@NFL/Twitter
One of the defining plays of Sunday’s big Chiefs-Bills playoff game was a failed fake punt attempt in the fourth quarter that saw Bills safety Damar Hamlin tackled short of the first-down marker by Leo Chenal.
But it appears that Chenal had some advanced warning about his potential game-saving tackle.
A video from NFL Films via Inside The NFL shows that Chiefs defender Nick Bolton had a feeling that a fake punt might be coming and started warning his teammates on the punt return return team.
The first player in the frame when he starts warning his teammates was none other than Chenal.
.@_nickbolton2 had a feeling a fake punt was coming 🧠@InsideTheNFL | @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/daTOa1jpVm
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 23, 2024
The warning from Bolton paid off as Leo Chenal sniffed out the play and dropped Hamlin short of the line to gain.
While the Chiefs were unable to convert the Bills’ turnover on downs into points, the Bills were held scoreless for the rest of the game, allowing the Chiefs to get the postseason win in Buffalo – their first road playoff win with Patrick Mahomes under center.
That was a good eye from Nick Bolton. We’ll see if he can demonstrate similar predictive powers against the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.