The Kansas City Chiefs survived a scare from the Cleveland Browns that nearly ended their playoff run after one game. Instead, a pair of gutsy plays from backup QB Chad Henne and head coach Andy Reid sealed the 22-17 victory in the final two minutes.
Henne’s game-winning heroics came on the heels of a third-quarter concussion to Patrick Mahomes, which knocked the 25-year-old MVP out for the remainder of the contest.
During his postgame press conference, Reid provided an encouraging update on his superstar signal-caller, suggesting that Mahomes is stable and in concussion protocol.
“He got hit in the back of the head and it kind of knocked the wind out of him and everything else with it, so we took him out,” Reid told reporters on Sunday afternoon, via Yahoo Sports’ Terez Paylor. “He’s doing great right now, which is a real positive as we looked at this. [He] passed all the deals that he needed to pass. So, we’ll see where it goes from here.”
An update from Andy Reid on Patrick Mahomes. #ChiefsKingdom
Like Reid, Henne also spoke to a good-spirited Mahomes in the locker room afterward.
“He’s in good spirits,” Chiefs QB Chad Henne said of Patrick Mahomes.
Henne said he talked to Mahomes in the locker room after the game.
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Reid, Chiefs Show Their Trust in Henne
With the Chiefs facing 3rd & 14 in their own territory coming out of the two-minute warning, it was Henne’s 13.5-yard scamper that allowed his head coach to dial up a surprising fourth-down pass play to clinch the win.
CHAD HENNE TAKES IT HIMSELF 🤯
(via @NFL)
Chad Henne called game. 😱
When asked about the level of trust he has in Henne, Reid even didn’t blink.
“Listen, when you’re around him, you just know,” Reid said during his postgame press conference, via ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “I’m glad he had an opportunity to play a week or two ago there, whenever our last game was, and get in. I think that helped him when he jumped in this time of just being comfortable with the speed of everything. Everybody has full confidence in him.”
After Kansas City’s hard-fought win, a number of Henne’s teammates — Mahomes included — verified that, indeed, #HenneThingIsPossible.
Travis Kelce on Henne: “He’s a competitor…We knew we could score points with Chad and move the ball with Chad.”
Kelce sums up Chad Henne in one word. Guts. #Chiefs
Mathieu on Henne’s 13-yard run: “That’s all heart. Those are the moments that lift teams.”
Wasn’t clean, surely not our best work. But enough TEAMWORK to get the job done. S/O my triple OG Chad Henne the #GoBlue way. 😂😂🤟🏿
Bashaud Breeland Also Dealing With Concussion
In addition to Mahomes, Chiefs starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland was forced to exit Sunday’s game early after taking a hit to the head. The team officially ruled the seventh-year veteran out in the fourth quarter, and Reid further addressed his status after the win.
“Bashaud Breeland, he also got hit in the head and they’re kind of going through [the concussion protocol] right now,” Reid told reporters. “So I’ll know more later here.”
Breeland finished the day with six total tackles and a pass breakup, helping to hold the Browns passing attack to just 204 yards of production. Like Mahomes, he’ll need to pass through the five steps of NFL concussion protocol before being deemed healthy enough to suit up against the Buffalo Bills in next Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
With the status of Mahomes and Breeland uncertain, Kansas City opens up the week as much as 2.5-point home underdogs. Expect that line to move as the week goes on.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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Chiefs’ Andy Reid Gives Telling Status Update on Patrick Mahomes