The Kansas City Chiefs built a defense and signed a rugby quarterback who was good enough to retain a victory.
Are they now good enough to win on their own?
The Chiefs, who lost Patrick Mahomes during a concussion in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over Cleveland in the division, will likely have to figure it out with their hopes of AFC titles and a Super Bowl replay.
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Mahomes remained in the league’s concussion protocol on Monday and coach Andy Reid did not want to speculate on when he will be cleared.
“Because of the protocol, it is a non-decisive case,” Reid explained, adding that the decision does not rest in his hands, but on that of team doctors and outside experts. You do not even have to think about it. You just have to move forward. You have an answer if he is there and if he is not there. I can not tell you an answer from a medical point of view. I just do not know. “
If Mahomes cannot play, 35-year-old travel companion Chad Henne will start against Buffalo in the AFC title game.
Henne took over when Mahomes suffered the concussion with the Chiefs leading 19-10, and he completed the ride by leading Kansas City to a field goal. However, the two plays he made in the fourth quarter were more memorable as the Chiefs tried to maintain a 22-17 lead and ran the clock on the win.
On third and 14th in his own area, Henne scurries to the left and finds some open space, then sacrifices his body by diving for the first downward marker. Henne just came short, and when Reid chose to go for it rather than score, the coach put the game in his hands by calling a short pass to Tyreek Hill that dropped Kansas City for the first time.
“I thought Chad was playing with great composure, especially for the situation,” Reid said, “and coming down to the final series, the big run was gravy. He dusted off the old legs, moved a little and had a hair short, came back and made a nice throw to Tyreek to clinch it. ‘
The throw would not have been possible without a great stand of defense in Kansas City.
After the Browns converted their own fourth time by 5:30, they filled Nick Chubb and forced Baker Mayfield to make an incomplete. And when they tackled Kareem Hunt for a loss in the ensuing third pass, the Browns had to be left with 4:23 left.
They never got a chance with the ball again.
“They trust each other to do it,” Reid said. ‘I would rather it should not be like that, bigger lead, but the bottom line is that you are trying to win the football match, and you are doing it in the best way against the best competition in this league. have to come down, reach a little deeper, and really, whatever the term is, to get in there and use that gut force to get you over the hump. ‘
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WHAT WORKS
The passing match grumbled, even as Mahomes left the match. Henne was 6 of 8 for 66 yards, though he made a poor decision over an interception in the end zone. It helps assist tight end Travis Kelce (eight catches, 109 yards and a TD) and Tyreek Hill (eight catches, 110 yards and the most important first point of the game).
WHAT NEEDS HELP
The Chiefs will have to put more pressure on Josh Allen of the Bills than at Mayfield, who has been in a comfortable bag for most of the game. The only bag Kansas City got was from L’Jarius Sneed on a corner kick.
STOCK
The Chiefs had hoped to have Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 15, but he could not go. Darrel Williams picked up the mood and carried 13 times at 78 yards against a solid Browns front.
STOCK
Harrison Butker received mixed reviews for his kicking. He missed an extra point at the Chiefs’ first attack, and shot a target later in the game – four points that would take a lot of the pressure off the last stretch. But he also set a franchise playoff record by hitting a 50-year-old just before halftime.
HURT
Mahomes was not the only player to suffer a concussion on Sunday. Top corner Bashaud Breeland left the game in the second half, and with the back of Rashad Fenton with an ankle injury, the depths of the Chiefs were limited in the defensive backfield.
KEY NUMBER
16 – Reid drew with Chuck Noll for the fifth win of the season by a coach in NFL history. With two more wins, he will move past Joe Gibbs for fourth place, leaving only Bill Belichick, Tom Landry and Don Shula ahead of him.
NEXT STEPS
The Chiefs took leave on Tuesday before training again on Wednesday, hoping to get a clearer picture of whether Mahomes will be available against Buffalo on Sunday.