KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes briefly said Monday night that he feared the worst. He had to be helped to his feet after injuring his ankle in the fourth quarter and for a few seconds he wondered if he would be able to finish the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Absolutely scary,” Mahomes said later. “I think it hurt more just because it’s the same ankle I rolled over last week, so it scared me a little bit.

“If you don’t know exactly what’s happening and you get that sharp pain, you always fear the worst.”

Everything worked out well for Mahomes, who was able to stay in the game. He later threw a touchdown pass to put the Chiefs ahead and after the Bucs scored to send the game into overtime, Mahomes led a 10-play drive that ended with a Kareem Hunt touchdown run to give the Chiefs a 30-game victory 24 and an 8 to deliver. -0 record.

Mahomes also injured his ankle during a 2022 playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then coach Andy Reid pulled him from the game over Mahomes’ protests and didn’t let him return until he had an X-ray.

This time, Reid again told Mahomes he was coming out of the game.

“I thought he was joking,” Mahomes said. “I thought, ‘Come on, we’re not doing this again.’ ”

Reid even went so far as to tell backup Carson Wentz to prepare.

“He’s a competitor,” Reid said. “I told him I was going to take him out and he probably wanted to fight me, so he’s a tough guy.”

Reid admitted after Mahomes told him the injury was not the same as the one from the 2022 playoffs. Mahomes was also examined by doctors and did some mobility tests on the sidelines.

Mahomes said he would be ready to play in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos in Arrowhead.

Mahomes was injured on a non-contact play when he threw a touchdown pass to running back Samaje Perine early in the fourth quarter.

“I was obviously running to the goal line and was kind of committed to running the football. On the last second Samaje, I rolled the ankle a little bit awkwardly a little bit,” Mahomes said. “You feel the pain and that scares me. You. I’ve dealt with ankles before but I just lay there and as time went on the pain subsided… I just went back to dealing with it and got moving again and felt comfortable going there.

“The one in the playoffs a few years ago was a little bit how I was dealt with it. It stuck and it hurt a lot more. (This time) I could move, I could still have mobility in my ankle and I “I’m still doing that after this game. I’ll probably have some swelling tomorrow, but with a short week, but you go out there and make sure you’re ready to play next week.”