The Kansas City Chiefs fired the opening salvo of their Thursday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 with a slick fullback dive from seven yards out on their first drive. First-year Chief Michael Burton was given the ball on a third and one with the end zone in view, and he hurdled defensive linemen in the hole to bulldoze his way to six points.
Watch the big play that put Kansas City up early here, and check out how badly Andy Reid fooled the Chargers with the motion by Tyreek Hill:
Michael Burton's first TD since 2015 puts the @Chiefs on the board. #ChiefsKingdom @MikeBurtonFB
📺: #KCvsLAC on NFLN/FOX/PRIME VIDEO
📱: https://t.co/yEB6Ii5nMh pic.twitter.com/YfZqFOz1EO— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2021
Fullbacks are a rare commodity in today’s NFL, but Kansas City appears to have found a special talent in Burton who was featured prominently on their feel-it-out drive against Los Angeles. Fans lamented the retirement of Chiefs’ mainstay Anthony Sherman in the offseason and wondered if his replacement would be able to fill the shoes he had so capably fit in Andy Reid’s offense.
All signs point to a new offensive direction now, with the fullback position being a triple threat blocker-rusher-receiver in the role Burton is redefining in his first year in Kansas City. He took a screen pass 20 yards earlier in the drive and he’s becoming more and more involved in the Chiefs’ gameplan with each passing week.
Burton has bounced around the league a bit in his seven-year career, but he seems to have found a home with the Chiefs after playing for four other teams since being drafted by Detroit in 2015. This rushing touchdown will go down as the first of his career, though he previously had scored a receiving touchdown in his rookie season as a Lion.
