Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes injured his ankle early in the division game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and after initially being in doubt about a return, he returned in the second half and played through the rest of the game to save it team to lead a 27-20 win. After the game, Mahomes said there was no official prognosis and insisted he will be ready for the AFC Championship game.
Initial X-rays were negative and Mahomes will have an MRI on Sunday for more information on the extent of the injury, per ESPN.
In the first quarter, the quarterback went down on a tackle and a defender’s leg fell on his right ankle, which twisted as he went down. Mahomes hobbled and hobbled to the touchline but stayed in the game for the time being, eventually getting an ankle tape.
Here’s a look at how the injury happened:
The ankle twist is evident in the replay when the Jaguars’ Travon Walker and Andre Cisco tackled the quarterback.
Mahomes eventually walked into the Chiefs’ locker room early in the second quarter, looking visibly upset at being taken out of the game. He was replaced by backup Chad Henne, the 37-year-old former Jaguar who hadn’t started a game in eight years. Henne took over from the 1-yard line and finished the drive with his first touchdown of the season.
Mahomes was the first Chiefs player to come out of the dressing room after halftime, and after a few warm-up throws, he returned to the first drive of the second half and never got out. At times it seemed like he was still limping.
Mahomes said he didn’t want to leave the game after the win.
“Yeah I didn’t want to go and they kind of gave me an ultimatum that I wouldn’t go back unless I went in there, so they’re trying to look after me, we have a lot of great people over here, but it It’s going to cost a lot to keep me out of a football game,” he said.
He also complimented Henne, saying: “Chad Henne, man, he was in the building every day. He made me a so much better quarterback in the way he teaches me and is just the most ready quarterback ever.” He added that his touchdown drive was the key factor in the game.
Holding up a cue ball, Travis Kelce said, “This ball goes to Chad Henne right here. Hen-thing is possible.”
Before retiring with injury, Mahomes was 12 of 15 for 84 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game 22:30 with 195 yards, two touchdowns, a 73.3 completion percentage and a 112.5 passer rating.