In the heat of the moment, in the biggest game of the season, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon ignored his natural instincts and made the smart play – one that helped seal his team’s victory in Super Bowl 57.
Instead of scoring the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes remaining, McKinnon slid to a stop at the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2-yard line to give the Chiefs a first down and allow them to set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal.
‘It wasn’t even a hesitation in my mind to score once I knew what situation we were in,’ McKinnon told Kansas City’s FOX4 TV. ‘We practice that every week. … I didn’t really think too much of it because that’s how we were coached.’
Following McKinnon’s slide, the Chiefs forced the Eagles to use their final timeout, then ran the clock down to eight seconds before Butker booted a 27-yard field goal for a 38-35 win.
Had McKinnon scored on the play, the Eagles would’ve had about 90 seconds to go the length of the field for the tying touchdown – with a chance to potentially win the game on a 2-point conversion.
‘That’s how Coach Reid coaches us,’ McKinnon said. ‘When that play came up, obviously, I didn’t understand the magnitude of it until after it happened to see everyone else’s reaction, it’s all been a blessing.’
