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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On his way out of the ceremonial locker room, Patrick Mahomes slipped on a pair of gold sneakers, pocketed his Invisalign and slung a black backpack over one shoulder. He walked, not limping much, into a gloomy hallway where his wife, Brittany, stood out in the small crowd by wearing a long, pale yellow coat.
Mahomes snapped Sterling, their 1-year-old daughter. “Give me a kiss?” he said, and when she did, he grinned.
An older man approached and told the quarterback he was playing a great game. “Nice to meet you!” exclaimed Mahomes. “I’ve heard a lot of stories.” He hugged a woman who said she was someone’s mother and ushered in a teenager who seemed too shy to ask for a photo.
“Are you okay?” The kid asked the quarterback, who sustained a right ankle injury, to put on an MVP-worthy performance in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
Mahomes nodded; X-rays were negative. Mahomes told reporters he expects to be “ready” for the AFC Championship game next week, but during his press conference, coach Andy Reid was more measured, saying it had been difficult to reinstate Mahomes given the severity of the game’s injury. Reid appeared optimistic that Mahomes would play Cincinnati (in Kansas City) or Buffalo (in Atlanta) but refused to commit to starting him. Backup Chad Henne played well with Mahomes, who was briefly sidelined, and led a 12-play, 98-yard touchdown drive.
Amid the jubilation Saturday night as Mahomes helped Kansas City to their fifth straight AFC championship game, there was also trepidation. Mahomes on an ankle was good enough to beat upstart Jaguars with rising quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But would he be just as capable next week against a more established rival – the Bengals’ Joe Burrow or the Bills’ Josh Allen?
“Luckily we were there for Saturday afternoon’s game,” said Mahomes. “I’ll have half a day extra to rest the ankle.”
“We know that if Pat has his way, he’s going to be there,” said tight end Travis Kelce, who had 14 catches, 98 yards and two touchdowns. He praised Henne’s preparation and steadfastness. “Throughout all of this, Chad was nothing but the best he could be.”
Before the injury, Mahomes was an old-timer. He was methodical, throwing quick throws at the Jaguars’ defenses — until, at a second and five, he buzzed two defenders with a sidearm toss for a 13-yard completion. “Oooh!” the crowd cooed, never seeming to tire of his magic.
But on the Chiefs’ second drive, when Mahomes kicked the pocket, Jaguars linebacker Arden Key lunged at Mahomes’ torso. Key didn’t wrap his arms around Mahomes, so Key slid down and most of his 240 pounds landed on Mahome’s right ankle, which flipped backwards. The quarterback screamed.
The Chiefs took a break. Mahomes ran to the bench, and a trainer quickly and heavily wrapped duct tape around his right ankle. On the next play, Reid called a handoff to running back Jerick McKinnon, but even as he just jogged out the exchange, Mahomes looked hobbled. On the next three games, Reid managed the injury — another run, two quick throws — but on the third and third times he called a dropback pass. The top of the bag ruptured, creating a hole through which Mahomes would normally shoot for a first down, but this time he was too slow to take off.
Near the line of scrimmage, Mahomes saw a defender approach and tried to throw the ball away, but it slipped out of his hand and landed a few yards away – and on a very short list of things Mahomes would do on a football field did seemed unsportsmanlike. Kansas City settled for a field goal and a 10-7 lead.
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Reid Mahomes approached on the sidelines. The quarterback urged his coach not to knock him out. The coach told his quarterback he wouldn’t put him back in until the x-rays were negative. Mahomes removed his heavy jacket and slammed it on the sidelines before rushing to the dressing room.
In his place, Reid sent in Henne. The reinforcements had come through for the Chiefs in crucial playoff moments before, but he immediately faced a challenge. The Jaguars had the Chiefs pinned at the 2-yard line.
Jacksonville blitzed Henne twice on his first five passes, seemingly hoping to shake him. But the 37-year-old made calm, quick decisions, blasting several short passes to Kelce. Mahomes stood on the sidelines in his helmet and jacket as the Chiefs pushed into the end zone, topped by a one-yard Kelce grab, and put them 17-7 ahead.
After halftime, Mahomes warmed up briefly and faced center Creed Humphrey. Mahomes told coaches he would change his footwork on some games that start under center to ease the stress on his ankle. Instead of falling away from Humphrey by twisting around his right ankle, he would mostly do it with his left.
After a touchback, Mahomes ran back into the Chiefs’ lead as the fans roared. But Mahomes flapped his arms down for calm.
From the first game, another run, it was clear Mahomes wasn’t right. Still, he struggled on the third and one for a four-yard gain.
“He kind of told me he was fine,” Reid said.
The offense stuttered, however, punting twice and kicking a field goal for a 20-10 lead.
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Jacksonville failed to capitalize. Coach Doug Pederson had a conservative game plan, including a big dose of first-down runs and swing passes. Lawrence had thrown a dime about 50 yards in the air, but his star-shaped receiver, Christian Kirk, dropped it. In the third quarter, beyond the bomb, Lawrence’s average aiming depth was only 2.91 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Pederson became more aggressive and Lawrence delivered. The Jaguars reduced their lead to 20-17 on Travis Etienne’s four-yard touchdown run with 11:49 left.
Kansas City, the NFL’s closest thing to a dynasty, seemed in jeopardy. Mahomes was tied and the Jaguars looked set for another miraculous comeback.
But the next time he had possession, Mahomes delivered one of the most beautiful drives of his career. Reid trusted him, calling passes five of the first six games, and Mahomes sliced through the Jaguars with short, sharp slashes. He threw an arrow across the left touchline 16 yards to JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“Obviously I missed some shots that I think I could have made had I been in right footed position,” Mahomes said with a grin. “But fortunately I’m not always in the right foot position, so I can still make such throws.”
After three straight carries, Mahomes blasted a six-yard point to give Marquez Valdes-Scantling a 27-17 lead.
It was one of the most impressive rides in Mahome’s celebrated career. It put the game far enough away that it proved insufficient when the Jaguars recovered late. It showed his toughness and skill, even on an ankle: After the injury, Mahomes completed 12 of 18 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.
As Mahomes ran back to the bench at the stadium, the crowd chanted along with the Beastie Boys, “You gotta fight! For your right! On parrrrrrr-ty!”
The words sounded truer than they had in the whole season.