by Liz Bonis, WKRC

To see the full article, click HERE.

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – The Cincinnati Bengals are set to face the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in the AFC championship game. But both teams are trying to overcome injuries.

First up, Bengals offensive lineman Jonah Williams reported a dislocated kneecap. OrthoCincy surgeon Dr. Nick Gates explained why he’s likely on the road to recovery.

“It’s not truly dislocating your entire knee joint, but popping your little knee out of the groove that it runs in. It’s pretty uncomfortable when it happens, but it does pop back in and start to feel better pretty quickly,” he said.

Bengals offensive lineman Alex Cappa has an ankle injury. He is reportedly recovering from an ankle procedure. Dr. Gates says this makes his return to the field less certain.

“I think a big part of it is, can an athlete protect himself and not put himself at risk of a separate injury, and can the athlete perform?” he said.

Finally, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reportedly has a high ankle sprain, without structural damage.

“What that means typically is that it’s likely a grade 1 sprain of those ligaments, or lower on the spectrum. You can sprain a ligament where it’s stressed and it doesn’t completely tear.”

Local 12 asked how safe it is for Mahomes to play.

“Strictly playing on that ankle will make it sore, but not necessarily make that injury damage worse,” said Dr. Gates.

To learn more about Dr. Gates and other OrthoCincy physicians, click HERE.