Quarterback’s Little Helper

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — He answers to the nickname Jet, confesses to having “little man” syndrome and has a high-pitched voice — constantly imitated by his teammates and coach — that would make a high school freshman blush.

But Jerick McKinnon, the Chiefs’ diminutive running back, has also made an outsized contribution as something of a quarterback helper. He caught nine touchdown passes during the regular season to tie the Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk’s 2001 mark for scoring receptions by a running back.

“He just finds a way to get in the end zone,” Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “A lot of those things he’s not the first read, he’s not the second read. He’s able to just be in the right spot at the right time whenever I need to hit a check down, I can get it to him and then he makes the most of it by getting into the end zone.”

Perhaps the best example of McKinnon’s savvy came in a December game against the Denver Broncos, when Mahomes was flushed from the pocket and McKinnon shot ahead of a defender who keyed in on the quarterback. Mahomes quickly dished a no-look pass that McKinnon took 56 yards for a touchdown.

At 5-foot-9 and 216 pounds, McKinnon has also been a shockingly effective blocker, a skill that may help fend off the Bengals’ defense in Sunday’s A.F.C. championship game with Mahomes nursing a sprained right ankle.