Bieniemy: Benching Patrick Mahomes After Injury 'Wasn't Even Worth Entertaining'

When Patrick Mahomes came limping off the field in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVII, fans feared the worst.

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wasn't concerned. He knew there was no chance Mahomes would even consider exiting the game altogether.

"I knew it was pretty bad when he got up limping," Bieniemy said. "But I knew it wasn't going to be bad enough where he pulled himself off the field. That's just Pat. That's who he is since Day 1. He is as competitive as they come, and he's not going to ever pull himself out of a situation with his team, through the good and the bad.

"At the time, I really wasn't concerned. I knew that he would just find a way to walk it off. If we were to pull him off, I would have had to fight him, and he would've probably fought me. It wasn't even worth entertaining, what was taking place. What a great person. What a great performance. I just wish everybody could have his mindset and determination."

Mahomes first suffered a high ankle sprain during the Chiefs' divisional round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He briefly exited the game in the second quarter and was replaced by Chad Henne before returning after halftime.

The reigning league MVP was clearly a diminished version of himself as a scrambler in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals but looked spry before aggravating the injury late in the first half against the Eagles. That didn't stop Mahomes from gutting through the pain and even taking off for a 26-yard scramble on the Chiefs' game-winning drive.

Mahomes now holds two Super Bowl MVPs to go along with his pair of regular-season awards.

That said, it may have been his final game with Bieniemy by his side. The longtime Chiefs offensive coordinator is expected to be a hot commodity for multiple offensive coordinator jobs this offseason where he would get out from under the shadow of Mahomes and Andy Reid—a move that may set Bieniemy up for a head-coaching position in the long term.