purpose of quick healing will be filled with adrenaline with a trip to Super Bowl 57 at stake on Sunday.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain against the Jaguars on Saturday.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain against the Jaguars on Saturday.

But until shown otherwise on Sunday, Mahomes’ ankle is the ultimate X-factor.

As Mahomes put it, “When we get in the game, you hope adrenaline kind of takes over and you can make those throws when you need to.”

What can’t happen is for Mahomes to be reduced to having to make too many of those throws from the pocket. Of course, he is plenty capable of making the throws from the pocket, and with a high football IQ can mimic the scan-and-fire tendencies we’ve seen when Tom Brady is on his A-game.

Yet what makes Mahomes special is that he’s Harry Houdini in cleats. He escapes, creates, extends, bends and so often breaks somebody’s heart with some laser throw … or even a soft sidearm lob. The footwork is essential to that equation. The odds aren’t so good if he’s a sitting duck or otherwise bogged down by limited mobility or mechanics thrown out of whack because of his plant foot.

MORE: Patrick Mahomes' high ankle sprain: What is it, and what is recovery time?

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Then again, if anyone can adjust, it is Mahomes. In 2019, he suffered a high left ankle sprain and didn’t miss a start. In another context, the NFL’s presumptive MVP adjusted fine after his terrific receiver, Tyreek Hill, was traded to Miami last spring. Without “The Cheetah” at his disposal, Mahomes still led the league with 5,250 passing yards and 41 TD strikes. And Kansas City paced the NFL in scoring again, averaging 29.1 points per game.

For all those numbers, the Bengals have had Mahomes’ number in winning all three matchups – including the AFC title game that went to OT around this time last year – against the Chiefs since the start of the 2021 season.

Burrow: 'We're coming for them'

Is it still correct to call it a “rivalry” when one team (or one QB) can’t seem to beat the other?

In this case, absolutely. Take it from Burrow.

“To me, they’re still the team to beat,” Burrow said, alluding to this being the fifth consecutive season the Chiefs are hosting the AFC title game. “And we’re coming for them.”

Oh.

Each of the three contests – all during the 2022 calendar year, as the first came in Week 17 of the 2021 season – were decided by three points. The Chiefs could’ve won but didn’t, giving Burrow a 3-0 edge in a rivalry against Mahomes that seems destined to become this generation’s version of the epic Brady vs. Peyton Manning series.

It’s fashionable to argue that too much weight can be put on quarterback matchups because the QBs don’t actually play defense against the other (see Bengals defense), but the reality is QB duels typically are resolved by producing points – or not -- when the games are the line. As in, top that if you can.

In each of the three losses against the Bengals over the past two seasons, the Chiefs have started fast but sputtered at the finish, while the Burrow-led offense turned up the heat. In the first matchup, the Chiefs blew a 14-point, first-half lead and could only manage a field goal in the second half.

In the AFC title game, the Chiefs led 21-3 in the second quarter, squandered a goal-to-go setup at the end of the first half, then proceeded to produce all of one field goal in the second half and overtime. And a Mahomes interception on the third snap of overtime was converted into the kick that sent Cincinnati to the Super Bowl.

In December, the Chiefs were shut out in the fourth quarter of the Week 13 matchup.

No, the losses weren’t all on Mahomes. There were busted coverages that Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase exploited. A missed field goal. Some questionable decisions that backfired when in the shadow of the goal line. Lessons to learn from.

Can Cincy contain Mahomes?

Also evident was Cincinnati’s job of containing Mahomes while opting not to blitz, often using three- and four-man rushes, leaving seven or eight defenders to drop into coverage. The cat-and-mouse strategy game will provide some wrinkles and tweaks on Sunday.

But a sequence near the end of regulation of the last AFC title game illustrated the difference that Houdini can make. Mahomes scrambled against a four-man rush – he stepped up, dropped back, darted right, spun around and dashed left to dive out-of-bounds for a four-yard gain.

On the next snap, though, Anarumo sent a three-man rush on third down, dropping defensive end Sam Hubbard into coverage as a spy. Then Hubbard came on a delayed rush, sacking Mahomes for a 17-yard loss. That the Chiefs recovered Mahomes’ fumble allowed for the field goal that forced overtime didn’t quite work out.

In a matter of moments, the Chiefs went from first-and-goal from the 5 to playoff heartbreak.

Now, tender foot or not, comes a chance for redemption – or another dose of kryptonite.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patrick Mahomes' challenges vs. Bengals go beyond his sprained ankle