Regardless of sustaining a proper ankle damage within the AFC Divisional Spherical, hobbled quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the #1 Kansas Metropolis Chiefs to a 27-20 victory towards the #4 Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday. The Chiefs superior to the AFC Championship recreation for a fifth postseason in a row.
Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is hunched over in ache after struggling an ankle damage towards the Jacksonville Jaguars within the AFC Divisional Spherical at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas Metropolis. (Picture: AP)
On Sunday, the Chiefs revealed that Mahomes has a excessive ankle sprain damage after he underwent an MRI and different testing.
The Chiefs will meet the #3 Cincinnati Bengals within the AFC Championship, which is a rematch of final yr’s title recreation. This might be a revenge recreation for the Chiefs. They misplaced to the Bengals in additional time, 27-24, final yr.
On the opposite facet of the AFC Divisional Spherical bracket, the Bengals crushed the #2 Payments in a 27-10 street victory to safe back-to-back journeys to the AFC Championship.
The Chiefs opened as -2.5 betting favorites versus the Bengals when oddsmakers posted the opening line final night time. The road within the AFC Championship has since moved to -1 with early cash backing the Bengals to defeat the Chiefs once more.
On Sunday night, the Chiefs had been +250 odds favorites to win Tremendous Bowl LVII, and the Bengals had been +275 on DraftKings’ futures board. Nevertheless, as of Monday morning, the Chiefs are +260 odds, and the Bengals are +270 odds.
Mahomes Performs By Harm, Chad Henne Steps Up
The Chiefs and Jaguars traded touchdowns to start out the sport. With the rating tied at 7-7, Mahomes suffered an ankle damage late within the first quarter. Two defenders sandwiched Mahomes after he unleashed a move to tight finish Blake Bell. He fell to the turf in a clumsy method and stood up in apparent ache. Mahomes remained within the recreation, and the Chiefs added a area aim to take a 10-7 lead.
The Chiefs ordered Mahomes to the locker room for an X-ray. A peeved Mahomes slammed his helmet on the sidelines in frustration as he exited the sphere. Backup quarterback Chad Henne took over because the sign caller for the rest of the half for the Chiefs.
A calm and cool Henne accomplished 5-for-7 passes for 23 yards and a landing. He accomplished a 98-yard drive with a landing to tight finish Travis Kelce. That rating put the Chiefs up 17-7. The Jaguars added a area aim to chop the deficit to 17-10 heading into halftime.
The X-rays had been detrimental, and Mahomes returned to motion within the second half. Harrison Butker from the Chiefs drilled a six-yard area aim as the one rating from both workforce within the third quarter. The Chiefs led 20-10 in the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Jaguars working again Travis Etienne scored a landing to chop the result in 20-17. On the following possession, Mahomes attached with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a six-yard landing, which prolonged the Chiefs’ result in 27-17.
Regardless of a late-field aim from the Jaguars, the Chiefs held on for a 27-20 victory. Mahomes completed the sport with 195 passing yards and two touchdowns.
#PatickMahomes proper ankle
Eversion/excessive ankle sprain
Stays in recreation however positively hobbled pic.twitter.com/l9jB08N3N7
— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) January 21, 2023
Mahomes Had Comparable Harm in 2019
Most excessive ankle sprains might knock out a quarterback for 2 to a few weeks, however Mahomes stated he’ll solely want one week of relaxation and remedy.
“t feels higher than I assumed it was going to be,” Mahomes advised reporters after the sport. “Clearly, I’ve numerous adrenaline going proper now. So, we’ll see the way it feels. I’ll hop proper into remedy, and attempt to do no matter I can to be as near 100% by subsequent week. “
Mahomes doesn’t suppose the ankle damage will stop him from suiting up subsequent Sunday. He intends to start out within the AFC Championship recreation towards the Bengals.
“Fortunately for us, we performed the early recreation on Saturday, so we get an additional nearly half a day that I can let that ankle relaxation, ” added Mahomes.
Mahomes had the same damage within the opening recreation of the 2019 season, however he didn’t miss any time. Nevertheless, the excessive ankle sprain clearly restricted his mobility within the ensuing video games.
If the Chiefs defeat the Bengals on Sunday, then Mahomes may have 13 full days to relaxation earlier than the Tremendous Bowl.
“Let’s simply see the way it goes right here the following couple days,” stated head coach Andy Reid. “It’s going to be sore. He’s had this earlier than, and he was capable of preserve pushing by means of.”
For a fifth postseason in a row, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a berth within the AFC title recreation. In 4 earlier journeys, Mahomes and the Chiefs gained the AFC Championship twice and superior to Tremendous Bowl LIV and LV. The Chiefs gained Tremendous Bowl LIV, however had been the runner up in Tremendous Bowl LV.
