It felt like the AFC Championship between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills came down to a failed attempt to convert fourth down by Buffalo — but that did not clinch the game.
In fact, the Chiefs’ offense had work to do afterward, even after earning one first down on the ground. The Bills worked the Chiefs to third down with 1:35 on the game clock. Kansas City needed nine yards to officially seal the 32-29 victory.
Head coach Andy Reid knew exactly which play to call, and so did quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs don’t flinch in these spots because the preparation has been done for every situation possible.
“We go through and we look at this before the game,” Reid explained to reporters during a Zoom call on Monday. “If it comes down to a third down or a fourth down, the game’s on the line, we talk to the quarterbacks about it, the coaches talk about it. That was kind of our number-one option there as a go-to play for this game.”
The #Chiefs’ 3rd & 9 clincher
KC presents a 4×1 set initially, then motions across to create trips with the RB staying at QB’s right
That sets up Perine to leak across the formation and under the trips wideouts, all sprinting inside and getting in 43’s way pic.twitter.com/S5cqwU8zbN
— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) January 27, 2025
The play calls for running back Samaje Perine to work across the formation at the snap, leaking through the offensive line into the opposite flat. At the same time, the three receivers to the side Perine is heading are running inside, leaving a void and getting in the way of the linebacker covering Perine.
The call was successful because Buffalo was in man coverage, something Reid said was critical to the result.
“It was just a matter of hoping that they would be in the right coverage for that play,” Reid noted. “So it worked out okay that way.”
“(Offensive coordinator) [Matt Nagy] spends endless time going through all that with the guys,” Reid continued. “You start on Tuesdays, you kind of refine it down until you get to the game. We just brought the guys over, calmed the storm just a little bit, then talked to them about making sure everybody was right on their assignments.”
The 28th first down of the game tied the season-high mark for the Chiefs’ offense during the 2024 season. It was also the Chiefs’ first scoring output of more than 30 points since Week 12 of the 2023 season.
“It was a good day to get over 30,” Reid smiled. “There was no better time than against that team because they have an explosive offense.”
The Chiefs’ burst of points was necessary to hold Buffalo off, and there is no coincidence in quarterback Patrick Mahomes having arguably his best game of the season.
“In certain situations, you have to cut it loose a little bit,” Reid pointed out. “We’re at that point where guys are back healthy, and they’ve been able to practice fast with Pat, then you cut it loose a little bit.”
The offense certainly cut loose, and so did Perine on that final play. If it wasn’t clear before, the Chiefs are always saving their best for when it’s most needed.
