How injuries to Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts will change the Super Bowl | You Pod to Win the Game
Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, Jori Epstein and Frank Schwab evaluate the current status of Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' high ankle sprain and Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts' right shoulder sprain as they discuss how big of an impact the lingering injuries could have on the Super Bowl.
Video Transcript
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CHARLES ROBINSON: Between the two quarterbacks, obviously, there's been the focal point on the injuries. Jalen Hurts is still, I think, a complete mystery. Hurts is like, yeah, I'm not right. That's what he says, I'm not right. It's the shoulder. You and I talked about it. He's not been in a situation where he had to crank it downfield consistently, or in a pinch where it's like, hey, two minute, you got to move it. You got to get it down.
And watching him against the Niners, it felt like every time he threw outside the numbers down the field, I was like, it is not accurate. At this point, we don't know if we're going to see Hurts-- and I think you're right in terms of the running game. I don't think they expose him. I just can't-- if he not right, you're definitely not exposing him from a running standpoint, unless he makes that decision.
And then you look at Mahomes, and it's like, hey, it's two more weeks, and the ankle's better. But realistically, they could both get out there and be hobbled. At this point, do you think-- let's just equalize it. Say they both go out and it's sort of an equal situation. Neither is really right. Maybe you don't get the A game from either. Is that not a pretty significant advantage for the Eagles?
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I mean, I guess because it comes down to what is the surrounding pieces and then the defenses. And I feel like that's why a lot of people are leaning into the Eagles.
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah, I think if both of them come out, and the quarterbacks are, let's say-- I don't know-- 50% of what they could be or something like that, the problem is with that theory, we've seen Mahomes just wreck his body to get there. And I'm not saying Jalen Hurts can't, but we haven't seen it yet--
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right, you have seen--
JORI EPSTEIN: --in the same way.
CHARLES ROBINSON: --Mahomes do it. Right.
JORI EPSTEIN: They were both injured in the conference championship game.
CHARLES ROBINSON: That's a really good point.
JORI EPSTEIN: And what did Jalen do? And what did Mahomes do? And it wasn't just his arm. It was-- I mean, you saw him throw and then hobble on the leg he just planted on, but then he'd scramble like crazy the next play. And so I think that-- I don't even think that a 50% Mahomes looks like a 50% Mahomes because he's figured out that whole way of leaving his body.
FRANK SCHWAB: I pretty much agree with that. We saw Mahomes two weeks ago. And if you were just watching that game and you didn't know, you'd be like, yeah, that's Patrick Mahomes. 326, two touchdowns.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: Looked good. Ran for the first down on a key play. I think he's fine. I really do. Or at least he's going to look like he's fine on Sunday. I don't think--
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: I have no concern about Patrick Mahomes and his injury. I do have concern about Jalen Hurts because we just haven't seen it.
JORI EPSTEIN: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: I thought-- we talked about this, I believe, on the Sunday night freestyle. At the Giants game, I was like, he's fine. He's good. No problem. And then the 49ers game happens, and they have nothing going on downfield. When an athlete comes out and says, I'm not right-- and he said that in various ways this week-- that's telling. Because everybody-- we know every other player is like, I'm good. I'm good.
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: They don't want to talk about it. Hurts is like, yeah, I'm not 100%. Well, OK, now I can't, all of a sudden, trust that he's going to be 100%, or even close, in the Super Bowl. I just don't know.
JORI EPSTEIN: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: I'm pretty sure on Mahomes. I have no idea on Hurts.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Do you think-- is he playing possum?
FRANK SCHWAB: Could be.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Do you think he actually feels better than he's letting on--
FRANK SCHWAB: That could be too.
CHARLES ROBINSON: --and he's just playing into it?
FRANK SCHWAB: I just don't know. It's a mystery to me. Hurts is a mystery. Mahomes is going to be fine, I think. I don't know. Maybe I'm being dumb about it because he did just have a high-ankle sprain like 17 days ago, or whatever it was.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: I just don't have any concern about Patrick Mahomes' injury. I haven't even thought about it much. He talks about it, like I'm-- and I'm like, yeah, OK, he's going to be fine.
JORI EPSTEIN: How did you all feel about Hurts in the divisional round game? Because I feel like that's a better-- maybe a better test of what he can do, given that there was a quarterback on the other side.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah, I thought he was fine. I really did.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: But he didn't-- he wasn't tested really.
JORI EPSTEIN: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: When you're in this game, and you're up 24-0 almost after the opening kickoff, it's like you can throttle everything down because it really doesn't matter.
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: If it's 24-24 with 5:00 minutes left, and the Eagles get the ball back, what can Jalen Hurts do? Can he push it downfield if he has to? I just don't know the answer to that. Maybe.
JORI EPSTEIN: And how confident are y'all that he will run without any hesitation?
FRANK SCHWAB: That's a good question.
JORI EPSTEIN: And should he? Is it worth the risk? I mean, if you're--
FRANK SCHWAB: Oh, at the end
JORI EPSTEIN: --Shane Steichen.
FRANK SCHWAB: I think this is just the all in, like whatever.
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I mean, remember--
FRANK SCHWAB: They got nine months after this.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Mahomes takes off running against the Bengals and gets pushed on the sideline. And you're like-- at that point, when you're at that stage-- maybe he hasn't run all game, but I'm pretty sure he's like--
JORI EPSTEIN: At the end, right.
CHARLES ROBINSON: --straps off. It's time to go.
JORI EPSTEIN: I get that the Super Bowl, you put everything on the line. But if it's the first quarter, I mean, do you want Gardner Minshew playing the second half?
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah, I wouldn't expect, early on, that you risk that. But, yeah, if you get into, like Frank says, a two-minute scenario--
FRANK SCHWAB: I kind of think it's a full game. I think it's--
CHARLES ROBINSON: Really?
FRANK SCHWAB: --just like, whatever, I got nine months or seven months, I guess, until my next game.
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