Why Kansas City Chiefs’ game-changing fumble recovery almost didn’t count vs. Texans

Willie Gay had the football in his hands — and he wasn’t sure it would matter.

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.

“One of the refs came over like, ‘It’s blue. It’s blue,’” Gay said in the locker room after the win, referencing Houston’s jersey color. “But I obviously had the ball on my chest.”

The next move Gay made, he said, was out of instinct.

While the officials huddled up to decide who should get the ball, Gay jumped out of the pile and raised it above his head — showing everyone watching who had ended up with it.

“So it makes all the other refs like, ‘I mean, white has it,’” Gay said with a smile. “So it makes it clear for the whole stadium to see.”

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.

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.

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

Afterward, Clark said preparation played an important role. The Chiefs’ defense previously had watched videos of former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman to study how he became one of the best fumble forcers in NFL history.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also has harped frequently on attacking the wrist of the quarterback while seeking turnover creation — with Clark executing that flawlessly while swiping the critical area of Mills’ arm.

“Just understanding strip points, and just getting the ball out. We punch out the ball every day in practice,” Clark said. “I 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.”

With the ball free, KC still had to recover it.

And Gay did that with help from a different kind of preparation: strength training.

The ball initially rolled toward Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, who had it bounce off his arm toward Houston running back Dare Ogunbowale.

When he arrived, Ogunbowale found himself sitting on the football, unable to secure it while it was stuck between his legs.

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.

Gay said Chiefs strength coach Barry Rubin — and a weekly focus on core muscles like thighs, triceps and shoulders — contributed to him being able to pry it free.

“Shout-out to Coach Rubes, man. He’s got me strong as a mug,” Gay said. “But yeah, I got lucky and pulled it out from underneath him.”

That, however, only started a discussion. The officials circled for a few seconds, trying to decide whether Ogunbowale ever had it.

Eventually, they signaled Chiefs ball ... but only after Gay ran up and down the field.

Gay described his instincts to do that as “common sense.”

“You sit in the stack, they can argue,” Gay said. “But if you get up with it and take it out to the open to show the world — you’ve got to show the world — so if the refs try to cheat you, everybody knows.”

The fumble and recovery moved the Chiefs’ win-probability odds from 62% to 86%, according to the advanced numbers at rbsdm.com.

Gay also received props from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the locker room afterward, who gave him a fist bump and said, “Appreciate you,” as he walked by.

“My dawg,” Gay responded with a grin.

The momentum-shifting snap helped the Chiefs secure an AFC West title for the seventh consecutive season. Gay, just after the game, posed with his West championship hat alongside the other Kansas City linebackers for a celebratory photo in the locker room.

“It’s a big accomplishment, lesson for us. But like I say, good is the enemy of great,” Gay said. “We’re going for something way bigger than this.”