Chiefs Defenders Waited All Game for Blitz Call on Crucial Fourth Down

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up the perfect play late in the AFC title game.

Kansas City Chiefs defenders rush Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen late in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game. / Via CB

The Kansas City Chiefs knew the play call was coming before it was signaled from the sideline, and they were ready for it.

On the biggest play of the season, Kansas City's prepared to stop the Buffalo Bills on fourth-and-5 from the Bills' 47-yard line with two minutes remaining. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent in an audacious call, but his players were more than ready for it.

According to an article from The Athletic's Zak Keefer, more than one of the Chiefs knew Spagnuolo was going to want a blitz to put pressure on Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Defensive end George Karlaftis said, "I had an intuition, and I wasn't the only one."

The play sent cornerback Trent McDuffie racing off the corner on a blitz and within a second of the snap, two Chiefs defenders were in Allen's face. His only recourse was to throw the ball up for grabs, and Dalton Kincaid dropped the fluttering duck.

DALTON KINCAID ALMOST CAUGHT IT pic.twitter.com/eA1xOlzxnI

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 27, 2025

It was a perfect call at the perfect time from Spagnuolo.

The Chiefs got the ball back and killed the clock to escape with a 32-29 win. That may not have happened without Spagnuolo's call that his players knew

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