Chiefs-Ravens: Making sense of snap counts

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 33-28 on Sunday. Let’s take a look at how Chiefs players contributed to the victory.

Starters (offensive): WR Demarcus Robinson, LT Cameron Erving, LG Andrew Wylie, C Austin Reiter, RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, RT Mitchell Schwartz, TE Travis Kelce, WR Sammy Watkins, QB Patrick Mahomes, RB LeSean McCoy and TE Blake Bell.

Starters (defensive): LDE Alex Okafor, RDT Chris Jones, LDT Derrick Nnadi, RDE Frank Clark, LB Anthony Hitchens, LB Damien Wilson, RCB Charvarius Ward, LCB Bashaud Breeland, CB Kendall Fuller, FS Juan Thornhill and SS Tyrann Mathieu.

Did not play: QB Matt Moore.

Inactive: WR Tyreek Hill, RB Damien Williams, T Greg Senat, T Eric Fisher, G Nick Allegretti, T Martinas Rankin and DT Khalen Saunders.

Editor’s Note: Arrowhead Pride obtains snap count data from the NFL’s game stats and information system, which allows us to break out snap counts by run or pass on offensive and defensive plays. Because GSIS data ignores plays that were nullified by penalties, total offensive and defensive snap counts will vary from other sources, which get their data from NFL Gamebooks

Offensive takeaways

• Rookie WR Mecole Hardman was fourth in offensive snaps for skill-position players (39), but he made the most of his limited time, leading the Chiefs in receiving yards with 97.
• A similar result for RB LeSean McCoy, who left the game early when his ankle flared up and was out-snapped by RB Darrel Williams, 35-24. Rookie RB Darwin Thompson came on for five offensive plays.
• LG Andrew Wylie needed only two plays off when he injured himself near the end of the first quarter — those plays went to Jeff Allen at left guard.

Defensive takeaways

• Only one iron man this week — S Tyrann Mathieu, who was on the field for 100 percent of the team’s defensive plays (81). CB Bashaud Breeland, CB Charvarius Ward and S Juan Thornhill all were on the field for more than 90 percent of the time.
• DL Emmanuel Ogbah needed only 36 defensive plays to hit QB Lamar Jackson three times.
• DL Derrick Nnadi (42) continues to share time with DL Xavier Williams (36).
• The Chiefs can’t control what the Ravens call on offense, but it is notable that Nnadi and Williams were in for more run plays than pass plays, while DL Tanoh Kpassagnon and Ogbah were the opposite.
• LB Reggie Ragland, active for the first game this season, only saw three plays.

Special teams takeaways

• The special-teams aces for the Chiefs were LB Ben Niemann, LB Dorian O’Daniel, FB Anthony Sherman and S Daniel Sorensen — all were on the field for 21 special-teams plays (78 percent).
• Ragland played seven special-teams snaps in his return to the lineup.