KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a proper ankle damage within the first quarter of a divisional playoff sport towards the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, and he later left for the locker room with coaching workers earlier than returning to motion within the third quarter.
Mahomes engineered two scoring drives within the second half and led Kansas Metropolis to a 27-20 victory. The Chiefs will face the winner of Sunday’s Cincinnati Bengals–Buffalo Bills matchup within the AFC Championship Recreation subsequent week.
“It is a credit score to the blokes round me. Guys saved me clear within the pocket, and figuring out that my crew made nice performs round me,” Mahomes stated in his postgame, on-field interview with NBC. “That is what a fantastic crew does.”
Through the second quarter, the Chiefs introduced the damage and listed Mahomes as questionable to return. However the former NFL MVP tossed warmup throws and took the sphere together with his teammates after the second-half kickoff.
On a first-down play from midfield with 2:40 remaining within the first quarter, Mahomes fell awkwardly below stress, following a 4-yard completion to Blake Bell. Mahomes was transferring up within the pocket when Jaguars pass-rusher Arden Key landed on his ankle.
On the finish of the quarter, Mahomes went to the bench and had his proper ankle taped, returning to the sphere in time for the subsequent play.
Mahomes completed that possession, and the Chiefs settled for a discipline aim, taking a 10-7 lead with 14:09 remaining within the half. He was 12-of-15 passing for 84 yards with a landing when he departed.
Through the ensuing possession for the Jaguars, Mahomes flipped off his jacket and trotted into the locker room space. Jacksonville punted on that possession, whereas Chiefs backup quarterback Chad Henne warmed up on the sidelines.
Later in that subsequent drive, with Henne below middle, Mahomes returned to the sidelines, once more sporting a jacket. The Chiefs scored on Henne’s first drive, giving them a 17-7 lead.
“Pay attention, he went down there and bought them proper ultimately zone,” Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson stated of Henne throughout his halftime interview on NBC. “So, we now have to button up right here at halftime.”
And although the Jaguars did pressure punts within the second half, Mahomes finally had sufficient to maintain Jacksonville at bay.
It wasn’t the primary time the 37-year-old Henne had been pressed into responsibility within the playoffs. Throughout a divisional-round sport towards the Cleveland Browns in January 2021, Mahomes went into the concussion protocol within the third quarter. Henne went 6-of-8 passing for 66 yards down the stretch, together with an audacious fourth-down go to Tyreek Hill that helped the Chiefs to a 22-17 victory and a spot within the AFC Championship Recreation.
Mahomes — who was fast to deflect the credit score after Saturday’s contest to Henne in addition to the Chiefs’ coaching workers — completed 22-of-30 passing for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
“They have been making an attempt to maintain me; we now have plenty of nice individuals right here,” Mahomes stated. “However it should take lots to get me out of a ballgame.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.