Here’s Steve Spagnuolo’s favorite detail from blitz that sent Chiefs to Super Bowl
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo circled the locker room to hug his defensive players before stopping to look up with a final question.
“Is Chris here?”
Yes, Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones was there, taking a few steps to embrace Spagnuolo after KC’s 32-29 home victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
Spagnuolo put his forehead against Jones’ a few seconds later as he shared a final message.
“We got one more,” Jones said in response.
The only one left now is Super Bowl LIX, where the Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles for a chance at an NFL three-peat.
And it might not have been possible if not for Spagnuolo’s gutsy late blitz call Sunday that forced an incompletion — with his players executing just as he hoped they would.
This time, it was a fourth-and-5 for the Bills at their own 47. Two-minute warning. Chiefs leading 32-29 while needing a stop to help secure the game.
Keep this in mind, too: Bills quarterback Josh Allen entered the game as one of the NFL’s top QBs against aggressive defenses, ranking second in the all-encompassing DVOA measure when under pressure and ninth when blitzed.
Spagnuolo says the biggest thing in this moment is that he trusts his guys to go out and execute whatever call he makes.
But there’s another detail you should also know: The cornerback blitz he dialed up here doesn’t have a designated rusher. Instead, that person changes based on how the Bills line up.
On this instance, though?
“I’m glad it was Trent,” Spagnuolo told The Star with a smile.
Yes, cornerback Trent McDuffie — historically an excellent pass-rusher from the outside, and one who helped save the Chiefs in last year’s Super Bowl with a well-timed rush — got the green light to attack Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Or, perhaps, he made that decision on his own.
In front of his locker, McDuffie said when he first heard Spagnuolo’s play call during the two-minute warning timeout, he hoped he would be the cornerback coming off the edge to rush. He had a different thought, however, once he got on the field:
“I’m going.”
So McDuffie says he decided to put himself in the spot on the field where he would be the free cornerback blitzer. He wanted this responsibility in his own hands.
The next few seconds happened in a blur.
McDuffie said he usually tries to get a read when preparing for his takeoff. Who’s on his side of the offensive line? And whom might he have to get around to pressure the QB?
As he scanned, there were no running backs that could potentially block. And McDuffie could see Allen’s eyes widen just before the snap when he sensed pressure might be coming.
“Then I saw J-Reid just flash,” McDuffie said.
That would be safety Justin Reid, who also flew through the line of scrimmage unimpeded next to McDuffie. Defensive end George Karlaftis won his matchup around the edge too, making contact with Allen just as he released a deep pass.
The ball fluttered in the air deep downfield toward Buffalo tight end Dalton Kincaid, who had the ball bounce off his hands as he tried to adjust back to it.
“That receiver was right there. My heart dropped for a second,” said Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks, who was one of the closest defenders to Kincaid at the end. “Then I saw it pop out. Wonderful feeling.”
While watching a video replay of the blitz at his locker, McDuffie broke it down further. He noted Buffalo had gone to a “mesh” crossing route with an over route for Kincaid — something McDuffie said he’d seen often this week on film. Meanwhile, the Bills had shifted their offensive line protection toward the All-Pro Jones, which allowed the space for him and Reid to run free.
“Spags, I’m telling you,” McDuffie said while shaking his head.
That was the overwhelming sentiment in the Chiefs locker room for the all-out defensive play call that helped the team get two unblocked rushers chasing Allen.
“Big risks are big rewards,” Hicks said.
“Like our players, I trust in Spags,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said.
“It’s part of why he’s the greatest defensive coordinator ever,” Karlaftis said. “He knows what to call, when to call it.”
Spagnuolo succeeded Sunday in getting to the normally unflappable Allen. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Allen completed only 5 of 14 passes for 66 yards when under pressure; he also was pressured on a season-high 46% of his dropbacks.
That final stop was the most critical — and all the Chiefs offense needed to end it. KC picked up two first downs after that, running out the clock to clinch its third straight Super Bowl appearance.
It meant celebratory hugs from Spagnuolo in the locker room an hour later, from cornerback Jaylen Watson to defensive end Charles Omenihu and then to defensive tackle Mike Pennel.
A defensive coordinator sharing appreciation for guys who’d ended things as he’d hoped.
With those players, in turn, giving the love right back.
“He,” McDuffie said, “is one of one.”
