Kansas City’s attempt to tie Super Bowl 2023 before halftime took a costly turn in a scenario the Chiefs never wanted to witness again.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes limped off the field and appeared to be in pain on the sideline after he was tackled from behind on a scramble with 1:33 left in the second quarter. Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards made the stop after Mahomes scrambled from the pocket, and the star quarterback’s ankle was crushed underneath Edwards.

Mahomes returned to start the second half — the Chiefs began with the ball — though his status will continue to be under a microscope for the rest of the night. A 14-yard run leading to Kansas City’s third score of the night allayed plenty of potential fears.

It’s the same ankle that Mahomes hurt during the AFC divisional round against the Jaguars, which prompted Chad Henne to enter the game before halftime. Mahomes later returned, but speculation surrounding his right ankle’s status — and the high-ankle sprain he suffered — continued up until Sunday’s game.

The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, who covers the Chiefs, reported that he’d never seen Mahomes in that type of pain before. Chad Henne warmed up on the sideline. But a video shown during the Fox halftime show depicted Mahomes appearing to walk normally back to the Kansas City locker room alongside his teammates.

When Mahomes exited the game against Jacksonville in the first quarter, Henne entered and completed 5 of 7 passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. Mahomes tried to remain in the game and had his ankle taped in between quarters. But Henne replaced him to start the Chiefs’ drive with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter and quarterbacked the rest of the frame, which he capped with a 1-yard touchdown to Travis Kelce.

Three weeks later, a clip from the Fox broadcast showed Mahomes twisting in pain while sitting on the bench, and at one point, he turned and rested his head on a team staff member’s shoulder. Kansas City assistant athletic trainer Julie Frymyer told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport leading up to the game that “high ankle sprains can take a while to come back.

“So his tissue is not completely healed but he’s better than he was for sure,” Frymyer told Rapoport.

The Eagles lead the Chiefs, 24-14, at halftime, which will be longer than a normal intermission due to the Super Bowl show featuring Rihanna. Prior to his injury, Mahomes had completed 8 of 13 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown to tight end Kelce. They only recorded six first downs against a strong Philadelphia defense.