Jay Gruden gives former draft pick Samaje Perine some love for AFC Championship-clinching catch
Samaje Perine is RB3/RB4 depending on the day in Kansas City, who sees most of his action on special teams and in low-leverage offensive situations – he had just 10 of the 66 snaps on offense and eight of 24 on special teams in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
But he’ll always have love here in DC and from his old coach Jay Gruden, and he’ll always have a place in Chiefs lore – for his only target, and only touch, or the day was a 17-yard reception on third-and-9 with 1:35 left that iced the game for Kansas City, where a failure to get a first down would have, at best, put the Chiefs up six with just under a minute to go and giving Buffalo back the ball.
“Old reliable Samaje Perine with the game winner!” Gruden laughed. “That’s a good, old-fashioned play; you send three one way, all on crossing routes, and get the pick on the linebacker and sneak your back out into the opposite flat. Worked to perfection.”
Grant joked that ‘in 2035, we're gonna be having Jay on and he’s gonna be talking about Mahomes to Samaje to get to a 19th straight Super Bowl,’ but hey, all jokes aside, the biggest play of the game was made by the most unheralded player.
“He's a closer, man. He's a closer. I tried to tell you guys that for many, many years!” Jay joked.
Perine had a strong rookie season here in DC but has been mainly a backup and special teamer throughout his career - but he’s still going strong eight seasons in, and after setting career highs in catches and yards last year in Denver, he’s now got a chance at a ring in Super Bowl LIX.
