Chiefs failure to change cadence led to Titans blocking last-second FG
Recognizing the Kansas City Chiefs’ field goal snap cadence was the key to Tennessee Titans defensive back Joshua Kalu blocking a field goal for the win.
Tennessee Titans defensive back Joshua Kalu‘s blocked field goal to help his team win in Week 10 happened for one simple reason: the Kansas City Chiefs used the same field goal cadence the entire game.
Kalu said as much following the win on Sunday in a game that saw the Titans squeak out a 35-32 victory thanks to a blocked field goal at the end of regulation.
The Titans defensive back said he recognized that the Cheifs were using the same cadence during the game, which helped him time the snap perfectly and get close enough to get his hand on Harrison Butker‘s kick, per Paul Kuharsky.
"“It’s the same: The cadence, the cadence, the cadence. They were doing the same cadence all game. I kind of got a key to it. I was getting closer and closer and I made a play when I needed to.”"
If you’re interested in seeing Kalu’s progression throughout the course of this game in his attempt to master the cadence, AtoZ Sports Nashville’s Luke Worsham had a great thread on Twitter breaking down the tell that the Chiefs’ field goal unit was showing.
As he and others said in the locker room after the game, @BluesKalus's FG block came as a result of figuring out KC's cadence. They had an obvious tell on each of the nine times they ran the FG operation. Here's a look at Kalu's progress throughout the game (THREAD).
— Luke Worsham (@luke_worsham) November 11, 2019
Kalu’s sensational play on special teams didn’t come without some controversy, though.
After the game, there were many people saying Kalu had jumped offside in his attempt to block the field goal, but that was quickly shot down by the NFL’s Senior Vice President of Officiating, Al Riveron.
Al Riveron breaks down the final play in #KCvsTEN: pic.twitter.com/YcdAkvWL0T
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) November 11, 2019
The video clearly shows the Chiefs snapping the ball prior to Kalu crossing the line of scrimmage. Trust me, I’m never one to shy away from criticizing referees and Al Riveron for bad calls, but they got this one right.
The Chiefs had several opportunities to put the Titans away for good, but simply weren’t able to get that last fatal blow. Instead, the Titans hung around long enough to make a few plays and ultimately won the game.
I’d venture to guess that the Chiefs will be working on new and multiple field goal cadences for the rest of the season after Kalu’s block in Week 10.