It was not looking great for the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes went down to injury in the third quarter , and backup Chad Henne had to take over under center against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Mahomes’ injury came with Kansas City up 19-10 in the third quarter. The Browns would go on to make it a 22-17 game, leading to some anxious fans at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri.
After Cleveland was forced to punt late in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had to rely on Henne to get a couple of first downs to punch their ticket to the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills.
That’s when Henne stepped up big-time. After throwing an interception in the end zone earlier in the game, Henne picked up a huge first down to ice the game. Facing a 3rd-and-14 coming off the two-minute warning, Henne scrambled for 13 yards.
Shockingly, Andy Reid and the Chiefs opted to go for it on 4th-and-short from their own 48. That’s when Henne hit Tyreek Hill for a first down to put the game away.
The stats were decent for Henne: 6-of-8 passing for 66 yards with that interception. But taking over for the reigning Super Bowl MVP with the season on the line, the 13-year veteran made big plays when he needed to.
Depending on Mahomes’ status and the concussion protocol, Henne might be asked to do it again next week against the Bills. Either way, those watching the game had their reactions to the veteran quarterback and his performance.
Henne had thrown all of 40 regular-season passes since the end of the 2014 season. He came in and looked like a veteran who helped calm the storm.
Talk about a tremendous performance in relief of Mahomes. And it has Kansas City one win shy of a second consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl.
More must-reads: