KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes was battered and bruised, barely able to put weight on his right ankle amid drizzly and at times snowy conditions over the final two quarters of Saturday’s NFL divisional round playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But even a limited Mahomes made sure the Chiefs wouldn’t lose, hitting the plays he needed in guiding his team to a 27-20 victory.
The Chiefs’ All-Pro quarterback iced the game midway through the fourth quarter with a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Mahomes suffered a right-ankle injury in the first quarter and gave way to Chad Henne in the second quarter. Mahomes then re-entered the game with his ankle heavily taped, leading the Chiefs to a field goal late in the third quarter.
Mahomes completed 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Henne, during his mid-game relief stint, completed 5 of 7 passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.
With the offense sputtering in the second half, the Chiefs needed their defense to step up. It did, holding the Jaguars to 349 yards of total offense. KC’s pass defense in particular limited quarterback Trevor Lawrence to 217 yards passing with one touchdown and an interception.
The Chiefs’ defense also accounted for two turnovers in the final period. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed forced a fumble, which linebacker Nick Bolton recovered, and rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson picked off Lawrence.
The Chiefs’ defense perhaps set the tone early, forcing the Jaguars into a three-and-out on Jacksonville’s first possession.
Chiefs offense proved efficient on their first possession, with Mahomes completing 6 of 8 passes for 57 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce. The Chiefs mixed it up well during the 12-play, 83-yard scoring drive with four runs. Kelce was heavily involved in the passing game on the drive, hauling in four passes for 35 yards on five targets.
Kelce finished the game with 14 catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 17 targets.
The Jaguars responded on the ensuing kickoff, as wide receiver Jamal Agnew took it 63 yards to the Chiefs’ 39-yard line. The Jaguars’ offense took advantage of the short field and used five plays to get in the end zone. The short drive was highlight by running back Travis Etienne’s 19-yard run, and Lawrence’s 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Kirk, who was covered by rookie defensive end George Karlaftis.
Disaster struck on the Chiefs’ second possession.
Mahomes suffered the right ankle injury after getting sandwiched between two Jaguars defenders after throwing a pass. He was clearly hurt, limping after very play, before using the break at the end of the first quarter getting his right ankle taped before rejoining teammates on the field to start the second period. The Chiefs settled for a 50-yard field goal from Harrison Butker to take a 10-7 lead.
Mahomes eventually went to the locker room early in the second quarter, and Henne entered the game on the Chiefs’ third offensive possession, which started at their own 2-yard line.
Long distance proved no problem for Henne, who led the Chiefs on a 98-yard drive to paydirt. Henne completed 5 of 7 passes for 23 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 1-yard strike to Kelce, who finished the game with 14 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
Rookie Isiah Pacheco put the Chiefs in business on the drive inside the Jaguars’ 5-yard line after a 39-yard run. The Chiefs pushed their lead to 17-7 after the drive, but the Jaguars responded.
Lawrence led his offense on an 11-play, 52-yard drive to get in field goal range with less than 30 seconds remaining before halftime. Kicker Riley Patterson completed the drive with a 41-yard field goal and the Chiefs entered halftime with a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs extended their lead to 20-10 late in the third quarter on another Butker 50-yard field goal.
After the Jaguars cut it to 20-17 on Travis Etienne’s 4-yard touchdown run, Mahomes marched the Chiefs down the field with a 10-play, 70-yard drive, which he capped off with the 6-yard touchdown toss to Valdes-Scantling to close out the Chiefs’ scoring in the game.
Saturday’s win secured the Chiefs a spot in the AFC Championship Game for a fifth straight season.
Here’s what else stood out Saturday:
No problem with kicking game
Butker had his share of issues during the regular season, missing a career-high six field goals and misfiring on three extra points.
Concerns for the postseason, however, should be alleviated after Butker’s performance against the Jaguars.
The Chiefs’ kicker drilled two field goals from 50 yards in slick, rainy conditions, and converted all three extra-point attempts.
Where are the other receivers?
The Chiefs became a one-dimensional passing attack with Kelce commanding a team-high 17 targets.
The rest of the receiving group? Eight players combined for 18 targets.
Kelce made the most of the targets, totaling 98 yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney was the next leading receiver with five catches for 36 yards.
Longevity pays off
Kelce and long snapper James Winchester each appeared in their 16th career postseason game, establishing a new team record for most playoff games played.
Both are also the most tenured players on the Chiefs’ current roster.
Injuries
Outside of Mahomes’ right ankle injury, the other notable injury occurred late in the fourth quarter with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
After forcing a fumble to turn back a Jaguars’ drive, Sneed was on the field for a few minutes receiving attention from the Chiefs’ medical staff. He then walked to the sideline under his own power.
Not suited up
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman (pelvis), quarterback Shane Buechele, defensive lineman Malik Herring, center Austin Reiter, rookie offensive lineman Darin Kinnard, defensive end Joshua Kaindoh, wide receiver Marcus Kemp.
Up next
The Chiefs await the winner of the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game, which kicks off Sunday afternoon.
If the Bills in, the AFC Championship Game will be played Sunday, Jan. 29, in Atlanta. If the Bengals emerge victorious, the Chiefs will host the Bengals on Jan. 29, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
