KC Chiefs’ snap counts: Here’s who saw more action in Week 10’s 41-14 win at Raiders
After winning ugly the past two games, the Chiefs snapped out of it and secured an emphatic 41-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10.
And they did it with a complete football game.
“It was good to see all three phases contribute,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “There were a lot of contributors in the game.”
Offensively, the Chiefs snapped out of a funk by producing 519 total yards, averaging 6.8 yards per play.
Defensively, the Chiefs limited the Raiders to 299 total yards. The 14 points allowed marked the third straight game that the Chiefs have held an opponent to less than 20.
On special teams, kicker Harrison Butker converted two of three field-goal attempts and all of his extra-point attempts.
Most importantly, the Sunday night win improved the Chiefs’ record to 6-4 and gave them the lead in the AFC West.
Here’s how the Chiefs’ snap counts were divided against the Raiders.
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (73), Chad Henne (3)
Mahomes broke out of his personal slump in a big way.
He connected on 35 of 50 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions to post a 127.6 passer rating, snapping a streak of five straight games with a rating below 91.0.
Mahomes’ arm also accounted for six of the Chiefs’ seven explosive plays of 20 yards or more. Two resulted in touchdowns: a 38-yard catch and run by running back Darrel Williams and a 22-yard strike to wide receiver Byron Pringle.
Henne replaced Mahomes late in the game with the Chiefs in victory formation.
RUNNING BACKS: Darrel Williams (45, 2 on special teams), Jerick McKinnon (20, 11 on ST), Derrick Gore (11, 3 on ST), fullback Michael Burton (7, 13 on ST)
Williams totaled 144 yards (101 receiving) and a touchdown to pace the Chiefs’ backfield. Williams’ use in the receiving game was a bonus as he hauled in nine catches on nine targets.
McKinnon chipped in with 26 yards rushing, while Gore added 19.
As a team, the Chiefs totaled 94 yards rushing on 25 carries.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Tyreek Hill (56), Byron Pringle (46, 8 on ST), Josh Gordon (33), Demarcus Robinson (26), Mecole Hardman (24, 1 on ST), Marcus Kemp (4, 20 on ST)
Hill was busy in the end zone, scoring twice, and hauled in seven catches for 83 yards on 10 targets. His two-touchdown evening marked the 12th multi-TD game of his career.
Pringle tallied four catches for 46 yards and a touchdown; Robinson had three catches for 23 yards; and Hardman hauled in two catches for 27 yards.
Kemp recorded a tackle on special teams and made one catch for 16 yards.
Gordon wasn’t targeted despite seeing 33 offensive snaps, but he is helping out in ways that don’t show up in the box score.
“Right now, he’s attracting attention, which is opening up other people, which is a positive thing,” Reid said. “His blocking has been tremendous in the run game He plays extremely hard. He’s got himself in the last week or two here in really good football shape.”
Reid said he’s urged Gordon to remain patient, that his time will come.
“He’s been out of this thing for a couple years, so that’s easier said than done, and I sure like what we saw in practice last week,” Reid said. “I just keep telling him to be patient, it’s going to happen, just keep doing what you’re doing, this thing will pop for you.”
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (58), Noah Gray (25, 26 on ST), Blake Bell (24, 11 on ST)
Kelce had eight catches for 119 yards on 10 targets. The Raiders had no answer for how to defend the All-Pro tight end, especially on third down. Sunday marked Kelce’s franchise-leading 28th game with 100 or more receiving yards.
Gray secured his first career touchdown, while Bell wasn’t targeted.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Trey Smith (76, 8 on ST), Andrew Wylie (76, 8 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (73, 8 on ST), Joe Thuney (73, 8), Creed Humphrey (73, 8 on ST), Nick Allegretti (4, 8 on ST), Austin Blythe (3), Prince Tega Wanogho (3)
The Chiefs’ offensive line stonewalled the Raiders’ potent pass rush, keeping Mahomes relatively clean. He was not sacked.
“Pat (Mahomes) had a nice day, which means the offensive line had a nice day,” Reid said.
Wylie turned in a notable performance after drawing the start because Mike Remmers (knee, injured reserve) and rookie Lucas Niang (ribs, inactive) were out. Wylie faced a difficult task against Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, but he held his own.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Frank Clark (36), Chris Jones (33), Tershawn Wharton (29, 2 on ST), Jarran Reed (27), Derrick Nnadi (24, 2 on ST), Mike Danna (24, 2 on ST), Alex Okafor (22, 2 on ST), Melvin Ingram (21)
The defensive front helped shut down the Raiders’ ground attack, limiting running back Josh Jacobs, who has feasted on the Chiefs in the past, to just 16 yards on seven carries.
Quarterback Derek Carr led the Raiders in rushing with 18 yards on three carries.
Reed and Nnadi each recorded a sack while Jones tallied a quarterback hit.
“Our front I thought kept pressure on both the run game and the pass game with some penetration there,” Reid said. “We did a nice job of moving around, and a lot of people had a chance to contribute.”
LINEBACKERS: Willie Gay Jr. (29), Ben Niemann (25, 20 on ST), Anthony Hitchens (22, 2 on ST), Nick Bolton (19, 2), Dorian O’Daniel (20 on ST)
For the second straight week, the Chiefs went with Hitchens, Gay and Bolton as their starters in the 4-3 base scheme.
Hitchens paced the group with five tackles, while Bolton and Gay each had four. Bolton also recorded a tackle for a loss.
Niemann saw a lot of action as the Chiefs utilized nickel sub-packages against the Raiders’ multiple-receiver sets. He recorded two tackles.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Juan Thornhill (52), Rashad Fenton (43, 12 on ST), L’Jarius Sneed (41, 5 on ST), Tyrann Mathieu (37), Daniel Sorensen (27, 8 on ST), Charvarius Ward (27), Mike Hughes (26, 15 on ST), Armani Watts (17, 18 on ST), Chris Lammons (13, 20 on ST)
Sneed continues to shine in his second season and made six sure-handed tackles, including one for a loss, and a quarterback hit.
“His tackling I thought was spot-on,” Reid said. “Just big singled-up tackles in space, which is one of the toughest things to do, and I thought he did a nice job with that.”
Watts saw more playing time with the Chiefs holding a big lead as the game progressed. The Chiefs rotated in numerous players, such as Lammons, and pulled back the playing time for some starters, including Mathieu.
Mathieu still contributed four tackles, as did Thornhill. Fenton and Lammons each recorded three, and Fenton forced a fumble by punching the ball away from Raiders receiver DeSean Jackson.
The much-maligned Sorensen quieted his critics, at least for one night, by recording an interception and a pass defensed.
SPECIALISTS: Harrison Butker (16), Tommy Townsend (10), James Winchester (10)
Butker converted five extra-point attempts and made two of his three field-goal tries.
With the offense firing on all cylinders, Townsend wasn’t needed much. He punted just once for 42 yards.
INACTIVES
Tackle Lucas Niang (ribs), defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (knee), cornerback Deandre Baker, tight end Daniel Brown
