Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will start in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday (January 29), head coach Andy Reid officially announced on Friday (January 27) via NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe.
Reid confirmed Mahomes' status regarding a high ankle sprain he experienced during the first half of Kansas City's AFC Divisional Round win against the Jacksonville Jaguars and added that the quarterback was "moving around good."
Mahomes, who returned in the second half and finished Saturday's game with 195 yards and two touchdowns on 22 of 30 passing, had previously said he was "ready to go" while addressing reporters on Wednesday (January 27).
"It's doing good," Mahomes said via ESPN. "I've done a few days of treatment, a few days of rehab. Excited to get on the practice field and kind of test it out and see where I'm at. But it's feeling good so far.
"I felt better than I thought I was going to be after the game. Moving on it during the game definitely hurt. But after the game, I was able to rest it and kind of ice it up and do different stuff like that. I felt in a little bit better position, and obviously the next morning felt a little bit better, and then I've continued to get better throughout the week, so we'll see how I feel today at practice."
The Chiefs were initially listed as the favorite, then underdog and back to favorite this week amid Mahomes' high ankle sprain, with sports books currently listing them as 1.5-point favorites over the Bengals. Cincinnati initially opened as high as a 3-point underdog on some sportsbook apps and has attracted many early bets this week coming off a decisive win against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round.
The Chiefs will look to avenge a 27-24 overtime loss to the Bengals in last year's AFC Championship Game, as well as a regular-season loss at Paycor Stadium in December.