Chiefs’ blocking propelled them to offensive success against Buffalo

In the Kansas City Chiefs’ dramatic 32-29 AFC Championship win over the Buffalo Bills, multiple players and position groups made plays when the team needed them the most.

Among these units included the Chiefs offensive line, who plowed the way for running back Kareem Hunt and kept quarterback Patrick Mahomes on his feet. While the line did the majority of the blocking, the Chiefs special teams used a well-timed play of their own to set up Kansas City in a big spot.

With the game being so close, every play counted.

The run game

Kareem Hunt had a productive 17 carry 64-yard day, and he added another postseason touchdown to his resume. This touchdown for Hunt gave him seven through his career and put him in a multi-way tie for second on the active postseason rushing touchdown list— notably tied with Mahomes, Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, and Derrick Henry.

Using a variation of the full-house look, the Chiefs show a zone look in the backfield that quickly turns into a classic counter play. With the motion and movement, the Bills’ linebackers and secondary are out of position, setting Hunt up for a big gain.

The play starts with Joe Thuney creating solid movement off the snap with his down block on the 3-technique. With Trey Smith kicking out and Jawaan Taylor pulling through the hole, Hunt hits the hole hard and blasts through arm tackles on his way into the end zone.

The physical blocking from Smith and dominating run from Hunt set the tone for how the Chiefs offense wanted to play the rest of the game.

The Chiefs utilized more eye candy from motioning wide receivers to get the Bills linebackers where they wanted them to go, and it opened up more favorable angles for the run game to expose.

This time, Smith and Taylor have the big down blocks on the Y counter look while Mike Caliendo kicks out, and Travis Kelce leads the way. Hunt finds the crease, once more running through arm tackles and getting every extra yard he could find.

The numbers don’t look pretty in the box score, but the Chiefs moved the ball well on the ground when needed.

Pass protection

For the majority of the game, the Chiefs’ pass protection did a good job of keeping the rush off of Mahomes and giving him ample time to find his targets down the field.

The Bills tried everything in their repertoire to pressure Mahomes, but the offensive line handled all the line games and stunts well, leading to some big plays down the field for the Chiefs.

The Bills go with an end tackle stunt on both sides of the line, and the Chiefs do a fantastic job of picking it up. On the left side, Thuney passes the end down to Caliendo, then quickly transitions into blocking the defensive tackle who looped around.

On the opposite side, Smith and Taylor exchange the end and tackle in perfect harmony, giving Mahomes a nice window to complete a pass to Hollywood Brown.

The Chiefs’ crossing patterns and many of the concepts they used against the Bills required time in the pocket for Mahomes to hit his men downfield. The offensive line held off the Buffalo pass rush just long enough for Mahomes to hold on.

The Bills sent pressure during what would become their critical two-point conversion. The offensive line could hold up, and Hunt assisted them.

The Bills wanted to get the ball out of Mahomes’ hands quickly, so they sent pressure with seven to force a quick throw. Mahomes knows that Justin Watson is running a crossing pattern with a favorable matchup, but he needs time for Watson to get to his spot.

The Chiefs go with a slide left protection, and the interior three stonewall the Bills’ pass rush, while Thuney does a good job of running the edge rusher past Mahomes. On the opposite side, Taylor is alone, but he holds up just enough to stop the edge rusher. Hunt steps up and takes on the first blitzer and makes a tremendous effort to drive him away from Mahomes.

The seventh rusher comes on a delay, but by this time Watson has popped free and Mahomes throws a beautiful touch pass for the two.

Honorable mention

Andy Reid and Andy Heck would approve of the blocking on this play. Dave Toubs’s unit made some big plays during the game, but none larger than Nikko Remigio’s big punt return to give the Chiefs a short field.

Multiple Chiefs, including Chris Roland-Wallace and Chammari Conner, make key blocks in this play.

The pair takes a play out of Humphrey’s and Smith’s playbook as they mug up Mack Hollins and open up a whole side of the field for Remigio to operate.

Justin Watson’s impact on the box score wasn’t tremendous, but much like on his two-pointer conversion, he found a way to be a difference-maker.

Watson’s all-out effort across the field and subsequent block to free Remigio are fantastic examples of why his teammates and coaches hold him in such high regard. It wasn’t a glamour play for him, but it was exactly what was needed for the play to succeed.

The bottom line

The Chiefs could not only block anything the Bills threw their way but also make impact blocks when the game called on it. Big blocks in the run game, key pickups in pass protection, and effort plays on special teams look.

In many ways, these plays boil down to effort. They test which team wants it more, and the Chiefs made it clear they wanted it more than Buffalo.

In Super Bowl LIX, it will take this effort and then some.