Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, talks to Coach Andy Reid during a practice session in Frankfurt, Germany. Kansas City is set to play the Miami Dolphins in a game on Sunday morning. Michael Probst/Associated Press
FRANKFURT, Germany — 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 on Sunday.
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 press 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 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’ve 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.
• Mahomes says he is up for playing flag football for the United States at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee added flag football to the program for the Los Angeles Games last month.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, whose scrambling and ad-lib abilities would translate well to the sport, was asked at a news conference in Frankfurt if he would be interested in playing.
“I definitely want to. But I’ve seen some of those guys play the flag football. They’re a little faster than I am,” he said. “I know there’s not like linemen blocking for you. I’ll be 31, 32 years old. So if I can still move around then, I’m going to try to get out there and throw the football around maybe in LA.”
Mahomes, who will be 32 when the games begin, added: “Just don’t tell Coach (Andy) Reid or (General Manager Brett) Veach.”
In flag football, “tackles” are made by pulling a flag off a belt worn by each player. It will be 5-on-5 played on a 50-yard field. There are no offensive and defensive linemen.
BROWNS: Quarterback Deshaun Watson will start Sunday against Arizona, returning to play for just the second time in five weeks after he was sidelined with a right shoulder injury.
Watson has been dealing with a strained rotator cuff, an injury he first sustained on Sept. 24 against Tennessee. Watson missed three complete games and played only 12 snaps on Oct. 22 against Indianapolis – his last start.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Watson had a solid week of practice. “He’s comfortable, and he has looked good,” Stefanski said.
Watson practiced for the third straight day and took all of the reps during the portion of Friday’s workout open to media members. It didn’t look like he fully cut loose on any of his throws, and Watson was off the mark with a few attempts.
Watson, who has started just 10 games in two seasons with Cleveland, said Thursday that his shoulder had improved but he wasn’t sure about playing against the Cardinals (1-7).
The Browns went 2-2 in the four games they played without Watson. Backup P.J. Walker helped Cleveland upset San Francisco on Oct. 15, and then came off the bench after Watson took a shot to his shoulder to beat the Colts.
TITANS: Tennessee Coach Mike Vrabel said that Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks briefly lost consciousness and is in the concussion protocol after being carted off the field in the final minutes of a loss to Pittsburgh.
Vrabel said he had texted with Burks and hopes the second-year receiver will be back as soon as possible.
“From what it looked like, I would say it’s going to be as good of a prognosis as what it could have been,” Vrabel said. “Just looking at the visual of all that. We understand what the risks are involved, and Treylon (Burks) sold out to make a play and unfortunately didn’t.”
Burks being knocked unconscious is why medical personnel reacted by strapping the receiver to a backboard and cut his face mask off. Players from both teams knelt or stood on the Acrisure Stadium turf nearby watching.
“It sounds like everybody did exactly what they’re supposed to do based on the protocol and making sure that Treylon’s well-being was looked after as quickly and as correctly as possible,” Vrabel said.
Burks was in the air leaping for a pass on fourth down along the left sideline. He landed hard out of bounds with his head bouncing off the turf.
GIANTS: Placekicker Graham Gano is going to have surgery on his swollen left knee and has been placed on injured reserve.
Giants Coach Brian Daboll announced the decision, adding the team has signed 22-year-old Cade York off the Tennessee Titans practice squad and veteran Randy Bullock to the practice squad.
Daboll would not say who will kick on Sunday when the Giants (2-6) are in Las Vegas to play the Raiders (3-5). He did not say whether Gano will miss the rest of the season.
RAMS: Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is nursing a right thumb sprain, will be listed as questionable Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, Coach Sean McVay said.
“We’ll take it all the way up until game time,” McVay said before practice.
Stafford has not practiced this week, and McVay declined to specify whether the 15th-year pro can grip a football.
“Making good progress,” McVay said.
Despite McVay’s comments, Brett Rypien appears on track to start, with Dresser Winn as the backup.
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