Patrick Breen/The Republic

In October, the Chiefs traded a 2023 third and sixth-round pick to the New York Giants for Toney, who had gone largely unused in New York due to frequent injuries. Simply put, Toney didn’t work with the Giants and he needed a fresh start.

Well, it’s a good thing the Chiefs gave Toney that fresh start because they might not have won the Super Bowl without him. Sure, the Chiefs’ offense was rolling in the second half and the team was leading by one point with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter, but no points or yards are guaranteed. Instead of the attack having to travel 70 yards down the pitch, Toney took matters into his own hands, allowing the attack to only have to drive five yards for a score.

Here is the game:

A 65-yard punt return, by far the team’s longest of the year. The second longest was 22 yards by Mecole Hardman.

Toney should have gained only about seven yards on that return. If you pause the above video at 09 seconds, you will see Seven Eagles defenders unblocked in nearby Toney.

I still can’t believe Kadarius Toney reached the 5-yard line on this play. pic.twitter.com/BaJPSU2S46

— Wes Roesch (@WesleyRoesch) February 15, 2023

With Eagles receiver Zach Pascal poised to make the tackle, the rest of the Eagles punt coverage team kind of… paused and waited for the tackle to happen. And then it didn’t work. Toney slipped and fired to his right and changed the entire return trajectory. Suddenly most of the Eagles defenders appeared to be running through the mud trying to catch Toney who was sprinting across the field.

While the initial juke was all Toney did, the rest of the game wouldn’t have fared so well without three key players: tight end Jody Fortson, receiver Marcus Kemp and safety Bryan Cook. These three absolutely rushed to make huge blocks and open holes for Toney to take this one close to home.

The angle of the end zone gives a good idea of ​​this, from the 10 second mark:

Each of those blocks gave Toney about five to ten more yards to gain ground. Toney’s final whirlwind at the eight-yard line to step back another three yards was the leader’s kiss.

Here’s another high-level key angle, with the second half of the return slowed down for a better view of how the blocks fell into place:

Earlier this season, I wondered if Toney was the right option for the Chiefs’ punt return position after his Week 17 fumble. I preferred receiver Justin Watson, who proved safe, but not also explosive.

After this piece, it’s safe to say I was wrong. As good as an asset Watson was for the Chiefs in 2022, he probably wouldn’t have made this play. It’s not a knock on Watson at all – most players wouldn’t have made this play. But Toney offers the right balance of explosion, athleticism and rebound (I’m not sure there’s a better term for it – Toney is just… bouncy) to make these types of games when the Chiefs need them most.

The best part is that the Chiefs have Toney on a rookie contract for the next two — maybe three — seasons. I don’t know if Toney will be the Chiefs’ leading punt returner in 2023. But I do know that after that Super Bowl play, he’ll be the first to be considered.