Who is Chad Henne, the Chiefs backup quarterback who replaced Patrick Mahomes?
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes briefly exited the Divisional playoff game against the Jaguars on Saturday, and Chad Henne filled in nicely while he was out.
Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is irreplaceable of course. But…not literally. Unfortunately, sometimes replacements must be made when players are injured and that’s what happened to Mahomes on Saturday when he hurt his ankle during the Divisional playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mahomes was tackled with his right ankle pinned down at an odd angle in the first quarter of the game, but he refused medical attention, insisting he was fine and continuing to play. When he finally came off the field for an assessment and was ruled Questionable, he was replaced by backup quarterback Chad Henne.
Who is Chad Henne?
But, who is this guy who took over for Mahomes on Saturday? Henne is 37 years old and in his fifth season as Mahomes’ backup quarterback. Since he signed with the Chiefs in 2018, Henne has played in 10 games and started one in 2020.
In that same season, Henne came in for Mahomes in the Divisional Game, much like he did today. Mahomes was taken out of the game against the Browns with a concussion and Henne came in to save the day. He was six of 8 for 66 yards and an interception, but also one critical fourth-down conversion that led the Chiefs to victory.
This time, Henne came in for Mahomes and led the Chiefs on a scoring drive, throwing his first touchdown in the post season. It was a short toss to Travis Kelce to extend the lead 17-7.
Will Mahomes or Henne play in the AFC Conference Champions game?
The Chiefs defeated the Jaguars despite Mahomes’ injury. He came back into the game in the 3rd quarter and, though clearly hurt, was determined to win. Mahomes finished the game, beat the Jaguars, and the Chiefs will now face the winner of the Bills vs Bengals game, which will take place tomorrow (Sunday). But which quarterback will start?
If Mahomes has it his way, he will play. He confirmed the negative x-rays, saying nothing had been diagnosed as of yet, but that he will be good to go. It’s not likely we will know anything official at least for a few days. The Chiefs will have to release an injury report by Wednesday. Of course, coach Andy Reid will have things to say about all this before Wednesday, but until then, we can keep an ye on how much he practices this week and try to make guesses from there. Even if he doesn’t practice though, he is not likely to miss the AFC Conference final.