Raise your hand if you had Chad Henne as the hero for the Kansas City Chiefs before the game against the Cleveland Browns took place on Sunday. As unlikely as it might sound, that’s exactly what came to pass, with circumstances leading to the veteran QB coming into as a ‘closer’ of sorts. The Chiefs, the top seed in the AFC, had looked like they were going to handle the Browns comfortably, leading 19-3 at half time.
Patrick Mahomes, who would suffer a concussion that eventually led to the call to the pen for Henne, had a rushing TD and a passing one in the first half, helping them take the edge into the break. But the second half got interesting, with the Browns scoring a touchdown in both quarters on either side of a field goal from the Chiefs. That, though, wasn’t quite enough as Henne had a big run on a third-and-14 and then a big completion on fourth down to seal the game and send the Chiefs to their second consecutive AFC Championship Game via a 22-17 victory. They will host the Buffalo Bills next week, and they will cross their fingers that Mahomes, and not their hero Henne, will be able to line up under center from the start.
