Kansas Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes came back to Saturday’s 27-20 Divisional Round win against the Jaguars despite sustaining an injury to his right ankle in the first quarter which made him miss out the majority of the second frame.
Mahomes played through the pain, returning to the field after halftime to end the match with 22 completions on 30 attempts for 195 yards and two TDs to secure his Chiefs the victory.
Head coach Andy Reid when speaking about Mahomes’ performance after the game said; “So, he wanted to be in there. He wanted to be competing. It’s a tribute to him and his competitiveness. However, you got to make sure he’s physically OK where he can protect himself. If he can’t then he can’t play, and we have to go to the next guy. But he’s a tough nut. I tell you, he’s competitive. He’s very, very competitive.”
Patrick’s X-rays came back negative, but Ian Rapoport an NFL Network Insider reported during halftime that his injury looked like a high ankle sprain.
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The quarterback’s injury occurred when his ankle got caught and rolled up under Jaguars’ linebacker Arden Key at the tail end of a short, four-yard pass.
Mahomes stayed in the game for the remaining part of the drive, using the break between the first and second quarter to get his ankle wrapped, but went to the locker room for evaluation and did not come back for the Chiefs’ third drive.
“I did want to go and they kind of gave me the ultimatum of I wasn’t going back in unless I went it [to be looked at]”, Mahomes told Melissa Stark from NBC after the game. “They’re trying to take care of me, and we’ve got a lot of great people here. It will take a lot to keep me out of a football game.”
He was 12-of-15 passing for 84 yards and a touchdown to tight end Travis Kelce at the time he left the field.
Kansas’ longtime backup Chad Henne took over for Mahomes for one drive that leaned on the run game and eventually went 98 yards for a score.
Mahomes managed to complete 10 of his 15 attempts when he returned in the second half for 111 yards and a leaping six-yard TD throw to Marquez Valdes-Scantling standing on his good foot. But he first operated a quick-pass offense and barely looked comfortable putting down his feet to throw or manage handoffs to running backs from under center.
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Due to their quarterback’s injury, the Chiefs received big-time performances from several offensive playmakers and the defense as a whole. Kelce led Kansas City with 14 receptions for 98 yards and a TD catch from every quarterback, while Isiah Pachecho was far and away the team’s leader on the ground with 12 carries for 95 yards (7.9 yards per carry).
Kansas City’s defense forced two crucial second-half turnovers to help hold leads, they never allowed the game to get knotted up even when the Jaguars made it a one-possession game twice in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs have reached their fifth straight AFC Championship Game with Mahomes as a starter after he powered through an injury for a 5-0 career record in the Divisional Round.
Patrick Mahomes now waits for a week of recovery to either face the Cincinnati Bengals or Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship, a match he is positive about taking the field for.
“X-rays were negative,” Mahomes said. “They haven’t diagnosed anything yet, but I’ll be good to go.”
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