Snap count bingo! How the KC Chiefs divvied up their Sunday playing time vs. Steelers
The Chiefs played Sunday afternoon’s home game without a few key guys, such as tight end Travis Kelce, standout rookie linebacker Nick Bolton, kicker Harrison Butker and punter Tommy Townsend.
But they didn’t allow the reserve/COVID-19 list to hinder their performance on offense, defense and special teams en route to a 36-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I thought it was a great effort by all three phases,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
Each man on the team’s 48-player game-day roster saw action and did his part to help secure the Chiefs’ sixth straight AFC West title.
Here’s how the snap counts worked out for the playoff-bound Chiefs.
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (63), Chad Henne (6)
Mahomes was on his game, picking apart the Steelers with sidearm throws and precision passes to nine different receivers. He completed 23 of 30 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns for a 135.1 passer rating.
With the game in hand in the fourth quarter, Henne entered the game in relief. After his first two snaps from center Creed Humphrey wound up on the ground (recovered by the Chiefs both times), Henne took four more without incident.
RUNNING BACKS: Darrel Williams (29, 4 on special teams), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (21), Derrick Gore (19, 10 on ST), fullback Michael Burton (13, 13 on ST)
Edwards-Helaire totaled 27 yards and a touchdown on nine carries before leaving with a collarbone injury. Williams rushed for a team-high 55 yards on 11 carries, adding three catches for 30 yards. Gore totaled 43 yards on 12 carries and hauled in three catches for 61 yards.
Burton had one carry for a 2-yard gain to convert on fourth-and-short inside the Steelers’ 5-yard line.
As a team, the Chiefs totaled 127 yards and a touchdown on 35 rushes.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Byron Pringle (55, 5 on ST), Demarcus Robinson (46, 3 on ST), Mecole Hardman (30, 3 on ST), Tyreek Hill (29), Marcus Kemp (11, 18 on ST), Josh Gordon (8)
Pringle caught six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets, averaging 12.5 yards per catch. He helped picked up the slack with Kelce inactive.
Hardman scored the Chiefs’ third touchdown of the game, snaring an 8-yard pass from Mahomes in the second quarter. He also had a punt return for 18 yards and a kickoff return for 20 yards.
Hill’s low snap count could be attributed to his Saturday activation from the reserve/COVID-19 list after he missed the entire week of practice. He still caught two passes for 19 yards, giving him a career-high 104 receptions this season with two games remaining.
Robinson caught two passes for 15 yards. Gordon was targeted three times in the game but didn’t record a catch.
Kemp made one tackle on special teams.
TIGHT ENDS: Noah Gray (50, 13 on ST), Blake Bell (25, 11 on ST), Nakia Griffin-Stewart (3)
Gray drew the start in place of Kelce and recorded two catches for 15 yards, while Bell made good on his lone target with a catch for 11 yards. The Chiefs elevated Griffin-Stewart, who wasn’t targeted in the game, from the practice squad to provide depth.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Andrew Wylie (69, 8 on ST), Trey Smith (69, 8 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (66, 8 on ST), Joe Thuney (66. 8 on ST), Creed Humphrey (66, 8 on ST), Nick Allegretti (7, 8 on ST), Austin Blythe (4), Prince Tega Wanogho (3)
The Chiefs’ front five allowed two sacks and three quarterback hits on Mahomes. But overall, the offensive line played well in both the passing game and running game.
Wylie negated the Steelers’ All-Pro pass rusher, T.J. Watt, who entered the weekend with a league-high 17.5 sacks. Watt, who was also dealing with a rib injury, played limited snaps and made just one tackle Sunday.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Tershawn Wharton (44, 3 on ST), Mike Danna (43, 5 on ST), Alex Okafor (43, 3 on ST), Derrick Nnadi (36, 3 on ST), Chris Jones (35), Melvin Ingram (29), Jarran Reed (29), Frank Clark (29)
The Chiefs’ front four dominated the trenches and disrupted the Steelers’ passing game.
Wharton had a strip-sack on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who finished 23 of 35 for 159 yards, with one touchdown with one interception, for a 73.4 passer rating. His fumble was recovered by Reed.
Clark notched a sack and a quarterback hit. Okafor also recorded a quarterback hit.
“When those guys are dominating up front, it makes our job easier,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “We can sit back and play two deep and win games like this.”
Jones and Nnadi each recorded three tackles.
LINEBACKERS: Ben Niemann (43, 18 on ST), Willie Gay Jr. (37, 2 on ST), Anthony Hitchens (32, 3 on ST), Dorian O’Daniel (22, 18 on ST)
Niemann stepped in for Bolton and produced seven tackles, second-most on the team. He also tallied an assist on special teams.
Gay and Hitchens each contributed five stops, while O’Daniel played a season-high 22 snaps on defense and recorded four tackles.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Juan Thornhill (69), Mike Hughes (60, 8 on ST), Daniel Sorensen (45, 18 on ST), L’Jarius Sneed (45, 2 on ST), Charvarius Ward (45), Tyrann Mathieu (43), Deandre Baker (27, 8 on ST), Dicaprio Bootle (27, 5 on ST), Josh Jackson (9, 8 on ST), Zayne Anderson (18 on ST)
Cornerback Rashad Fenton and safety Armani Watts each missed this game, but the Chiefs were in good hands Sunday.
Sneed, who had missed the previous two games, returned and made six tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass defensed. Ward recorded three tackles and snared a one-handed interception.
“The one-handed interception was phenomenal,” Reid said.
Mathieu had two tackles and a fumble recovery before leaving the game in the second half with a quad injury.
Bootle, promoted from the practice squad for this game with starters missing, had a team-high eight tackles. Jackson, also moved up from the practice squad, made an assist on special teams. And Anderson added a tackle on special teams, too.
SPECIALISTS: Elliott Fry (16), Johnny Townsend (10), James Winchester (10)
Fry filled in for Butker and converted three extra-points and three field goals. He missed one extra point and one field-goal attempt. Townsend punted twice for 91 yards, averaging 45.5.
INACTIVES: Tight end Travis Kelce, linebacker Nick Bolton, tackle Lucas Niang, quarterback Shane Buechele
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 9:41 AM.
