Which Emergency Player Quietly Emerged for Chiefs

“First time in my life,” Pole said in the locker room after the game. “It kind of happened in the blink of an eye.”

That blink happened after the Chiefs’ first offensive play, just five seconds into the game. In the wash of Isiah Pacheco’s run, starter Wanya Morris got rolled up on by Creed Humphrey. But the next man up trotting into the huddle to replace Morris wasn’t a normal next man.

“I mean, with that happening before my eyes,” Pole said at his locker, “that's just the grace of God, just keeping me ready and showing me the ropes. And I owe it all to Him and His grace.”

Fourth-string tackle had Mahomes' back against No. 1 defense

Pole, whose name is pronounced ess-UH POH-lay, played 63 of 64 offensive snaps and actually held up well considering he was the Chiefs’ fourth-string tackle a week ago in Dallas.

Veteran Jaylon Moore had to start for Taylor at right tackle after Jawaan Taylor’s triceps injury. And Josh Simmons’ season-ending wrist surgery forced Morris into service on the left side. Pole’s door opened when Morris left with what Reid said was a lower-leg injury.

“Obviously, not where you want to be,” Patrick Mahomes said after the game. “But I thought that Esa played his tail off for being a guy that had to kind of get activated and be on the roster and go up against one of the best pass rushers in the league.

“And I thought they did a great job giving me time to throw the ball down the field in big situations.”

Indeed, after no one thought the Chiefs would have those downfield opportunities, that battered offensive line gave Mahomes his shot. And if not for Kamari Lassiter’s phenomenal play to break up Tyquan Thornton’s would-be 48-yard touchdown pass, the Chiefs would’ve had premium go-ahead points late in the third quarter.

Pole and that patchwork line kept both Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson out of the sacks column in the 20-10 loss.

“Listen, they battled,” head coach Andy Reid said after the game. “There were some early hiccups in there, but I thought they battled against one of the best defensive lines in the league. It was respectable there for what they were dealing with. Some of the guys hadn’t practiced in there very much, so it's good for them.”

One of those guys was Pole, who battled not only butterflies in his first NFL action but also Houston’s No. 1-ranked defense. And he did it, Reid said, with only a handful of practice reps leading up to the game.

“It’s a really challenging front,” Pole said. “They have a lot of depth. Every time they sub someone in, it was a guy that could ball. So, I had to really lean into my technique, and the coaches do a pretty good job of keeping us ready.

“So, I think when Wanya went down, I think the shock went through my heart. But at the same time, I was smiling, because this whole week I was preparing for this moment. I owe all of that to the coaches, for sure.”

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