SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Patrick Mahomes says he’s “definitely in a better spot” when it comes to his ailing right ankle than he was for the AFC championship game, and the All-Pro quarterback doesn’t expect to be limited by it when he leads the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.

Mahomes said before Wednesday’s practice at Arizona State’s facility that he continues to get treatment on the ankle, which he hurt in the divisional round against Jacksonville, and that it will probably continue up until Sunday’s kickoff.

“You won’t know exactly how it is until you get to game day,” he said. “I mean, I definitely move around better than I was moving last week or two weeks ago. So it’s just trying to continue to get the treatment and the rehab and get it as close to 100% and then rely on some adrenaline to let me do a little bit extra when I’m on the field.”

Mahomes hurt the ankle when a Jaguars pass rusher landed on it late in the first quarter. X-rays taken during the game came back negative, and he returned in the second half to lead Kansas City to a 27-20 victory.

Mahomes spent the next week getting treatment on the ankle, and he credited trainers Rick Burkholder and Julie Frymyer with getting him in shape to play for the AFC title. And while he was clearly hobbled by the high ankle sprain and several times limped away from hits, Mahomes was available against Cincinnati and directed his team to a 23-20 win.

“He’s been doing really well with his ankle,” Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “We had a fast practice a couple days ago and he moved well. He can really do just about everything – at least everything in the game plan we asked him to do.”

FROM DIVERSITY to concussions, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the league is still looking for improvement.

As for officiating, he says: “it’s never been better.”

Goodell addressed those topics and more, including the Washington Commanders’ investigation, flex scheduling and international play, in his annual Super Bowl news conference Wednesday.

DeMeco Ryans became the NFL’s third Black head coach when Houston hired the former Pro Bowl linebacker and 49ers defensive coordinator. Ryans joined Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles. There are three other minority coaches, including Miami’s Mike McDaniel, who has a Black father and identifies as biracial.

The Titans hired Ran Carthon, the league’s eighth Black general manager and ninth person of color overall.

“I still feel like there’s better work and more work ahead of us,” Goodell said. “I think there’s progress and we’re pleased to see progress but there’s never enough. We look to see how we can make things better.”

Player safety is always a hot topic. Concussions were magnified and the league revised its protocols during the season after criticism for the way Tua Tagovailoa’s head injuries were handled.

The NFL announced last week that concussions had increased by 18 percent during the regular season. Goodell attributed the rise to updated diagnostic measures.

“I think that’s a reason why concussions went up this year, because we had a broader definition,” Goodell said. “If you have more evaluations, you’re going to have more concussions. Any time we can change the protocols to make it safer for our players, we’re going to do that. We’re not afraid of having them diagnosed. That’s important to us and why we encourage players to come forward when they have symptoms, so we can make sure they are handled properly.”

MICHAEL IRVIN has been pulled from the remainder of NFL Network’s Super Bowl week coverage after a complaint about Irvin’s behavior in a hotel Sunday night.

The Hall of Fame wide receiver went on a Dallas radio station Wednesday and said he was asked by network officials to move to another hotel on Monday after what he described as a brief encounter with a woman.

“Michael Irvin will not be part of NFL Network’s Super Bowl LVII week coverage,” NFL Network spokesman Alex Riethmiller said

In interviews with Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan and the Dallas Morning News, Irvin said the conversation with the woman lasted between 45 seconds and one minute. Irvin also said he initially didn’t remember the meeting because “I had a few drinks, to tell you the truth.”

Irvin said he did not know the woman and that there was “no sexual wrongdoing.”

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