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Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes says 'scary' bruised hand no longer an issue

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes left little doubt Wednesday he would be ready to play in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

Mahomes, who bruised his passing hand in last week's game against the New England Patriots, said he took snaps from under center for the first time since and reported no problems.

"Today was the first day I was really able to get a grip on [the ball],'' Mahomes said Wednesday. "I was able to kind of flick it around yesterday, but today was the first day I was able to really grip the ball, throw it and drive it down the field a little bit.

"It's doing better. A lot of the swelling went down these last two days, so I was able to throw the football around today. ... Definitely was a little scary after the game when it was a little bit bruised and the swelling and stuff like that. We've done more and more treatment since the swelling went away, so I was able to throw the football and everything."

Mahomes was listed by the Chiefs as a full participant in Wednesday's practice, meaning he took his normal amount of snaps.

Mahomes landed awkwardly after being hit early in the Chiefs' 23-16 win over the Patriots on Sunday. He played the rest of the game, but the Chiefs adjusted their game plan to include more short and intermediate routes.

Mahomes said after the game his right hand didn't "feel great right now,'' but X-rays were negative.

The injury is the third serious enough this season for Mahomes to land on the Chiefs' injury report. He sprained an ankle in the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, though the injury never forced him to miss any practice or game time.

He later missed 2½ games because of a dislocated kneecap.

"I'm just trying to take care of my body in general and making sure I'm as healthy as I can be every week,'' Mahomes said. "The training staff does a great job of that. We'll make sure I still rehab everything and that I'm ready to go."