The Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to a fifth-straight AFC Championship thanks to their Divisional Round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It didn't come easy, however. The Jaguars fought back all game long and the Chiefs' star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, suffered what is believed to be a high-ankle sprain early in the first half.

X-Rays were negative, source said. That’s the good news. But it does appear to be a high-ankle sprain for Patrick Mahomes. https://t.co/nGJTkeg07h

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2023

Mahomes' injury occurred during the Chiefs' second drive of the game and he was able to lead the team to three points that extended the lead to 10-7, despite playing with the obvious pain.

Mahomes could barely execute a handoff at that point, so Andy Reid decided to swap the former NFL MVP with veteran quarterback Chad Henne. The same Chad Henne that stepped in when Mahomes got hurt against the Cleveland Browns during the 2020-2021 postseason and helped preserve the Chiefs' victory.

Henne has played just 18 snaps and has just two pass attempts in 2022, but he was able to come off the bench and help lead the Chiefs offense on a 12-play, 98-yard touchdown drive that extended the score to 17-7 with a little under 4:00 to play in the first half.

That drive allowed the Chiefs to settle down while they were trying to figure out both the Jaguars offense and what to do with Mahomes. Henne completed 5-of-7 passes for 26-yards on the drive, but he was responsible for converting a third down and throwing the touchdown that pushed the Chiefs' lead to 10 points.

But, most importantly, the drive chewed up over six minutes of game clock and 11 minutes of real time. Henne slowed things down for the Chiefs. He gave them the time needed to readjust and he even gave his squad a chance to catch their collective breaths after the Mahomes injury.

“That was a momentum switch in the game," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson told reporters after the game. "We had them at the two yard line and let them off the hook a little bit. Those are opportunities there where we need to be better. We need to play better and coach better in those situations to try to get off the field at some point. I credit them. They executed well and ended up with a touchdown.”

"When we saw Pat go out of the game, we thought it was a good opportunity to kind of take advantage of Henne," said Jaguars defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins. "He came in and was still able to operate and do some good stuff on offense."

Instead of panic, there was patience. And that drive is what keyed the Chiefs' win.

“I mean it’s special, man," Mahomes said after the game. "He’s [Henne's] in the playoffs. He doesn’t get any reps during the week and he prepares himself to be able to go in for stuff like that and you have a 98‐yard drive, backed up, playoff game against a great opponent and to be able to drive the ball down the field, make some big throws versus some pressure looks – I mean they brought some heat whenever he came into the game and he made some big throws and was able to get us into the end zone.

"… And that was a big point in the game because that gave me the ability to kind of come back and rest and wait till half time until we could kind of re‐tape and did everything we could to get me ready to go in the second half.”

Henne wasn't set up with the situation he was given during the matchup against the Browns a couple of years ago. But, it didn't matter: Henne was ready for the moment against the Jaguars just like he was then.

"I don’t know if it’s like riding a bike, but you’re always prepared and I think with this offense, obviously with all our weapons that we have, and staying prepared each and every moment, I think you just stay ready," Henne told reporters. "And when your number’s called, you just go in there and do what you did in practice and the meeting rooms and you just take it to the game.”

And, to make things even better, the team knew Henne was prepared.

"The team has so much belief in Chad [Henne]," said Mahomes. "He’s done it before, he’s won Divisional games by coming in and playing so they have so much belief in Chad. And you saw him (have) a 98‐yard drive. He ran the offense the way the offense is supposed to be ran, he threw it to the right guys and guys stepped up and made plays.

"That’s what a great team does, it’s not about one guy it’s about the whole team.”

"You have a veteran mind, a veteran QB, a guy you can bounce things off of," Travis Kelce told reporters. "… Chad’s been nothing but the best quarterback he can be throughout it all. And want I mean by that is every single day he’s preparing as if he’s the starting quarterback, as if he’s one snap away and sure enough, you saw that today.

"To be able to come into a hostile game, backed up on your two‐yard line and go 98 yards on your first drive, that just shows the type of competitor he is and how the guys rallied around him because of how much leadership he has.”

The play of Henne sent an immediate message to the Jaguars – a message that the Chiefs weren't going to back down, regardless of who was under center. And, the entire Chiefs team responded, which eventually led them to the 27-20 win.

“There was no doubt that he was going to come in and do that," said wide receiver Justin Watson. "We have all the confidence in the world in Chad.”

It's wild to think the game's biggest moment is one that featured Mahomes as a secondary/peripheral piece. But at the same time, it's a moment that is only going to bolster the Chiefs' confidence and give them even more faith that they have guys that can step up if things go completely wrong.

"We have the upmost confidence in Chad, we go against him in practice" said defensive lineman George Karlaftis. "He’s a great quarterback, so when you have two quarterbacks that get the job done that gives you a lot of confidence as a team and especially as a defense.”

Featured image via Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports