Patrick Mahomes avoids major injury after MRI on elbow

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes avoids major injury after MRI on elbow

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Nov 8, 2026 6:45 PM ET

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes experienced an injury scare on Sunday.

Mahomes injured his right elbow late in the second quarter of the Chiefs' home game against the New York Jets when his arm bent backward on a strip sack by rookie linebacker David Bailey. The QB returned on Kansas City's next drive and didn't seem hampered by his elbow for the rest of the game.

Mahomes finished 23 of 31 passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Chiefs to a 35-12 win. Kansas City is now 6-2 heading into a Week 10 road matchup against the Atlanta Falcons (3-6).

While Mahomes may not be 100 percent, he, at least, avoided a major injury, according to Ian Rapoport.

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes underwent an MRI following today’s win and sources say the tests did not reveal a major injury. Mahomes’ elbow strain/sprain will be monitored over the next few days for pain and swelling. But so far, so good. Mahomes did go back in the game. https://t.co/uWPbBY3Gaa
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2026

In his postgame news conference, the QB said the elbow issue prevented him from "throwing the ball the way [he] wanted to," and he'll undergo more tests to see if it's a bigger issue.

Patrick Mahomes comes off the field in pain with an apparent injury to his throwing arm following a turnover pic.twitter.com/5fsqKGPaFz
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) November 8, 2026

Patrick Mahomes speaks on injury

"From the stories you hear, whenever you can grab the ball and try to throw it, you can't throw," Mahomes told the media. "Once I threw the football, I knew it wasn't, hopefully, I haven't done the test yet, it wasn't ligament-type stuff, it was more muscle-type stuff."

Patrick Mahomes on his elbow:

"From the stories you hear, whenever you can grab the ball and try to throw it, you can't throw. Once I threw the football, I knew it wasn't, hopefully, I haven't done the test yet, it wasn't ligament-type stuff, it was more muscle-type stuff." pic.twitter.com/XN0GweP12g
— Mark Poulose (@MarkPoulose) November 8, 2026

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid didn't seem overly concerned about Mahomes' elbow and said he wouldn't have let him return if he didn't believe he was healthy.

This injury is not as bad as it initially appeared, but it's still worth monitoring. Mahomes suffered the first major injury of his career last season when he tore the ACL/LCL in his left knee. He underwent surgery on it this offseason.

Regardless, the Chiefs still need to ensure Mahomes doesn't take any more big hits. Their Super Bowl hopes hinge on the 31-year-old remaining healthy.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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