Here’s how the KC Chiefs distributed playing time in Sunday’s 48-9 win vs. Raiders
The Chiefs’ 48-9 destruction of the Las Vegas Raiders was a complete game on both side of the football.
So much so that every player on the 48-player game-day roster saw action and participated in the Chiefs’ sixth straight win.
The Chiefs roared to a 7-0 lead after cornerback Mike Hughes recovered a fumble and returned it 23 yards for a score. That set the tone for the rest of the game.
Here’s how the Chiefs’ snap counts worked out against the Raiders.
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (62), Chad Henne (4)
Mahomes didn’t have to worry about dropped passes in Week 14.
He completed 20 of 24 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns for a 139.2 passer rating. The impressive outing came a week after he posted a career-low 57.3 passer rating. Mahomes added 20 yards rushing on four carries.
With his 258 passing yards, Mahomes now has 17,794 in his career to move past Alex Smith (17,608) for the third most in team history.
Henne entered the game late and took the kneel-downs.
RUNNING BACKS: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (23), Darrel Williams (23, 3 on special teams), Derrick Gore (20, 9 on ST), fullback Michael Burton (5, 12 on ST)
Edwards-Helaire rushed for 37 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, while Williams chipped in with 39 total yards (31 receiving).
Both players eventually gave way in the second half to Gore, who rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Gore, whose touchdown came on a 51-yard run up the middle, added two catches for 23 yards.
As a team, the Chiefs pounded the Raiders to the tune of 132 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Tyreek Hill (44), Byron Pringle (40, 6 on ST), Demarcus Robinson (30), Josh Gordon (24), Mecole Hardman (23, 4 on ST), Marcus Kemp (4, 18 on ST)
Hill recorded four catches for 76 yards on four targets, averaging a healthy 19 yards per catch. Hill now has 1,030 yards receiving for the 2021 season, giving him his fourth 1,000-yard campaign.
Hardman contributed two catches for 59 yards, including a 44-yard catch in the first half. Pringle had one catch for 28 yards, while Gordon made two catches for 9 yards and a touchdown, his first in a Chiefs uniform, on three targets.
Kemp recorded an assist on special teams.
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (49), Blake Bell (22, 10 on ST), Noah Gray (22, 24 on ST)
Kelce and Hill had a team-high four targets each, and the All-Pro tight end finished with three catches for 27 yards. Bell and Gray were not targeted.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Orlando Brown Jr. (66, 8 on ST), Trey Smith (66, 8 on ST), Andrew Wylie (62, 8 on ST), Joe Thuney (62), Creed Humphrey (62, 7 on ST), Nick Allegretti (5, 8 on ST), Lucas Niang (4, 8 on ST), Austin Blythe (4, 1 on ST)
Niang (ribs) was active for the first time since Week 9. He assumed a backup role and got in the game late when the Chiefs started pulling their starters. Wylie drew a fourth straight start at right tackle.
The Chiefs’ front five allowed three sacks on Mahomes and four quarterback hits.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Jarran Reed (43), Chris Jones (39), Melvin Ingram (37), Frank Clark (36), Tershawn Wharton (27, 2 on ST), Alex Okafor (26, 2 on ST), Mike Danna (26, 2 on ST), Derrick Nnadi (18, 2 on ST)
The defensive line played a large role Sunday, tallying four sacks and 11 quarterback hits on Derek Carr, who also lost a fumble after getting drilled by Okafor. Okafor had 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits in the game.
Clark paced the furious pass rush with four quarterback hits and split a sack with Wharton. Jones and Ingram combined for a sack.
“The defensive line, I thought the pressure they applied up front was just top-notch,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Derek (Carr) could never quite get comfortable back there throwing the ball. That makes everybody’s job just a little bit easier.”
Reed forced the fumble that Hughes recovered for a touchdown, and added four tackles.
LINEBACKERS: Willie Gay Jr. (33), Nick Bolton (28, 1 on ST), Anthony Hitchens (22, 2 on ST), Ben Niemann (17, 18 on ST), Dorian O’Daniel (18 on ST)
Bolton paced the paced the position group with six tackles, while Gay contributed five stops. Hitchens recorded a tackle, and Niemann tallied a tackle on defense and special teams.
As a group, the linebackers helped hold the Raiders’ ground attack to 44 yards on 12 carries, an average of 3.7 yards per carry.
O’Daniel recorded a tackle on special teams.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Mike Hughes (63, 11 on ST), Juan Thornhill (63), Daniel Sorensen (57, 8 on ST), Tyrann Mathieu (47), Charvarius Ward (47, 2 on ST), Rashad Fenton (35), Deandre Baker (16, 13 on ST), Armani Watts (13, 18 on ST), Josh Jackson (18 on ST)
Filling in for L’Jarius Sneed, Hughes turned in a monster game with a team-high nine tackles, a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown and two forced fumbles on all defensive snaps.
Mathieu played a lot inside, including at the slot, and recorded five tackles, an interception, a pass defensed and a fumble recovery.
Watts saw time on defense as the game progressed and was robbed of a potential touchdown after officials ruled a player was down by contact on a fumble dead. A review overturned the call in the field. Watts finished the game with three tackles and was credited with the fumble recovery.
Fenton made his return to action after missing Week 13 with a knee injury, and finished with four tackles.
SPECIALISTS: Harrison Butker (17), Tommy Townsend (9), James Winchester (9)
Butker made all six extra-point attempts and connected on two field goals, including one from 54 yards. He now has six field goals of 50 or more yards in 2021, adding to his team single season record.
Townsend punted once in the game and it went for 52 yards.
INACTIVES: Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, offensive lineman Kyle Long, offensive lineman Prince Tega Wanagho, rookie cornerback Dicaprio Bootle, rookie quarterback Shane Buechele.
