Henne shows KC’s depth after Mahomes injured
Living on the edge is one thing. Winning without Patrick Mahomes is downright flirting with disaster. Exhale, Chiefs Nation.
Turns out that with the reigning Super Bowl MVP knocked out of the AFC divisional playoff on Sunday with a concussion, Chad Henne had it covered.
This is not something to bet the house on. But in Kansas City’s case, it was Henne or bust those visions of a repeat Super Bowl crown.
Henne made two spectacular plays in crunchtime – and a few others before that – to help seize a 22-17 victory against the Browns that allows Kansas City to become the first team to host the AFC championship game for a third consecutive season.
The Chiefs will host the Bills next Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET) at Arrowhead Stadium – where the few thousand on hand to witness the latest drama were surely holding their breath while Mahomes watched the finish from the locker room while being evaluated for a head injury.
The early word on Mahomes is positive, but his condition is undoubtedly the prevailing storyline. Chiefs coach Andy Reid spoke to Mahomes after the game and indicated that his superstar had passed preliminary tests from an injury caused by a blow to the back of the head.
“We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Reid said during his postgame Zoom conference.
Mahomes was injured midway through the third quarter as he rushed on a speed option play. After he landed awkwardly following a violent-but-clean tackle, Mahomes rose to his feet and stumbled. He looked woozy, his eyes dazed. After a brief stint in the medical test on the sideline, he jogged to the locker room.
“He’s doing great right now … which is a real positive,” Reid said. “He passed all of the deals. So we will see where that goes.”
Another positive sign came from Mahomes himself, shortly after the game. In a nod to the superlatives from his backup, Mahomes tweeted, #HenneThingIsPossible!
What an unlikely hero Henne was. Before Sunday, he had never thrown a pass in a playoff game in 13 NFL seasons. Yet there he was withstanding all sorts of pressure to pull it off. There was a dart over the middle to Travis Kelce for 24 yards. A rope to Tyreek Hill, who leaped above the defender for a fingertip grab that was only part of the completion. The other part was securing the football as it slid off his thigh as he fell to the turf. There was help, too, in the form of big runs from Darrel Williams.
Yet to ice the game, to send the upand-coming Browns home, Henne needed to earn his keep with a deft impersonation of Mahomes.
Needing to convert a 3rd-and-14 from the Chiefs’ 35 as play resumed after the two-minute warning, Henne dropped back, then bolted from the pocket on a scramble and dived for the first-down sticks. He landed inches short of the marker, but it was classic, well, Mahomes, who converted more thirddown runs than anyone else in the NFL this season. Furthermore, Henne, mindful of the situation, dived headfirst rather than sliding. Just as Mahomes is prone to do. It also allowed Reid with the make-or-break option to show exactly how much trust he had in his veteran backup. The coach went for it on fourth down.
Oh, my. Blow it and the Browns would have great field position and a chance.
There’s risk in their decision.” Reid, though, rolled with the gutsiest call of these playoffs. Rather than playing it safe by pounding a run inside, the Chiefs called for a sprint option that put Henne on the move while Hill streaked to the flat. It was another “classic Mahomes” type of play. And Henne delivered a dime for a 5-yard completion that set off the celebration.
“I’m just so proud of Chad, the way he handled everything,” Reid said afterward. “He probably said it best when he said, ‘Listen, this team is unbelievable when somebody has to come in,’ to make ’em feel comfortable. That’s what team is all about.”
The Chiefs may have finished with the NFL’s best regular-season record (14-2) and entered the playoffs favored to become the league’s first repeat Super Bowl champion since the 20042005 Patriots. Yet the latest triumph was another reminder of just how perilous the course has been for them to get to the point of being one victory away from reaching Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
We’ve heard it before. A defending Super Bowl champ typically attracts the best shot from opponents, week after week, and the grind is undoubtedly a factor for why repeat titles have been so rare during this millennium. In Kansas City’s case, when the Chargers took them to overtime in Week 2 (the Chiefs survived with a three-point win, thanks to a rookie-mistake pick by LA quarterback Justin Herbert), it was quite the omen.
Check out the margin of victories for the Chiefs since Week 9: 2, 4, 3, 8, 6, 3, 3. That’s eight wins in one-possession games. Then a ninth one to open the playoffs.
These Chiefs have been tested, taken so many “best shots” and are still standing. Winning without Mahomes at the finish was a new twist (remember the last-minute drive that stung Las Vegas in Week 11). But they’ve also won games this season by withstanding furious rallies directed by Tom Brady (Week 12) and Drew Brees (Week 15). This team has demonstrated some resilient mettle, with depth that allows it to adapt.
On Sunday, they won without wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf injury) and without their leading rusher, Clyde Edward-Helaire (hip/ankle). Also, cornerback Bashaud Breeland didn’t finish the game while also being evaluated for a concussion.
And they closed it out without Mahomes. Of course, that’s not the preferred route. But the Chiefs are at least able to prove that they are more than a one-man show.