Talk about a close call. During the reign of Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, rose from a tackle in the third quarter with a silenced gaze and an inability to maintain balance, every molecule of air left Arrowhead Stadium. The former league MVP was helped to the blue medical tent, then to the locker room, where he was ruled out and placed on concussion protocol, in which he remains this week. It went on to become The Chad Henne Show, which embarked on some rocky opening scenes before continuing to deliver a football crescendo in the closing moments of the AFC Divisional Round that no one will forget – let alone. the Cleveland Browns.
It was certainly an entertaining escape for Henne and the Chiefs, but there’s a good chance they’ll need the big guns in uniform for the AFC Championship game and potentially beyond. There is no bigger gun than Mahomes, but he isn’t the only key player who could help decide their fate.
So what will it take for the Chiefs to repeat themselves as champions?
The king’s return
Chad Henne did one thing, and it was wonderful.
That said, it’s also true that no matter what Henne did (and seriously, how crazy was that?), He’s not Mahomes. Head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy are attacking brains who might be able to fight their way to a second straight championship with Henne ready, but the key word here is ‘might’. Before setting the world on fire with a timely clutch play to shut down the Browns, he unleashed an interception in the end zone that kept them in a position to upset Kansas City at Arrowhead – a point that shouldn’t be easily. discarded. Mahomes is just a different type of human, assuming he is one, and having him on the court allows for the full playbook with the benefit of unpredictable improvisation.
Currently still in concussion protocol, Chiefs are optimistic about his status after further testing this week, and that’s a good sign. Until he is cleared, however, there is still a justified concern that he could miss the AFC title game, which would cast doubt on the Chiefs’ aspirations for another Lombardi. Could Bieniemy organize a dish that saw Henne overthrow both the High Power Bills and Aaron Rogers and the Packers or Tom Brady and the Buccaneers? I’m sure he would be up to the challenge, but I’m also sure he’d rather have Mahomes under center.
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“Tiger uppercut!”
Is it time for the former LSU star to return to the demolition shop?
The Chiefs hope so, because although they have seen substitute Darrel Williams playing solid football in the absence of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, no running back on the depths board is buttering bread as the first pick. rookie round. The same goes for All-Pro half-back Le’Veon Bell, who has recently been nothing more than an afterthought while Williams gets the brunt of the action by replacing Edwards-Helaire – who hasn’t. couldn’t come back against the Browns in the AFC Division. round. This marked the third straight game he missed due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints, despite the Chiefs having a first-round leave after the end of the regular season.
While Edwards-Helaire’s absence doesn’t cripple the top-flight Chiefs’ offense, his presence takes them above and makes them virtually unstoppable, while also helping Kansas City on additional fronts – that is, – say if Mahomes is allowed to play, he will continue to treat an injured toe that could impact his mobility and would require more use of the leaders’ running backs and, if not, they will need as much firepower behind quarterback Chad Henne as they can muster (to keep opposing defenses honest enough for him to operate).
Keep the pedal on the ground
Yes, the Browns are legitimate, but it looked like something was missing on Sunday for the Chiefs.
To me, that was their usual killer mentality, or Mamba Mentality – if you will – apparently allowing Cleveland to hang around in the first half when it really felt like the Chiefs could have blown the top of the game at all. moment. . That example never happened, so by the time they lost Mahomes in the third quarter, the Browns were already on the verge of delivering an upset, and the aforementioned interception by Henne only gave them much more momentum forward. as the save continues to save its own behind with some last-minute elite heroics. Usually, chefs look to snag 50 points on all comers, but a combination of mistakes and the decision to back down a bit – instead of unleashing the dogs regularly vs. Baker Mayfield – almost cost them a race to the Super Bowl LV.
If Mahomes and / or Edwards-Helaire are back, there will be no reason to revert to full throttle and that is the mentality they will need to have, given that the Bills are not flying into Arrowhead Stadium for have a civil discussion. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are looking to rack up points, a lot of them, and so will one of the NFC contenders. If the Chiefs are to hoist another Lombardi, they must return to the business of quick starts and explosive dominance for four quarters – not two – in all three phases, as they are one of the only teams in the league capable. to do.
