The Chiefs defense faced the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense on Sunday in the Seattle Seahawks, who came into the game averaging more than 170 yards per game on the ground.
The Chiefs saw firsthand the reason for the Seahawks' success on the ground this season as Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson combined for 195 yards rushing in the game.
But when the Chiefs defense needed to make a big play and stop the Seahawks, that's exactly what they did.
These are three of the top defensive plays from the Chiefs on Sunday against the Seahawks, and they all took place in the fourth quarter.
FIRST PLAY – Ron Parker makes tackle in the red zone
Ron Parker finished the game on Sunday with 11 tackles to lead the Chiefs, and no tackle was bigger than the one on the Seahawks' leading receiver Doug Baldwin on the second-and-goal play from the 4-yard line midway through the fourth quarter.
With the Chiefs leading 24-20 and the Seahawks deep in Chiefs territory, Parker used his instincts to quickly diagnose a pass play and step up and make a great open-field tackle.
Parker didn't allow Baldwin a chance to turn up field and try to make a move of any sorts, which took great recognition and closing speed from Parker.
The Chiefs were able to stuff the third-down run from Lynch and then force the incomplete pass from Wilson on fourth down, which preserved the 24-20 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.
SECOND PLAY – Jaye Howard, Allen Bailey and company step up on fourth-and-short
On the Seahawks' next offensive drive, Wilson completed an 8-yard pass to receiver Jermaine Kearse on third-and-8 from the Chiefs' 43-yard line, which was initially ruled as a first down, but Chiefs coach Andy Reid challenged the spot and the ball was brought back one yard.
This set up a fourth-and-1 for the Seahawks offense.
Possessing the NFL's top rushing attack and arguably one of the best short-yardage running backs in the NFL in Lynch, the Seahawks attempted to run it up the middle on the fourth-down play with just 3:38 remaining in the game.
Chiefs defensive end Jaye Howard, who spent time with the Seahawks before coming over to Kansas City last year, and Allen Bailey, who just signed a four-year extension with the Chiefs on Saturday, got penetration into the Seahawks' backfield and made the initial stop on Lynch.
Dontari Poe fought through a double team to assist on stopping the second effort from Lynch, but inside linebacker Josh Mauga stepped up and stopped any progress from Lynch well before he got back to the line of scrimmage.
Those four players combined to make one of the biggest plays from the Chiefs defense in this game, which meant stonewalling an elite rushing team when they needed just a yard, and that's exactly what those four delivered.
THIRD PLAY – Dontari Poe's sack with less than two minutes remaining
It's never a good thing to be in a must-pass situation against the Chiefs defense, but late in the game and needing to go 72 yards in 1:53 without any timeouts, it was an uphill battle for the Seahawks, who trailed 24-20 but had the ball with a chance to drive and win the game.
But Dontari Poe made that climb even harder by pouring water all over that hill after this next play on second-and-10.
Poe is put in a one-on-one situation and gets by the right guard J.R. Sweezy and displays the kind of agility Chiefs fans are used to seeing, but most people aren't of a 340-pound defensive tackle.
This was Poe's fifth sack of the season, which is a career high for him after just 10 games. After this sack and loss of eight yards, the Seahawks had third-and-18 and weren't able to convert a first down on either of the next two plays and that was the ball game.
