The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs did sufficient to win a low-scoring prime time sport over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night time, rising with a 22-17 win on the highway. Revisiting the snap counts from KC’s third win of the 12 months paints an fascinating image of how Kansas Metropolis’s teaching employees presently views three key positions on the group.
This is what jumps out from either side of the ball because the Chiefs try and settle their rotation at large receiver, working again and cornerback.
This is not trigger for panic relating to rookie large receiver Xavier Worthy, however it’s definitely value noting.
Rashee Rice led Chiefs receivers with 55 of 74 offensive snaps (74%). Subsequent up, JuJu Smith-Schuster ranked second with 41 (55%), forward of Worthy’s 37 (50%) and Justin Watson’s 29 (39%). Skyy Moore bought 15 reps (20%) whereas Mecole Hardman took three (4%).
Smith-Schuster, who re-signed with KC in late August, performed simply 12 snaps in Week 1 and 13 in Week 2 whereas Worthy took 34 and 44 snaps, respectively.
Whereas the veteran Smith-Schuster definitely has a utility on this offense (particularly because it continues to seek for solutions after shedding Marquise “Hollywood” Brown), I would not have anticipated him to be the second-most-used receiver in Week 3. Smith-Schuster did a few of KC’s soiled work whereas catching two passes for 17 yards, together with a 13-yard landing, however Worthy’s two-for-17 efficiency (with no rating) left one thing to be desired.
The Chiefs’ ultimate offensive drive, with an opportunity to finish the sport with the soccer, ended after Mahomes appeared to focus on Worthy for a would-be first down on third and a pair of. Worthy appeared to cease working his route whereas Mahomes led him, anticipating Worthy to proceed. Nonetheless, when Andy Reid spoke to the media on Monday, he mentioned the miscue wasn’t on Worthy, however that his “compadre,” apparently Rice, made a mistake together with his route.
Fascinating! https://t.co/SIfxaOo3LM pic.twitter.com/0KkxptFHjY
— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) September 23, 2024
For the third consecutive week, Trent McDuffie performed 100% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps. After an unsure offseason, Jaylen Watson was KC’s clear-cut No. 2 nook for the third week in a row, as Watson performed 57 of KC’s 61 snaps towards the Falcons offense. The intrigue about KC’s cornerback room now begins after McDuffie and Watson.
In Week 1, Joshua Williams bought 32 defensive snaps whereas Nazeeh Johnson noticed zero. In Week 2, Williams fell to 6 defensive snaps whereas Johnson jumped to 22. In Atlanta in Week 3, Johnson took 26 defensive snaps, whereas Williams solely noticed the sector on particular groups.
Whereas Williams may proceed to get defensive snaps because the season progresses, it appears clear that the Chiefs have given Johnson alternatives to leap Williams on the depth chart, with McDuffie and Watson holding down the highest two spots. By means of Week 3, Johnson seems to have earned the job.
Within the absence of Isiah Pacheco, rookie undrafted free agent Carson Steele bought the majority of the working again workload, enjoying 46 of 74 offensive snaps (62%) to Samaje Perine’s 28 (38%). Keaontay Ingram, who KC signed to the energetic roster from their apply squad once they positioned Pacheco on injured reserve, did not see the sector on offense, recording simply 5 particular groups snaps.
Steele was strong in his first sport as a starter, as he and Perine each averaged 4.2 yards per carry with nine-yard longs. After not exhibiting a lot curiosity in getting Ingram concerned, the Chiefs needs to be trying to get Kareem Hunt into the combination as quickly as he is snug within the offense.