Former Vols OL Trey Smith pancakes defender on Chiefs' winning score
Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith has established himself as a force on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line over the past three seasons. In case anyone forgot how good he and the Kansas City running game can be, he flashed it on one pivotal play in Sunday's 27-24 win […]
Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith has established himself as a force on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line over the past three seasons.
In case anyone forgot how good he and the Kansas City running game can be, he flashed it on one pivotal play in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
On second and goal from the 4-yard line early in the fourth quarter, Smith blew off the ball and engaged Buffalo defensive lineman Linval Joseph. The 321-pound Smith drove the 328-pound Joseph back towards the goal line, slamming him into the turf.
The pancake block opened a clear path to the goal line for Chiefs running back Isaiah Pacheco, who found the end zone for a 27-24 lead. In what had been a high-scoring, back and forth affair, those points ended up being the game's final ones as the Chiefs held on to make their sixth straight AFC championship game.
It's been an interesting year for the Chiefs offensively. The normally sure-fire effective passing game has been a struggle for much of the year. Patrick Mahomes' 4183 passing yards this season are his fewest by a wide margin since 2019, when he started just 14 games. Travis Kelce also hadn't had a receiving touchdown since Week 11 before Sunday.
As such, it's taken a physical running game to keep the Chiefs' offense going, and Smith's tough run blocking has been a significant part of that. They will look to keep it going against Baltimore on Sunday in the AFC championship game. Although the Ravens are tied for the league lead in fewest yards per attempt allowed, they've allowed 4.5 yards per carry this season, which ranks in the bottom third in the league.
If they can replicate their performance on Sunday in Baltimore, then Smith, Mahomes, and the Chiefs could be headed to Las Vegas to try to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the second straight year.
Former Vols OL Trey Smith challenges Josh Dobbs on space’s biggest mystery
The Super Bowl champion lineman had an interesting back and forth with a fellow Vol alumnus who’s well versed on the subject
