Patrick Mahomes feels 'perfectly fine' after illness, says he's set for Europe debut versus Dolphins

Updated Nov. 3, 2023 4:52 p.m. ET

Associated Press

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Patrick Mahomes feels “perfectly fine” after an illness and said on Friday he’s ready to move on from last week’s subpar performance when the Chiefs face the Miami Dolphins.

The Kansas City quarterback had flu-like symptoms before losing a fumble and throwing two interceptions in a 24-9 loss to the Denver Broncos.

“I’m feeling perfectly fine,” Mahomes said Friday at a news conference after the defending Super Bowl champions landed in Frankfurt and held a practice. “It was kind of just that night and a little bit that next day. I kind of got back pretty quickly.”

Mahomes also sustained a cut on his left hand. But he said he's not worried about it ahead of Sunday's game.

“The hand is fine, just have to cover it up for some practices. But I don’t think I'll have much of anything on it for the game,” he said.

The Chiefs had key drops and five turnovers in the loss to the Broncos.

“You find that stuff, you correct it, you talk about it with your coaches and your teammates and then you move on,” Mahomes said. “The NFL is a long season. That stuff happens.”

Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire did not make the trip because of an illness.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said they have done the Friday arrival — the Dolphins came to Frankfurt on Tuesday to get acclimated — twice before and won both games, one in London and another in Mexico City.

“The guys seemed to respond to it,” Reid said. ”Every team is different in how they go about it."

Tight end Travis Kelce wasn't worried about jet lag.

“We're ready to roll anytime, anywhere, whether it's in the parking lot, whether it's on some nice grass or a mud field, we don't care,” he said.

FIELD DAY

Sunday will be a European debut for Mahomes, whose only other international game was in 2019 when the Chiefs beat the Chargers 24-17 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The Chiefs had been scheduled to face the Rams in Mexico a year earlier. But the game was moved — on six days’ notice — to Los Angeles because of poor field conditions.

Deutsche Bank Park recently replaced its natural grass with a newly installed hybrid surface that is mostly grass reinforced with synthetic fibers.

The NFL pushed for the change a year after players and coaches complained about slipping on the natural grass at Allianz Arena in Munich.

INJURY LIST

LB Willie Gay (lower back) and WR Richie James (knee) were both listed as questionable. Gay was limited in practice Friday, but Reid said he's “making progress." James would need to be activated off injured reserve. He was a full participant at practice all week.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl