And if that was a sign of their drive, then their resilience came next, with a bevy of examples of it

 And if that was a sign of their drive, then their resilience came next, with a bevy of examples of it

 First-rounder Trent McDuffie, who’d really never been hurt, suffered a tough hamstring injury in Week 1 but worked his way back and went back in the lineup in Week 9 like he hadn’t missed a beat. Fellow first-rounder George Karlaftis couldn’t finish on the quarterback to save his life early, posting just a half sack through 10 games but kept at it and registered 5.5 over Kansas City’s final seven.

Then there was Skyy Moore, who had never returned punts in high school or college and was asked to in K.C. That led to three muffs, and other miscues, and eventually Moore’s losing the job early in the year. But he kept working at it, injuries forced him back into the role, and lo and behold Moore was the one with a massive 29-yard return in the last minute of the AFC title game to set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal to get K.C. back here again.

“They took all that adversity, and then when the light shone the brightest, they were able to not only just overcome the adversity but overcome to the point where they’re actually making game-defining plays,” Veach says. “I mean, that was the really cool thing. That doesn’t happen unless these guys are really wired like that—and know the value of turning the page, working hard, and that, if you just keep doing things the right way, good things will happen.”