After Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker nailed the go-ahead field goal and then put the ensuing kickoff short of the landing zone, the Broncos had the ball at their own 40 down two points. And, at one point during the drive, it seemed like the smart strategic play might be for the Chiefs to let the Broncos score a touchdown.
Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal mentioned that possibility while discussing the blocked field goal that sealed the ninth Kansas City win of the season.
“We were thinking about like all right maybe we should let them score here,” Chenal said by phone following the 16-14 win. “Give our offense a chance to get the ball back but Coach [Steve Spagnuolo], I mean one of the best if not the best defensive coordinator of all time, and he was fighting, ‘No . . . we’re not going to do that, we trust our guys and we are going to get a stop here.’”
He was right. They got the stop, and then they blocked the field goal and emerged with the most unlikely win in a season full of unlikely wins.
Still, even if the Chiefs had tried to let the Broncos score a touchdown, Denver quite possibly would have refused to score, taking the ball to the doorstep of the end zone and eventually trying an even shorter field goal.
