Refusing to score a touchdown helped win the Super Bowl.
That’s right. Kansas City running back Jerick McKinnon has been praised for showing incredible game awareness with a surprising play in the dying stages of the Chiefs’ 38-35 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
With less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes handed the ball to McKinnon, who wove his way towards the end zone in the corner.
But instead of crossing for a touchdown, McKinnon slammed on the brakes, sliding down to the turf one yard short of the end zone.
While turning down an open touchdown may seem odd, the heads-up play actually helped the Chiefs kill time off the clock with another down, giving the Eagles less time to charge up the field to attempt a matchwinning play.