QB Mahomes recovering quickly from concussion
Patrick Mahomes had enough wits about him after a concussion knocked the star quarterback from the Kansas City Chiefs’ divisional-round playoff win over the Cleveland Browns to get a rather clever hashtag trending on Twitter.
“HenneThingIsPossible,” it read.
It was a reference to his backup, Chad Henne, who came on when Mahomes got hurt midway through the third quarter Sunday. Henne pulled off two edge-of-your seat plays in the closing minutes, scrambling for 13 yards on third-and-14 before a fourth-down completion to Tyreek Hill, which allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock and preserve a 22-17 victory.
Now, the question is whether Mahomes will be cleared to play the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game next Sunday.
“He’s doing great right now, which is a real positive as we look at this. He passed all the deals he needed to pass and we’ll see where it goes from here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game. “I just talked to him and he’s doing good. We’ll see how he is tomorrow, but right now he’s feeling good.”
Mahomes completed 21 of 30 passes for 255 yards with touchdowns on the ground and through the air, helping the Chiefs take a 19-3 lead at halftime.
On a third quarter thirdand-1, the Chiefs decided to run an option play toward their sideline and Mahomes elected to keep the ball, ducking for the first-down yardage just as Browns linebacker Mack Wilson got him around the head.
When he tried getting to his feet, his leg buckled and Mahomes nearly went down again. In a matter of minutes, he had been ruled out with a concussion.
Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brian Staley as the team’s head coach. The Chargers made the decision after having a second interview with Staley. The interview was held a day after the Rams were eliminated from the playoffs with a 32-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Staley, 38, was in demand with interviews also scheduled with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles. Staley has been an NFL assistant for only four years.
He joined the Rams this past season after being a linebackers coach with the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos.