Chiefs advance to AFC championship game with Jaguars win

Chiefs advance to AFC championship game with Jaguars win

7:45 p.m. ET

  • Michael Dirocco

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    Michael Dirocco

    ESPN Author

    • Covered University of Florida for 13 seasons for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Union
    • Graduated from Jacksonville University
    • Multiple APSE award winner
  • Adam Teicher

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    Adam Teicher

    ESPN Author

    • Covered Chiefs for 20 seasons for Kansas City Star
    • With ESPN since 2013

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs probably don’t want to make that a habit, but they did win a playoff game Saturday that left Patrick Mahomes on the bench for a significant portion of the time due to a right ankle injury .

Backup Chad Henne had just one possession without counting a knee at the end of the first half. He capitalized on it, leading a franchise playoff record 98-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter that helped the Chiefs stay ahead in a 27-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round.

Mahomes returned to the game in the second half and was effective, so he’s expected to play next week’s AFC Championship game against either Buffalo or Cincinnati. But the Chiefs have reason to believe they would work efficiently when Henne has to play.

Patrick Mahomes was less than 100% in the second half but effective enough to give the Chiefs another playoff win. Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsChiefs advance to AFC championship game with Jaguars win

Kansas City bosses

Describe the game in two words: hard break. Not a literal break, but the Mahomes injury came at the worst possible time for the Chiefs: the playoffs.

key game: Isiah Pacheco’s 39-yard rush in the second quarter happened with Henne in play and Mahomes on the touchline and was the big play on the 98-yard touchdown drive, led by the backup quarterback. The game resulted in the result that gave the Chiefs a 17-7 lead.

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Stunning next-gen stats: Pacheco clocked a top speed of 20.97 mph on his 39-yard streak, the top speed of his career according to NFL Next Gen stats. The 39-yard gain was 36 yards ahead of expectations.

Below the radar stats that count: Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker was just 3-of-7 in field goals of 50 yards or more during the regular season. But he made two yards from 50 against the Jaguars. – Adam Teicher

1674351793 805 Chiefs advance to AFC championship game with Jaguars win

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t ready to compete with the elite teams in the AFC just yet. But they are closer than they will be in five years. Winning the AFC South in Week 18 was an upset — helped largely by the Tennessee Titans’ late-season swoon — and propelled the Jaguars into the playoffs a year or two earlier than expected. But Saturday night’s loss to Kansas City highlighted weaknesses the Jaguars must address before they can consistently face – and beat – the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals for AFC supremacy.

The Jaguars got some key defensive stops and big plays in the second half of the season, like Rayshawn Jenkins’ interception return for a touchdown against Dallas as well as his stripsack and Josh Allen’s fumbled recovery for a touchdown against the Titans, but the Jaguars were able to hold their own against the Chiefs don’t come up with one. They pressured Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first half but couldn’t get to him in the second half when he was clearly struggling. They also allowed Travis Kelce to roam the field fairly untouched until he caught a pass.

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Chiefs’ D thwarts Jags’ drive with fumble recovery in the red zone

The Chiefs restore Jamal Agnew’s fumble near the goal line to smother the Jaguars’ drive.

Describe the game in two words: Missed Opportunities. All week the Jaguars talked about taking chances because they didn’t do that in the first clash against the Chiefs. There was no greater opportunity on Saturday than Mahomes hobbling around the entire second half, but the defense gave up a 98-yard touchdown drive to assist QB Henne and couldn’t force Mahomes into a turnover. The Jaguars also missed three crucial plays in the first half, all of which could have resulted in points.

Linebacker Foye Oluokun was unable to catch a ball that was deflected by defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton inside the 30-yard line of Kansas City’s Christian Kirk, dropping a deep throw that gave the Jaguars the ball inside the 15-yard line from Kansas City. The Jaguars eventually scored a field goal on the drive where Kirk dropped the pass, but that’s (at least) a potential 10 more points they dropped on the field.

key game: The Jaguars committed two turnovers in the fourth quarter that doomed their comeback attempt. Jamal Agnew fumbled at the 3-yard line after a catch and quarterback Trevor Lawrence subdued a pass to Zay Jones, who was intercepted. Agnew’s blunder was the team’s first turnover in the red zone since Week 8. The Jaguars trailed by 10 points every time they turned him over and were running out of time to complete their eighth win of the season.

silver lining: The Jaguars’ offense ranked 10th in yards and points per game in 2022 and there’s optimism things could get even better next season with the arrival of receiver Calvin Ridley, especially if the team re-signs Evan Engram. The Jaguars traded for Ridley in November and if he is released from his gambling suspension in February he can join the team when the offseason program begins in April. Ridley will give the Jaguars a #1 receiver to pair with Kirk, one of the league’s better slot receivers, and Jones. – Michael Dirocco