One more look back: How the KC Chiefs distributed playing time in loss to Bengals
The Chiefs needed their A-game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.
Instead, 10 penalties, a key dropped pass shortly before halftime and a leaky pass-coverage unit of defense resulted in a less-than-stellar performance and 34-31 defeat.
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 11-5 and a tie with the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 AFC seed in the postseason with one regular=season game remaining. In the event the two teams finish the season with identical records, the Titans own the tiebreaker because of their Week 7 win over the Chiefs.
Here’s how the snap counts worked out for the Chiefs against the Bengals.
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (61), Chad Henne (did not play)
Mahomes had an efficient outing, leading the Chiefs to four scoring drives in five first-half possessions.
He finished the game completing 26 of 35 yards for 259 yards and two touchdowns for a 113.9 passer rating, connecting with 10 different receivers in the loss. Mahomes twice averted disaster as potential interceptions were dropped by Bengals cornerbacks.
RUNNING BACKS: Darrel Williams (49), Derrick Gore (8), Jerick McKinnon (5, 12 on ST), fullback Michael Burton (6, 15 on ST)
Williams picked up the slack in Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s absence and took full advantage of the featured role. Williams totaled 88 yards rushing, his most for a single game, on 12 carries, averaging 6.3 yards per attempt. He scored twice and finished the game with 107 total yards (19 receiving).
Gore made the most of his limited snaps by rushing for 37 yards on three carries, adding a catch for 8 yards.
McKinnon, who made his return from injured reserve, didn’t record a carry and wasn’t targeted in the passing game. Burton totaled one carry for a 2-yard gain, which converted a first down.
As a team, the Chiefs totaled 155 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 23 carries, averaging a healthy 6.7 yards per attempt.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Tyreek Hill (52), Demarcus Robinson (39, 1 on ST), Byron Pringle (29, 8 on ST), Mecole Hardman (19, 2 on ST), Josh Gordon (12), Marcus Kemp (3, 23 on ST)
Hill led the Chiefs in receiving with six catches for 40 yards on a team-high 10 targets but dropped what would’ve been a 64-yard gain to put the Chiefs in scoring position near the end of the first half.
With six receptions, Hill established a new single-season franchise record for receptions with 110 catches, topping Travis Kelce’s previous mark of 105 catches set in 2020.
Robinson had two catches for 33 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 29-yard pass from Mahomes. Pringle tallied three catches for 35 yards; Hardman snared a pass for 53 yards; and Gordon had a catch for 5 yards.
Kemp was targeted once on offense but didn’t record a catch.
Hardman had one punt return for 29 yards. Pringle had four kickoff returns for 96 yards, and had one kickoff return for a touchdown called back on a holding penalty against rookie safety Zayne Anderson.
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (48), Blake Bell (24, 11 on ST), Noah Gray (10, 20 on ST)
Kelce snared five passes for 25 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. The All-Pro tight end now has 700 career catches, becoming the seventh tight end in NFL history to achieve the mark.
Bell had three catches for 35 yards and converted a first down on a sneak after taking going in motion and lining up under the center to take the snap.
Gray recorded a catch for 6 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Andrew Wylie (61, 5 on ST), Trey Smith (61, 5 on ST), Joe Thuney (61, 5 on ST), Creed Humphrey (61, 5 on ST), Nick Allegretti (55, 5 on ST), Lucas Niang (6), Austin Blythe (1, 5 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (did not play)
The Chiefs were forced the shuffle their offensive line before the game even started, when Brown hurt his calf while warming up. Niang started at left tackle in place of Brown, but then he suffered a season-ending patella injury early in the game and had to come out.
With their options dwindling, the Chiefs moved Thuney from left guard to left tackle and put Allegretti at left guard.
Despite not taking any practice repetitions at tackle during the week, Thuney held his own against Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who entered the game with 14.5 sacks. Hendrickson didn’t record a single tackle or sack, but recorded two quarterback hits.
The offensive line kept the Bengals’ aggressive pass rush away from Mahomes, who wasn’t sacked in the game.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Chris Jones (55), Frank Clark (50), Melvin Ingram (49), Jarran Reed (47, 1 on ST), Tershawn Wharton (24, 7 on ST), Alex Okafor (21, 6 on ST), Mike Danna (20, 9 on ST), Derrick Nnadi (20, 7 on ST)
Jones was a one-man wrecking crew from his interior spot, totaling four tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hits on Joe Burrow. Clark and Reed each recorded a sack.
Reed and Ingram each recorded two quarterback hits, while Clark, Okafor and Danna had one.
LINEBACKERS: Anthony Hitchens (47, 6 on ST), Willie Gay Jr. (47), Nick Bolton (27, 4 on ST), Ben Niemann (17, 25 on ST), Dorian O’Daniel (23 on ST)
Hitchens produced a team-high nine tackles and helped in run support to limit Bengals rusher Joe Mixon to 46 yards on 12 carries.
Bolton recorded four takedowns; Gay chipped in with two tackles; and Niemann tallied a solo tackle.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Tyrann Mathieu (70), L’Jarius Sneed (67, 3 on ST), Charvarius Ward (67, 1 on ST), Juan Thornhill (58), Rashad Fenton (53), Daniel Sorensen (30, 18 on ST), Mike Hughes (1, 15 on ST), Armani Watts (23 on ST), Zayne Anderson (17 on ST)
Burrow went off: 446 yards passing and four touchdowns with a 148.0 passer rating. His favorite target, rookie standout wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, made 11 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets.
Two of Chase’s touchdowns came from long distance, the first from 72 yards and the second from 69 yards.
The Chiefs’ coverage had no answer for Chase. Locked up in one-on-one coverage with Ward, the Bengals’ rookie star caught a 30-yard pass on a third-and-27 play. Ward was also on the bad end of coverage during Chase’s 18-yard touchdown catch.
SPECIALISTS: Harrison Butker (11), Tommy Townsend (8), James Winchester (8)
Butker was good on four extra-point attempts and made a 34-yard field goal.
Townsend punted three times for 108 yards, averaging 36 yards per attempt. One of the punts landed inside the Bengals’ 20-yard line.
INACTIVES: Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder), offensive lineman Kyle Long, tackle Prince Tega Wanogho, cornerback Deandre Baker, quarterback Shane Buechele
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
