One play, two first NFL touchdowns — and a football split in half by the Chiefs
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Oladokun threw his first TD pass to Smith, who scored his first NFL touchdown.
- Smith returned a punt 44 yards and provided a key special teams impact in fourth.
- Oladokun will start season finale and Smith projects as hybrid offensive and return asset.
What happens when two players score the first touchdown of their respective pro careers on the same play?
You split the football in half, of course.
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t pull off their own personal Christmas miracle by upsetting the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, but their lone touchdown came with a story that will stand the test of time.
Third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun — filling in for the injured Patrick Mahomes and backup QB Gardner Minshew — connected with running back Brashard Smith for the biggest moment of their football lives to date.
“(Smith) scored and threw the ball down,” Oladokun said after the game. “My first thought was, ‘Wait — one of us needs that ball.’ And then my second thought was, ‘Well, I’m hyped right now, so I’m going to go celebrate with my teammates. And I didn’t see the ball again.
”Oladokun sprinted toward Smith, jumping in celebration. In the meantime, longtime equipment director Allen Wright tracked the football down.
“I asked him if he’s going to split it for us, and he’s going to do that,” Oladokun said.
Early in the second quarter, with Kansas City trailing 3-0 in Oladokun’s first career start, the Chiefs faced third-and-goal from Denver’s 5-yard line. Smith lined up to Oladokun’s left in the shotgun.
Oladokun called it one of his favorite plays within Thursday night’s game plan.
“(We were) expecting a little man look,” he said. “They actually zoned it off and their corners’ eyes got stuck inside, and so Brashard did a great job.”
At the snap, Smith crossed Oladokun’s face, slipping into some open space on the right side.
“Coming out of the backfield, I noticed no one was following me,” Smith said. “I was thinking it was a corner out there sitting or something, so when I caught it I kind of turned a little early just trying to get quicker yards and just ended up fighting for the touchdown.” Smith split two of Denver’s best tacklers — Alex Singleton and Riley Moss — powering his way into the end zone. Asked afterward how he possibly found a way to squeeze through, Smith grinned wide.
“I have no idea,” he said. “I just knew just keep fighting through and keep my feet up. I knew I wouldn’t be down. Just keep fighting through.”
Seconds later, Smith skipped to the end zone stands, flexing to the crowd. The Chiefs had taken a 7-3 lead in a game that they were never supposed to be in.
And Smith wasn’t done.
Early in the fourth quarter, he returned the first punt of his NFL career 44 yards, tiptoeing down the left sideline and setting up Kansas City to tie the game at 13.
As Smith talked to reporters after the game, Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub walked by and gave him a thumbs-up.
“It look like (the punt) got out pretty fast,” Smith said. “I was pretty excited about that. I knew I could do so. Just getting the ball in my hands and just seeing everything. I knew it was going to be a big return.
“I should have scored it, but I got to finish those. I don’t know. (I’m) blessed to be out there and just happy for this opportunity.”
In a lost season, it’s plays like Smith’s that offer hope for the future.
The Chiefs selected the 22-year-old out of SMU in the seventh round of this year’s draft. He played wide receiver for the first three years of his college career at Miami before transitioning to running back upon transferring to the Mustangs for his final season.
Kansas City has continued developing the 196-pound back as a hybrid threat.
“He hasn’t played a ton of running back, so all of this stuff is good for him,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “We’re moving him all over the place, so he can handle it mentally, first of all, and that’s a plus the way we’re using him. The second thing is he can catch the football as well as run the football, and that helps you out down the road.
“He’s done a nice job. He’ll get stronger as he goes here — physically stronger. These guys, they always put on a little bit of weight and strength after their first year, and that’ll help his game going forward, and then the return ability — you got a chance to see that.” Oladokun is in line to start the Chiefs’ season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders next week, which comes with an opportunity to carve out a role as Kansas City navigates an offseason without Mahomes. As for Smith, Thursday night’s game showed signs of a legitimate X-factor.
On Christmas night, Oladokun and Smith did something they’ll never do again for the first time — score an NFL touchdown.
And now, they’ll be forever linked by that moment, always remembered by the half-footballs in their trophy cases.
