Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is preparing to play against Houston on Saturday, unless his ailing ankle puts the two-time MVP in such a precarious position that he can’t protect himself or he “puts the football team in a bad position.”

Mahomes sustained a mild high-ankle sprain late in a 21-7 win in Cleveland on Sunday. He began to receive treatment on the plane ride home — “I wasn’t do high-knees or anything like that,” he quipped — and spent more than 12 hours getting additional work on it at the practice facility Monday, even though most of the team was given the day off.

Mahomes was back on the practice field Tuesday with Carson Wentz there to back him up.

“You don’t want to go out there and put yourself in harm’s way. It’s football. You’re going to take hits. But you want to be able to protect yourself,” Mahomes said. “And I don’t want to limit the game plan. I want to be able to move around the pocket.”

Mahomes has plenty of experience with ankle injuries to draw from. He sustained a similar one against Jacksonville in Week 1 of the 2019 season, then a more serious one against the Jaguars in the 2022 playoffs. In that case, he was unable to end the game but got enough treatment to play against Cincinnati for the AFC title and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.

• The Miami Dolphins placed Grant DuBose on injured reserve after the receiver suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Houston Texans on Sunday that left him hospitalized.

DuBose remained in the hospital on Monday, but had movement in all extremities after a collision with safety Calen Bullock while trying to make a catch in the third quarter.

DuBose was eventually put on a spine board where his arms and legs were strapped down and later hospitalized in stable condition.

Penix Jr. in, Cousins out as Falcons QB

The Atlanta Falcons are turning to rookie Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback and benching veteran Kirk Cousins as they fight for their first playoff berth since 2017.

Coach Raheem Morris announced the decision in a statement Tuesday night.

“After review we have made the decision Michael Penix Jr. will be the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback moving forward,” Morris said. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”

The Falcons ended a four-game losing streak with Monday’s ugly 15-9 win at Las Vegas. Cousins passed for 112 yards with one touchdown — his first TD pass in five games — and one interception.

Raiders DE Robinson suspended 3 games

The NFL suspended Las Vegas Raiders reserve defensive end Janarius Robinson for three games without pay for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Robinson has played in 10 games and started one this season. He has five tackles and half a sack.

This is his second season in Las Vegas. Robinson was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft by Minnesota, but never played for the Vikings.