{"id":161879,"date":"2022-12-19T03:25:01","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T03:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kc-chiefs-win-vs-houston-texans-fumble-recovery-analysis\/"},"modified":"2022-12-19T03:25:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T03:25:01","slug":"kc-chiefs-win-vs-houston-texans-fumble-recovery-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kc-chiefs-win-vs-houston-texans-fumble-recovery-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"KC Chiefs win vs. Houston Texans: fumble recovery analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n Houston<\/span> <\/p>\n

Willie Gay had the football in his hands \u2014 and he wasn’t sure it would matter.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Shortly after snatching a fumble recovery from the scrum during overtime of Kansas City’s 30-24 victory over the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker heard bad news from a few feet away.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the refs came over like, ‘It’s blue. It’s blue,’\u201d Gay said in the locker room after the win, referencing Houston’s jersey color. \u201cBut I obviously had the ball on my chest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next move Gay made, he said, was out of instinct.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While the officials huddled up to decide who should get the ball, Gay jumped out of the pile and raised it above his head \u2014 showing everyone watching who had ended up with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it makes all the other refs like, ‘I mean, white has it,’\u201d Gay said with a smile. \u201cSo it makes it clear for the whole stadium to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gay’s showmanship worked. After a few seconds, the officials gave possession to Kansas City, and running back Jerick McKinnon ended the game with a touchdown run on the next play.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It was just one of the critical details that resulted in the game-altering moment, as Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark initially stripped Houston quarterback Davis Mills from behind.<\/p>\n

The forced fumble came from a second effort. Clark first fell to the ground on his pass rush before leaping up and pursuing Mills.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Afterward, Clark said preparation played an important role. The Chiefs’ defense previously had watched videos of former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles \u201cPeanut\u201d Tillman to study how he became one of the best fumble forcers in NFL history.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also has harped frequently on attacking the wrist of the quarterback while seeking turnover creation \u2014 with Clark executing that flawlessly while swiping the critical area of \u200b\u200bMills’ arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust understanding strip points, and just getting the ball out. We punch out the ball every day in practice,\u201d Clark said. \u201cI believe he (Spagnuolo) was just saying this past week that we need one of those punch-outs, some of those things that we do every day in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With the ball free, KC still had to recover it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And Gay did that with help from a different kind of preparation: strength training.<\/p>\n

The ball initially rolled toward Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, who had it bounce off his arm toward Houston running back Dare Ogunbowale.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When he arrived, Ogunbowale found himself sitting on the football, unable to secure it while it was stuck between his legs.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That gave Gay a chance. Facing Ogunbowale’s backside, he reached his right arm between the running back’s legs, curling the ball through the tight space before securing it into his grasp.<\/p>\n