KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs successfully pulled off the 1-yard touchdown run by a nose tackle, Dontari Poe, in last week's game against the San Diego Chargers. Everything from the handoff from quarterback Alex Smith to the 346-pound Poe's dive over the line of scrimmage was flawless.

That doesn't mean there weren't nervous moments. Smith said he was surprised at the play call, with the Chiefs facing a fourth-and-goal situation.

Offensive coordinator Doug Pederson acknowledged the risks.

"The downside is ... ball security," Pederson said. "There is some timing involved. We did have motion on the play. [Poe could have jumped] offsides. We had a silent count on the goal line, on the road. There is a lot of downside, really, to that play.

"Where we were, time of the game, situation, the whole thing, on the road. We felt we had the momentum if there is such a thing and we felt like that was our best chance to go a half-yard, to give it to the biggest guy on the field."

The Chiefs couldn't have been confident using Charcandrick West in that situation after watching him leap too early on the previous play from the goal line and get stopped short of the end zone.

With Jamaal Charles out for the season and Knile Davis inactive, the Chiefs went with Poe. He had never carried in an NFL game but he has more than once in practice.

"We've worked on it all the way back to last year," Pederson said. "It goes back to last year when we repped it in practice and this year when we repped it in practice and it came off pretty flawless.

"We probably get four or five reps a week on plays like that, in goal-line and short-yardage situations. If you do that each week, it builds."

The secret is out now, so the Chiefs may not give the ball to Poe another time. Then again, how exactly does an opponent prepare for a 346-pound ball carrier?