The Kansas City Chiefs saw their season flash before their eyes when Patrick Mahomes got hurt early in Saturday's second-round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The star quarterback injured his ankle in the first quarter and begrudgingly went to the locker room. However, a clearly hampered Mahomes returned to finish a 27-20 victory.
Speaking to reporters after the game, via Arrowhead Pride's Pete Sweeney, head coach Andy Reid wasn't ready to consider Mahomes' status for the AFC Championship Game.
Mahomes hopped back onto the field after Arden Key landed on his right ankle, but the team later removed him to undergo evaluation. The 27-year-old pleaded his case on the sideline before slamming down his helmet in frustration.
"It was hard getting him out of the game, first of all," Reid recalled. "He wanted to fight, and so we got him out, went to the X-ray, got an X-ray, looked at, taped. He came back, and he said he felt good enough to be protected where he's not going to get hurt. That's obviously the primary thing."
A visibly hindered Mahomes finished with 195 passing yards and two touchdowns on 30 throws. He struggled to move around the pocket after the injury, and Kansas City shifted to a more conservative offense in the second half.