The Kansas City Chiefs played one of their signature games, where they play to their opponents level. I mean, they do this all the time, and I think we can all agree that the Texans shouldn’t have ever been in that game.
Nevertheless, they won, and they won in walk-off fashion, something we have seen all too often. While it makes the ending more fun, the games shouldn’t have to come to that, but here we are.
It started with the forced fumble by Frank Clark, and the recovery by Willie Gay Jr. That would ultimately get the Chiefs the ball back after punting in overtime.
Then, the walk-off play happened by Jerick McKinnon, a guy who has been a safety blanket for the Chiefs this year.
“Obviously you always want to end the game with a touchdown,” Mahomes said. “Obviously we’re field goal range, so we’re going to protect it and play it a little bit safer.”
“They brought everybody up in the line of scrimmage to stop the run. The offensive line washed them down, and then Jet (RB Jerick McKinnon) hit the right spot and showed off his speed that he’s still got.”
“He’s getting a little old, but he got a little bit of speed left and got it in the end zone. It was just execution by everybody. Everybody did their job. When we do that, we’re hard to stop. We’ve just got to do that for an entire game.”
Mahomes’ playful jab aside, everyone saw McKinnon’s speed on that final play. McKinnon has been the best back on the year for the Chiefs; his pass catching ability is what sets him apart from the other backs.
He’s also been able to run the ball in crucial situations and pass protect, fully rounding out his game.
McKinnon has four touchdowns in his last three games, and had at least 120 scrimmage yards the last two weeks. It appears as if he’s really rounding into form, which is a big deal for the Chiefs offense and the opposing 31 NFL defenses.
If McKinnon stays the course as a double-threat out of the backfield then the Chiefs offense will certainly take another step forward in terms of production.
Having a player at that position with McKinnon’s skillset allows the Chiefs to be as multiple as ever in terms of offensive looks and play-calling.
And, McKinnon’s development creates a helluva two-headed monster with Isiah Pacheco, which is exactly what you need as the December days continue to pass.
