If the Kansas City Chiefs are going to advance to the AFC Championship, they might have to get there without Patrick Mahomes.
The star quarterback suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter of the top-seeded Chiefs' divisional round matchup against the No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars. Backup quarterback Chad Henne, who played just 18 snaps during the regular season, took over and helped the Chiefs take a 17-10 lead into halftime.
Mahomes had helped the Chiefs open the scoring, connecting with Travis Kelce on four passes during Kansas City's 12-play opening drive, including an eight-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 7:56 remaining in the first quarter.
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Jamal Agnew returned the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to give the Jaguars possession at the Chiefs 39-yard line. Trevor Lawrence capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk to tie the score at 7-7.
Mahomes suffered an ankle injury on Kansas City's next drive after he was hit while releasing the ball by Arden Key, who landed on Mahomes right leg, causing it to bend awkwardly. Mahomes initially limped to the sideline before running back out onto the field for the next snap.
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Mahomes was examined by the medical staff after the first quarter and had his ankle retaped. He returned to finish the drive, which ended with a 50-yard field goal by Harrison Butker early in the second quarter for a 10-7 Chiefs lead.
Mahomes was seen shouting "I'm good!" to Andy Reid on the sidelines. He angrily threw his jacket to the ground before going back into the locker room.
Mahomes returned to the sidelines with around eight minutes remaining in the half and was ruled questionable to return
The 37-year-old Henne, former starting quarterback for the Jaguars and Miami Dolphins, took over on the next Chiefs drive, which began at their own two-yard line. He orchestrated a 12-play, 98-yard drive that was highlighted by a 39-yard run by Isiah Pacheco to bring the Chiefs to the Jags' four-yard line. Henne soon found Kelce for a one-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 17-7.
Jaguars kicker hit a Riley Patterson converted a 41-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining in the half to cut the Kansas City lead to 17-10.
Lawrence completed 10 of 15 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in the half. Kirk had five catches for 43 yards and a score. For the Chiefs, Kelce had 10 catches at the half for 55 yards and two touchdowns and Pacheco had seven carries for 78 yards.
The Chiefs are looking to advance to a fifth straight AFC Championship, having lost last season to the Cincinnati Bengals to deny their third straight Super Bowl appearance. If the Chiefs hold on to win and the Buffalo Bills defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the AFC Championship would be played at the neutral site of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. If the Bengals upset the Bills, it would set up a rematch of last year's AFC title game in Kansas City.
The Jaguars, which were founded in 1995, have reached the AFC Championship three times, most recently in 2017 against the New England Patriots. They are one of 12 teams to have never won a Super Bowl.
