The Kansas City Chiefs have had an unexpected rookie step up during both of their postseason wins.
Rookie safety Chamarri Conner, who was drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, put together a career game during the Chiefs' divisional-round playoff win over the Buffalo Bills.
Conner was forced into a larger role after starting safety Mike Edwards sustained a concussion early in the game. Conner was clearly up for the challenge, as he finished the day with 10 total tackles, plus a forced fumble against Bills receiver Stefon Diggs.
Conner was mostly a special teamer early in 2023, but earned a larger role after safety Bryan Cook went down with a season ending injury in the middle of the year. Conner played well as a backup in the second half of the season but took it up a notch in the postseason. He had a solid game in the wild-card round win against the Miami Dolphins as well, earning a pair of tackles.
There is one thing that the rookie can take away from the Chiefs' win over the Bills, though: Whenever you have a chance to recover a fumble during a game-changing situation, just fall on the ball.
Conner went for the scoop when Bills quarterback Josh Allen fumbled in the fourth quarter of the divisional round game, but wasn't able to recover and Buffalo ended up with the ball. It's a learning experience for the rook, but it's difficult to blame him too much for wanting to make history with a game-sealing touchdown.
Regardless of missing out on the scoop, Conner still had a great game against Buffalo. It was an encouraging sign as the team looks to rely on Conner more in the future, possibly as soon as next week for the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, depending on Edwards' health.
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