Chad Henne was thrust into a difficult position. When Patrick Mahomes left Saturday's AFC divisional round contest against the Jaguars with an ankle injury, the Chiefs were forced to turn to their backup quarterback.
Henne responded well. The 37-year-old led the Chiefs on a 98-yard scoring drive to extend their lead to 17-7 with 3:54 left in the second quarter. Mahomes returned to the game to start the second half.
Henne has been a starter in the NFL. Between 2009 and 2014, he started 53 games for the Dolphins and Jaguars, but those teams never reached the postseason. Yet Henne does have history in the playoffs; in fact, the circumstances were similar to Saturday's appearance.
How has Henne performed when thrown into the fire? Here's a look back at his lone NFL playoff appearance:
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Chad Henne playoff historyMahomes and the Chiefs had been cooking against the Browns in the 2021 AFC divisional round. Early in the third quarter, Mahomes had completed 21 of 30 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown while rushing three times for 14 yards and a score to stake Kansas City to a 19-10 lead.
But during a third-quarter scramble, Mahomes was hit by Browns linebacker Mack Wilson and got up a bit shaky. He left with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter and was later ruled out of the game with a concussion. The Chiefs brought in Henne.
Henne was not called on much at first. He handed the ball off on his first three plays before attempting two passes, with one completion for 5 yards. The Chiefs settled for a field goal on the drive to extend their lead to 22-10.
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With Mahomes out, the Browns appeared to have new life. On the next drive, Cleveland marched down the field to score a touchdown on a 3-yard run by Kareem Hunt. That made it a 22-17 game with 11:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Henne's next drive didn't go so well. Though he had completions of 23 and 24 yards, the backup also attempted a deep shot into the end zone that was nowhere close to his intended target. Browns safety Karl Joseph camped under the ball and caught it for an easy interception and a touchback.
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) January 17, 2021The Browns weren't able to take advantage of the pick. Baker Mayfield and company picked up only one first down and were ultimately forced to punt from their own 32 with 4:19 left.
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It looked as if Cleveland might have a chance to get the ball back. The Chiefs picked up a quick first down, but after a 2-yard run, Henne was sacked by Myles Garrett for a loss of 6 to set up a third-and-14. The next play, Henne was flushed out of the pocket and took off down the left sideline for a pickup of 13.
CHAD HENNE THE LEGENDpic.twitter.com/qCKvfRxirx
— ???????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????? (@sportingnews) January 17, 2021Rather than boot the ball away, the Chiefs decided to try to ice the game. The Browns were out of timeouts and Kansas City faced a fourth-and-1 from its 48. Rather than try for the QB sneak, Andy Reid put the ball in Henne's hands and let him throw a short pass to Tyreek Hill, who picked up 5 yards and the first down. All that was left was for Henne to kneel down on the final play and end the game.
Tony Romo lost his mind after Andy Reid called a pass on fourth and inches for the game.pic.twitter.com/SqMKtljts4
— ???????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????? (@sportingnews) January 17, 2021MORE: Henne's late-game heroics vs. Browns preserve Chiefs' season, inspire hashtag
The win advanced the No. 1-seeded Chiefs to the AFC championship, where they beat the Bills 38-24 behind Mahomes, who had returned from his concussion. The Chiefs would wind up losing that year's Super Bowl 31-9 to the Buccaneers.
