Arrowhead Pride
Steve Spagnuolo’s unit made critical stops in the game's most significant moments.
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to win the AFC Championship game on Sunday night. The game was full of drama from start to finish, and many plays likely led to the game's slim three-point margin.
The Chiefs' defense didn’t play perfectly, but they stood tall in the game's most dramatic moments.
With fourth-down stops, tremendous grit against two-point conversions and relentless effort throughout the game, the defense got off the field when necessary and cemented its role in an unprecedented third trip to the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs managed to the Bills on not one but two two-point conversion attempts during the game. Given the slim three-point victory, Buffalo made all the difference in the end with these four points left on the field.
In an ironic twist, the Bills' first two-point attempt came only after an offside penalty by the Chiefs led to Buffalo not taking the Tyler Bass extra point — and so it instead electing to go for two.
Trying to take the lead from a 21-17 score, Buffalo wanted to make it a field goal’s difference and move it to a 21-18 score. Lined up at the 1-yard line, Buffalo came out in a heavy look and attempted to run their variation of the “push.”
Buffalo comes out in an overloaded look, with a running back directly behind Allen, tipping off the Chiefs. Loaded at the line of scrimmage with bodies, defensive linemen Mike Pennel and Chris Jones pack the A-gaps, with George Karlaftis and Mike Danna on each side of them. Linebacker Nick Bolton lines up directly over the ball, and the rest of the linebackers and secondary players fill in each gap accordingly.
Allen takes the snap and runs to the left, away from the bulk of the Chiefs' best run stuffers. Safety Justin Reid and linebacker Drue Tranquill are lined up on the side that Allen goes to, and both players go low and look to start the pile while Danna goes low and attempts to wrap up Allen’s legs.
The Chiefs stop the initial surge of blockers and Allen’s feet by going low. Safety Jaden Hicks and Bolton get to Allen first, while Pennel had crashed through and wraps up Allen from the backside.
Somehow, Allen manages to get the ball out of his hands and lateral it to wide receiver Curtis Samuel, but cornerback Jaylen Watson makes a great heads-up play to see the lateral and take down Samuel.
This stand was great and wound up being a foreshadowing for things to come.
On Buffalo’s next two-point conversion attempt, they went with a different approach, lining up Allen in an empty shotgun look and looking to throw the ball in.
On the snap, the Chiefs' defensive ends calmly rush up the field, but they do so in a manner that contains Allen, not create immense pressure on him. Along the...
