KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City bosses received two big plays from their defender near the end of the game to keep the victory in Sunday’s 22-17 division tour of 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 big pieces to save the bosses. In the final race of the bosses, he flew 13 meters, finishing with a dive to try to reach the first mark down, to establish a fourth and a throw.
He completed a five-meter crossing to Tyreek Hill to allow the chiefs to continue on their way and run.
“When you’re around him, you just know,” Reid said of the reason he trusted Henne, who hasn’t been a regular starter since 2014 when he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Everyone trusts him.
“I think we’ll all remember running, diving and then throwing.” Mahomes greeted his backups, tweeting “#HenneThingIs Possible“after the game.
Henne replaced Muhammad in the third quarter. Mahomes was hit hard by Browns defender Mack Wilson in an attempt to rush into the third quarter and appeared unstable as he stood up. He was taken to the crash tent on the edge for a quick examination before heading to the locker room.
“Actually, he’s doing really well,” Reid said after the game. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow, but he’s feeling pretty good right now.”
Mahomes’ status for next Sunday’s AFC championship game against Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium is unclear. The Chiefs defeated the Bills 26-17 in Week 6 in Buffalo with Muhammad on guard.
After the match, Wilson wrote on Twitter that he hoped that Muhammad would be able to return for the AFC title game, to which Mahomes replied, “All good brother!”
Good brother! 💪🏽 https://t.co/ORwLG6eFTV
– Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 17, 2021
If Henne has to play instead, the two games he played at the end of the bosses will help his teammates have confidence that they can beat the bills and advance to the Super Bowl LV.
“That’s the heart,” defensive back Tyrann Mathieu said of Henne in the final race. “These are the moments that lift the teams.”