Mahomes in concussion protocol
Keeping an eye on the world of sports during the pandemic:
The Chiefs built a defense and signed a backup quarterback that were good enough to preserve a win.
Now, are they good enough to win on their own?
The Chiefs, who lost Patrick Mahomes to a concussion in the third quarter of Sunday’s divisional-round win over the Browns, might have to find out with their hopes of backto-back AFC titles and a Super Bowl repeat on the line.
Mahomes remained in the league’s concussion protocol Monday, and coach Andy Reid declined to speculate on when he’ll be cleared.
“Because of the protocol it’s a no-brainer,” Reid explained of the decision, which rests not in his hands but those of team doctors and outside experts. “You don’t even have to think about it. You just go forward. You have an answer if he’s there and if he’s not there. I can’t tell you an answer from a medical standpoint. I just don’t know.”
If Mahomes is unable to play, 35-year-old journeyman Chad Henne would start against the Bills in Sunday’s AFC title game.
Henne took over when Mahomes sustained the concussion with the Chiefs leading 19-10, and he finished the drive by leading the team to a field goal. But more memorable will be the two plays he made in the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs were trying to hold onto a 22-17 lead and run out the clock on the win.
On third-and-14 in his own territory, Henne scrambled to his left and found some open space, then sacrificed his body by diving for the first-down marker. Henne came up just short, and when Reid elected to go for it rather than punt, the coach put the game in his hands by calling a short pass play to Tyreek Hill that gave the Chiefs a first down.