The life of a backup quarterback in the NFL, at times, often goes unappreciated due to the lack of playing time. The starter is the expected star of the group, but when they are hurt or unavailable, the second-string signal caller is evaluated immediately to prove their worth.
The Kansas City Chiefs have had the fortune of having a reliable backup in veteran Chad Henne since 2018. The 15-year professional made his presence felt again in divisional-round action with his impressive stint on Saturday in relief of a hobbled Patrick Mahomes. Henne’s second-quarter appearance, leading a 98-yard touchdown drive, injected new life into the team while Mahomes was receiving treatment on the sideline and in the locker room.
The former Michigan Wolverines standout spoke to reporters about his mental preparation during the week without first-team reps and mindset after Mahomes was injured.
“Yeah, I mean, mental reps are big,” said Henne. “I mean, Shane (Buechele) and I and Chris (Oladokun) are always in the back. When Patrick (Mahomes) is up there on offense, we’re in the back doing the drops, doing our run reads as well. So we’re always in the back doing mental reps. But at the same time, after practice, we get with a couple of receivers, and we throw with them, not that they’re the starters. But we kind of get those reps that Patrick got in practice that will get after practice.”
Henne’s touchdown pass to Travis Kelce was his first score in postseason play for his career. He preached about being ready to go in the game while Mahomes’ status was uncertain on the sidelines.
“Yeah, I mean, it was going back and forth, obviously, whether he’s going to play or not,” said Henne. “And obviously, Patrick wanted to play, and coach Reid just wanted to just get it checked out just to make sure it wasn’t, you know, anything really severe. But the competitor that Patrick is, he keeps fighting. So I just knew at that point in time, I just need to be ready. I need to warm up, and if they’re going with me, I’m ready, and if not, Patrick’s in.”
The brilliant performance in the 2020 divisional round victory over the Cleveland Browns may have matched Saturday’s masterpiece. The Henne chants from the crowd were warranted, as the Chiefs Kingdom continues to be grateful for their veteran backup quarterback.
