KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There is a mantra repeated often in the world of sports: It doesn’t matter how you start; it matters how you finish.

Right now, maybe the greatest example of that adage wears No. 38 for the 6-3 Kansas City Chiefs. He is Ron Parker, a cornerback, strong safety, nickel back, free safety, slot corner for the Chiefs.

In the Chiefs’ 17-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills, Park was the defensive star of the game. He forced a second-quarter fumble, then almost single-handedly stopped Buffalo’s final attempt to gain the lead in the fourth quarter when he broke up three of the last four passes thrown by quarterback Kyle Orton.

Not bad for a guy that started his NFL career just three years ago as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Newberry College, an NCAA Division II football program in Newberry, S.C. The Wolves play in the South Atlantic Conference.

Parker signed with Seattle in July 2011 and spent time with the Seahawks, Oakland and Carolina during the 2011-12 seasons. Most of that was on practice squads and also 10 games on the active roster of three different teams.

Consider this with Parker: The Seahawks released him not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, but on five different occasions. The last time was on the cutdown to the NFL limit of 53 players on Aug. 31, 2013.

The Chiefs claimed him off waivers on Sept. 1, 2013, and he has been with them since, the longest stay of his career to date.

And this Sunday he gets his first chance to play against Seattle, when the Seahawks travel to Arrowhead Stadium.

“He’s relentless,” coach Andy Reid said of Parker. “He’s the one out at practice diving to bat balls down. That’s just how he goes. It’s great to see him rewarded with a game like this.”

Playing safety in the Chiefs’ base 3-4-4 defense and then cornerback in the 2-3-6 scheme, Parker was all over the field against the Bills, and he didn’t just play one side of the field. Parker spent most of the game locked up in man-to-man coverage on Buffalo rookie Sammy Watkins, who in the previous two games had more than 100 yards receiving in each.

“That’s how we practiced all week,” Parker said. “I was following No. 14 in practice, so it wasn’t a surprise. We had it in the game plan and we stuck with it.”

It worked out well for the Chiefs defense. Orton threw 10 passes to Watkins, who caught four for 27 yards. His longest completion went for just 8 yards.

Parker’s big play came when he chopped the ball out of the hands of Buffalo running Bryce Brown at the 5-yard line as Brown was about to score a first-half touchdown for the Bills.

“I was on Watkins and when he (Brown) broke free, I knew I had to shed the block and got after him,” Parker said. “I wanted to make sure I kept everything inside of me, so when I shed the block and he was inside, I went after the ball and popped it right out.”

Brown’s fumble rolled out of the back of the end zone for a touchback and Chiefs possession.

“That’s something we work on every day in practice,” Parker said. “As a defensive unit, we try to go after the ball. We always go for the strip.”

Parker put a cherry on top of his football sundae by breaking up three passes in four throws deep in Chiefs territory on the Bills’ last offensive chance to take the lead.

“I don’t really feel picked on,” Parker said. “He’s (Watkins) their go-to-guy and it was time to make a play. I was prepared and ready for anything.”

And now he’s ready to face the Seahawks, a team that released him twice in 2011, twice in 2012 and once in 2013. Overall, Parker was released eight times by the Seahawks, Raiders and Panthers.

NOTES: RB Cyrus Gray suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s game against Buffalo. He was a big contributor on special teams as a blocker and in coverage. … TE Demetrius Harris suffered a broken foot (right metatarsal) in the pregame Sunday. … RB Jamaal Charles left the game twice because of shoulder problems but is expected to be good to go this week. … TE Anthony Fasano suffered a knee contusion but did not come out of the game.

REPORT CARD VS. BILLS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C – The Chiefs went into Sunday’s game against Buffalo aware that they faced one of the best front-seven groups among NFL defenses. The Bills proved that true, as they sacked quarterback Alex Smith six times in 35 passing plays, essentially once every time the Kansas City offense dropped back to pass. No small wonder that Smith got little done in the passing game. Other than a 27-yard completion to wide receiver A.J. Jenkins and a 23-yarder to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, there were no completions of more than 15 yards. Bowe had his best game of the season with eight catches for 93 yards.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: B – Again, there was little doubt that Buffalo’s defense went into the game with the idea of stopping Jamaal Charles, and they were not able to do so, giving up 6.5 yards per carry, including a 39-yard touchdown run. Smith grabbed 25 yards on four carries, including his touchdown run. Knile Davis and De’Anthony Thomas were not a factor in that part of the offense.

–PASS DEFENSE: C – The Chiefs defense was able to sack Kyle Orton just once on 49 passing plays. They flushed him out of the pocket on two other snaps, but that was not the type of pressure that’s going to turn the game. One impressive thing the pass defense did was take injured rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins (groin) out of the passing equation, allowing him four catches in 10 targets for 27 yards and no catch longer than 8 yards.

–RUSH DEFENSE: B – The Bills averaged 5 yards per carry, but they were able to hit the Chiefs for only one big play, a 27-yard run by Anthony Dixon. For another weekend, the K.C. defense got through a game without allowing a rushing touchdown.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B – Absolutely, the only thing that kept the Chiefs’ kicking game from an A grade was the decision making of punt returner De’Anthony Thomas. Twice he caught punts inside the Chiefs 5-yard line, something that should never happen no matter the potential of the returner. He caught one punt at the 2 and the other at the 4, getting both punts back to the Chiefs 8.

–COACHING: B – Andy Reid and his coaching staff had to rely on their NFL experience to get their players in the right positions to handle what was a fired-up Bills defense. One of the toughest things for any player or coach to do in a game where the other guy is controlling the flow is be patient. But that’s what Reid and his staff did. They stuck to their plan because it was a good one and eventually they were able to push enough buttons for a victory.