CNN —
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 on Saturday to advance to the AFC championship game, but there are now concerns over Patrick Mahomes’ fitness.
The Chiefs’ star quarterback was brought down by Jaguars’ Arden Key and Corey Peters in the first quarter, and replays showed Mahomes’ ankle was awkwardly pinched under Key as both men fell to the ground.
Mahomes immediately grabbed his right ankle and was seen limping to the touchline to speak to his team’s coaches before limping back onto the field.
“Obviously I’m on a lot of adrenaline right now, so we’ll see how it feels,” Mahomes told reporters.
“But I will jump right into treatment tonight and try to do everything I can to be as close to 100 per cent as possible by next week.
“Luckily we played the early game on Saturday so we get almost half a day extra where I can rest that ankle.”
Despite his injury, the 27-year-old stayed in the game for the rest of the first quarter but he was clearly unwell.
In the second quarter, Mahomes appeared to get into a heated argument with head coach Andy Reid with his ankle taped and threw away his jacket as he headed to the dressing room for evaluation.
Chad Henne took over at quarterback and led the Chiefs to a touchdown to take a 17-7 lead.
Though the team listed him as questionable for a return, Mahomes came back in the second half and led the team to victory, ending the night with 195 passing yards and two touchdowns.
“I didn’t want to go for an x-ray or whatever. I just wanted to keep playing,” Mahomes added, explaining his argument with Reid.
“I told them I was going to do it at half-time but the manager, in my best interests, made me go back there and get the X-ray before I got back into the game.
“For a while I thought I could play it through but he said he wasn’t going to put me back in so I might as well have the x-ray done and if it’s negative or whatever I’ll put you back in.
“I ran back there, got the x-ray and was able to play and finish the game.”
The Chiefs have now reached the AFC Championship game for the fifth straight year, but there are now doubts about Mahome’s ability to play on Jan. 29.
Their opponent will be either the Cincinnati Bengals or the Buffalo Bills, with both teams playing later on Sunday.
“He’s a tough kid. He wanted to be in it,” Reid told reporters when asked about Mahomes, not committing to playing him next Sunday.
“He wanted to compete and that’s a tribute to him and his competitiveness.
“However, you have to make sure he’s okay, physically fine, where he can protect himself and if he can’t he can’t play.
“You have to go to the next man. He’s a tough nut to crack and if I tell you he’s competitive, he’s very, very competitive.”
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants 38-7 to earn the team’s eighth NFC Championship game in franchise history and first since 2018.
The Eagles came out of the gates strong and finished even stronger.
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns while also adding a rushing touchdown. Eagles running backs Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell rushed for 202 yards together.
The Eagles will face either the Dallas Cowboys or the San Francisco 49ers on January 29 for a spot in the February 12 Super Bowl Finals.