The Kansas City Chiefs are currently sitting atop the NFL summit, roaring all the way back from a 10-point halftime deficit against the Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl 57. But their triumph did not come without its fair share of drama. Following a touchdown and a two-point conversion from the Eagles, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs received the ball with 5:15 left in the fourth period with a chance to break the deadlock and perhaps run away with the game for good.

Mahomes' mastery meant that the Chiefs were in chief position to mount a successful offensive drive. In fact, the star quarterback's strong play put the Chiefs – particularly running back Jerick McKinnon – in a tough spot in terms of game and clock management. With 1:36 left, McKinnon had an opportunity to score a touchdown to put Kansas City up by at least six, pending PAT.

Instead, Jerick McKinnon decided to slide mere inches away from the end zone in an attempt to milk more seconds off the clock. And to his credit, the gambit worked. Mahomes kneeled twice to let more than a minute run off the clock and the Chiefs proceeded to score a field goal with eight seconds left, effectively ending the Eagles' title hopes.

While that move should go down as one of the smartest in Super Bowl history, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo saw it as something of a bittersweet moment, as he would have welcomed the chance to shut down the Eagles' last-ditch attempt to win the Super Bowl.

“I had mixed feelings,” Spagnuolo said during an appearance on Zach Gelb's CBS Sports Radio chat. “But part of me, after giving up that touchdown, wanted to go back out and close it somehow… The pride in me as a defensive coach with defensive players, you want to go out and help close it for your team.”

Nevertheless, Steve Spagnuolo certainly won't be too bothered by how things transpired. Of course, it would have hurt him tenfold if the Chiefs botched the field goal for some inexplicable reason. But the Chiefs are now champions – and they have Jerick McKinnon's quick thinking to thank for it.