Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are still rolling. The Chiefs are headed to the AFC Championship Game after a thrilling 27-20 win at Arrowhead Stadium Saturday night against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they did it despite Mahomes suffering an ankle injury right in the very first quarter of the contest.
Mahomes temporarily left the game after hurting his ankle in the opening period but returned just in time to further stabilize the Chiefs, who still found success with Chad Henne on the field.
Mahomes allayed fears about his status for the AFC Championship Game by expressing extreme confidence in his status for that contest.
“I’ll be ready to go,” Patrick Mahomes said to NBC just after he helped the Chiefs muster enough to take the Jaguars out of Super Bowl contention.
Mahomes completed 22 of his 30 throws against the Jaguars for 195 passing yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. While he was out, Henne engineered a fantastic drive that ended in a touchdown score for Kansas City, which is now just two wins away from winning its second Super Bowl win in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and running back Isiah Pacheco also contributed huge performances. Kelce was as dependable as ever, as he finished with 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches and 15 targets, while Pacheco racked up 95 receiving yards on 12 carries.
Patrick Mahomes will have several days to further heal from his injury before the Chiefs face the winner of the other AFC Divisional Round showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills.