Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)
Wild Twitter conspiracy claims Arden Key injured Patrick Mahomes on purpose
Everything Patrick Mahomes said about ankle injury after Chiefs win
The NFL playoff bracket has one team locked into championship weekend after the Chiefs survived the Jaguars despite an injury to Patrick Mahomes.
It came with a major complication but the Chiefs are officially heading to their fifth AFC Championship Game in five years.
Kansas City overcome an ankle injury for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and held off the Jaguars in a 27-20 victory in the AFC Divisional Round.
Arden Key fell on Mahomes’ ankle late in the first quarter to change the complexion of the game but in the end, the Chiefs were too much for Jacksonville. Backup quarterback Chad Henne led a 98-yard touchdown drive before Mahomes returned in the second half to see out the win.
Here’s what the NFL playoff bracket looks like now.
Updated NFL Playoff bracket after Chiefs survive Mahomes injury, top Jags
Divisional Round
AFC No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs 27, No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars 20NFC No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 6 New York GiantsAFC No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Cincinnati BengalsNFC No. 2 San Francisco 49ers vs. No. 5 Dallas Cowboys
Conference Championships
AFC Championship Game:NFC Championship Game:Eagles/Giants vs. 49ers/Cowboys
The Chiefs will have to wait until Sunday to find out who they will play in the AFC Championship Game. The Bills and Bengals face off on Sunday afternoon for the right to move on.
The outcome of that game will have huge implications for Arrowhead Stadium. A win for the Bengals would mean the Chiefs will be able to host the conference title game.
However, a Bills win would send Kansas City and Buffalo into a neutral site matchup in Atlanta. That’s because the NFL changed rules for home-field advantage and seeding after the Bills and Bengals had to cancel their regular season matchup following Damar Hamlin’s hospitalization.
Mahomes believes he’ll be available to play in that game whatever opponent is determined but there’s still a lot to sort out in the playoffs this year.
