The Kansas City Chiefs had 24 fewer offensive snaps than the Falcons last week and 20 fewer snaps than the Raiders this week. They won both games. How are they doing it? I have no idea but they are.
Let’s take a look at the Chiefs snap counts from the Raiders game...
Quarterback
QB Alex Smith: 55
What a weird game for Alex Smith. He looked awesome at times, like “The Chiefs can make a run with this guy” good. And then he had two quick turnovers. Overall, he was a positive but a weird game.
Offensive line
OT Eric Fisher: 55
G Zach Fulton: 55
G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif: 55
C Mitch Morse: 55
OT Mitch Schwartz: 55
OT Jah Reid: 3
This is why you signed Mitch Schwartz. The AFC West has the three best pass rushers in the NFL and the Chiefs have one of the top right tackles against two of them four times a year.
Mitchell Schwartz didn't allow a single sack or hit in two game against the Raiders this year. 1 total pressure
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) December 9, 2016
Wide receiver
WR Jeremy Maclin: 42
WR Chris Conley: 37
WR Tyreek Hill: 25
WR Albert Wilson: 11
WR De’Anthony Thomas: 2
A few things stand out here. First, I didn’t realize Maclin played much. It didn’t feel like he played that much because he only had one caught. He wasn’t making excuses after the game when I asked him about it but you gotta think there was some rust with his month-long absence with injury. The second thing is Tyreek Hill. He only had 25 snaps and he made that kind of impact? Six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown (and another on special teams).
Tight end
TE Travis Kelce: 41
TE Demetrius Harris: 33
TE James O’Shaughnessy: 4
Kelce took 14 snaps off which feels a little high from him. Probably a combination of the cold and the short week. Kelce’s fourth straight 100-yard game ties Tony Gonzalez for the longest streak in Chiefs history.
Running back
RB Spencer Ware: 40
FB Anthony Sherman: 24
RB Charcandrick West: 13
Big Sherm! Look at that. He played a lot (for him) against the Raiders last time around so I figured he would again. The Chiefs weren’t all that successful with the run: 27 rushes for 65 yards. So the Chiefs just can’t run anymore?
Cornerback
CB Marcus Peters: 75
CB Steven Nelson: 74
CB Terrance Mitchell: 72
CB Phillip Gaines: 1
We highlighted Terrance Mitchell and Steven Nelson earlier. They both had strong games. Phillip Gaines? Something we’ll have to ask Andy Reid about. He was healthy enough to play according to the injury report. He was a late scratch last week, too.
Safety
S Eric Berry: 75
S Ron Parker: 72
S Daniel Sorensen: 54
S Eric Murray: 1
Sorensen was playing some linebacker when Derrick Johnson went out. He and Ramik Wilson sitting there in the middle. That’s good for some packages but not all the time.
Linebacker
LB Justin Houston: 68
LB Dee Ford: 66
LB Ramik Wilson: 58
LB Derrick Johnson: 23
LB Tamba Hali: 15
LB DJ Alexander: 2
LB Frank Zombo: 1
DJ. Ramik Wilson will be a big factor in trying to replace him. As Andy Reid said after the game you don’t ever really replace DJ. The pass rush faced one of the top offensive lines in football. They don’t have the big numbers but it was a decent job. Only 15 snaps for Tamba Hali is a litle surprising. Is this what Tamba’s role looks like now that Dee ford and Justin Houston are both healthy?
Defensive line
NT Dontari Poe: 59
DE Chris Jones: 54
DE Kendall Reyes: 18
DE Jarvis Jenkins: 15
DT TJ Barnes: 11
NT Rakeem Nunez-Roches: 11
The Chiefs rotated more last week against the Falcons which paid dividends on the short week. Poe was coming in questionable. Jones had a really good game.