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 Tuesday 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 motionless while being tended to by emergency medical personnel on the field for at least 10 minutes. His jersey was cut off him and a neck brace was put on him. He was eventually put on a spine board and later hospitalized in stable condition.

Penix 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 (7-7) ended a four-game losing streak with Monday night’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. The 36-year-old has thrown nine picks over the past five games and leads the NFL with 16 interceptions.

Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason with $100 million guaranteed before selecting Penix No. 8 overall in the NFL draft.

Cousins ended his touchdown drought with a 30-yard scoring pass to Drake London in the first quarter but had few other highlights against the woeful Raiders.

DTR replacing Winston as Browns QB

The Cleveland Browns are starting former UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Sunday in Cincinnati with the switch coming after Jameis Winston threw three more interceptions, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.

Winston, who took over Cleveland’s starting job in October when Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury, was benched after throwing his third pick — and eighth in three games — in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 21-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Thompson-Robinson finished the game and will now face the Bengals (6-8), said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team has not commented.

Commanders’ possible move back to D.C. gets boost

The Washington Commanders are another step closer to the possibility of returning to the franchise’s old home in the nation’s capital.

A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is included in Congress’ short-term spending bill, which lawmakers are racing to pass.

It’s a significant victory for the organization and the NFL after controlling owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied lawmakers on Capitol Hill on the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act earlier this month.

Mayor Muriel Bowser called it a “giant step forward” to unlocking the site’s potential.