The Kansas City Chiefs' defense pulled off a strategic masterstroke to eliminate the Buffalo Bills from the playoffs.

The Buffalo Bills had their season come to an end Sunday night with a devastating loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game. Their final offensive play will be thought about by a lot by players and fans over the offseason, as the failed 4th-and-5 came so close to being converted on a desperate heave by Josh Allen.

The Buffalo Bills are still in championship purgatory, and one play in particular doomed them, because they ignored one primary schematic trait from Steve Spagnuolo

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo pulled out one of his best calls when his team needed it against the Bills.

The situation came on the other side of the two-minute warning on Sunday night. With Kansas City clinging to a 32-29 lead, Allen and the Bills faced a do-or-die 4th-and-5 situation on their own 47-yard line. With Buffalo holding all three of their timeouts, Sean McDermott left his offense on the field to try and convert fourth down.

Kansas City Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo dialed up an unexpected corner blitz in a pivotal moment against the Buffalo Bills.

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones gives a ringing endorsement for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo | @EdEastonJr

The game — and the Chiefs’ historic charge toward an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat — was slipping away Sunday night in Kansas City.

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo shares rules for maintaining Buffalo #Bills QB Josh Allen: ‘He sees everything’ | @EdEastonJr

Stopping the Josh Allen tush push was a major part of the game and it is the play that is still being discussed as a lot of people think that it should've been a first down. It wasn't, and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spent a lot of time getting his team ready for plays just like that.

For Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, that will mean attempting to confuse and disrupt Bills quarterback Josh Allen. This will be the ninth matchup between the veteran

Yes, cornerback Trent McDuffie — historically an excellent pass-rusher from the outside, and one who helped save the Chiefs in last year’s Super Bowl with a well-timed rush — got the green light to attack Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Or, perhaps, he made that decision on his own.