It remains unclear if Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be suiting up for Saturday’s game against the Houston Texans as he battles a sprained ankle. If he does, the Texans are making it quite clear that they will not be showing him any mercy.

Mahomes made it clear on Tuesday that he wants to be able to avoid the Texans pass rush and have a full gameplan at his disposal if he does play against Houston in Week 16. The quarterback certainly made it sound like he is determined to play, however.

At least one Texans defensive player seemed to welcome that news. Defensive tackle Tim Settle had a very firm warning for Mahomes when it comes to the health of the quarterback’s ankle.

“Pat’s a little banged up. I don’t know if he’s going to play or not. I hope he’s mobile enough, because we coming in Arrowhead,” Settle said. “Pat better make a good decision. I ain’t making no threats, I’m making promises.”

#Texans DT Tim Settle with the response:

“I hope he’s mobile enough cause we comin in Arrowhead” 🐂🐂🐂🐂💨 https://t.co/ppqOtFoCyl pic.twitter.com/G4p8WpluBm

— sidelinesarah (@sidelinesarah) December 18, 2024

The Texans have 45 sacks as a team, the second-highest total in the NFL. Settle alone has five of them. They are certainly capable of punishing Mahomes if he cannot move well enough to avoid the rush, and that is a risk the Chiefs are surely considering when determining whether their quarterback should suit up.

Mahomes’ ankle injury does not appear to be too severe, but rest will undoubtedly help. That said, the Chiefs want to lock up the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and beating Houston would go a long way toward furthering that goal.