KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City bosses got two big plays from their quarterback near the end of the game to preserve Sunday’s 22-17 division round win over the Cleveland Browns, but that player was not Patrick Mahomes.
With Muhammad in the locker room after suffering a concussion and being eliminated from the game, Chad Henne made two great plays to save the Chiefs. In the Chiefs ’final drive, he sank 13 yards, finishing with a dive to try to reach the first-half scoreboard, to set up a fourth and a throw.
He completed a five-yard pass to Tyreek Hill to allow the Chiefs to continue the drive and finish the clock.
“When you’re around him, you just know,” Reid said of why he trusted Henne, who hasn’t been a regular starter since 2014, when he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Everyone has full confidence in him.
“I think we’ll all remember the race, that dive and then the pitch.” Muhammad greeted his backup, tweeting “#HenneThingISPossible“after the match.
Henne replaced Muhammad in the third quarter. Muhammad was hit hard by Browns defender Mack Wilson in his third-quarter rushing attempt and appeared unstable when he got to his feet. He was taken to the side line injury store for a quick examination before going to the locker room.
“He’s actually doing really well,” Reid said after the game. “We’ll see how it is tomorrow, but right now it feels pretty good.”
The state of Muhammad for next Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium is unclear. The Chiefs beat the Bills 26-17 in Week 6 in Buffalo with Muhammad at the quarterback.
After the match, Wilson tweeted that he hoped Muhammad could return to the AFC title, to which Muhammad replied, “All good brother!”
All good brother! 💪🏽 https://t.co/ORwLG6eFTV
– Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 17, 2021
If Henne is to play in his place, the two plays he made in the Chiefs ’final unit will help give his teammates some confidence that they will be able to win the Bills and advance to the Super Bowl LV.
“That’s the whole heart,” defensive back Tyrann Mathieu said of Henne on the final push. “These are the moments that lift teams.”