The Kansas City Chiefs advance to the AFC Championship game by holding off the Cleveland Browns 22-17.
After a dominating first half, the Chiefs lost their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, to concussion-like symptoms early in the third quarter.
After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Browns had a chance to get the ball back with just over three minutes left to play.
On a third-and-14, Mahomes’ replacement, 35-year-old Chad Henne, scrambled to his left for 14 yards for what seemed to be the biggest play of his veteran career.
“To see Chad Henne scramble, try to get that first down, that’s all heart,” Tyrann Mathieu said. “Those are the moments that lift teams. Those are the moments that build confidence.”
Just four plays later, Andy Reid made a gutsy call to go for it on 4th & 1 rather than punt the ball back to the Browns late in the game.
Henne and the Chiefs offense surprised the NFL world by throwing a quick out route to Tyreek Hill to extend the chains and seal the victory.
Even Mahomes was impressed by his replacement. He later wrote on Twitter after the game: “#HenneThingsIsPossible”
“We go through all those Saturday nights with the quarterbacks, those situations; Fourth-and-1 to win this game, what do you want?” said Reid, who never once thought about punting on fourth down. “My coaches were on board, they all did a great job with the spot, with the calls, everything—they were spot-on. It was a great job.”
Mahomes hadn’t played in 21 days, since the Chiefs clinched the AFC top seed in Week 16. The reigning Super Bowl MVP didn’t miss a beat before leaving the game midway through the third quarter. He finished the game with 255 yards passing and one touchdown. He also ran for another score.
Baker Mayfield played a good overall game as well. He had some good solid throws that put his team in a good position throughout the game.
Mayfield threw for 204 yards with a touchdown and a pick for the Browns, who were coming off their first playoff win since 1994.
One play that hurt the Browns was the touchback where Rashard Higgins tried to reach out and break the pylon in the first half. The play resulted in a fumble that went into the back of the end zone, resulting in a costly turnover.
That play may have come back to haunt the Browns as they trailed 17-22 late in the fourth. After a costly interception thrown by Henne, Cleveland had life.
They were unable to capitalize the ensuing drive, and they punted the ball away relying on their defense to get one more stop. That’s when Henne put together his marvelous drive draining all of the 3 minutes and 38 seconds left in the game.
With the victory, Kansas City will now host the red-hot Buffalo Bills, who are coming off an impressive 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
Mahomes’ status is in question, and we will have to wait for further updates on his status throughout the week.
