Patrick Mahomes leaves with an injury, Browns LB Mack Wilson defends himself against criticism of hit

The Kansas City Chiefs had their worst fears materialize in the third quarter of Sunday’s playoff game against the Cleveland Browns.

Patrick Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, was very slow to get up after being tackled on an option run on third-and-1. He was unsteady and taken to the medical tent. Then Mahomes ran off to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. During the fourth quarter, the Chiefs announced Mahomes was out for the rest of the divisional-round game, which the Chiefs hung on to win, 22-17.

Chad Henne took over on the next play, and the Chiefs picked up a first down on a run. The Chiefs led 19-10 when Mahomes was hurt, but that wasn’t their biggest concern when Mahomes was leaving the field to get checked out.

Mahomes visited the blue tent with a toe injury in the first half. The injury in the second half looked worse.

Mahomes ran to his right on an option play and was dragged down by linebacker Mack Wilson. The QB stayed down for a few moments and then his legs were wobbly as he got up. He needed help from his teammates to stand up.

Wilson felt the need to defend himself after the game, saying it was not a dirty hit.

Mahomes didn’t seem upset by the hit.

The Chiefs nearly lost Mahomes to a bad knee injury on a designed run last season. He suffered a dislocated kneecap on a quarterback sneak against the Denver Broncos, but the injury wasn’t as serious as feared. He returned later that season and led Kansas City to a championship. It seemed like the Chiefs wouldn’t want to put their superstar quarterback in harm’s way too often after that, but Mahomes is a great athlete and his running ability is part of what makes him special.

On Sunday, it led to the Chiefs calling for him to run on third-and-short, and a big hit that left everyone wondering if Mahomes would return to the game. Then when Mahomes was ruled out, the thoughts turned to how much time the NFL’s brightest star might miss.

Mahomes tweeted postgame, giving a nod to his backup’s heroics in the fourth quarter.

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