Chiefs’ snap counts vs. Bengals: Who saw increased playing time, and what does it mean?
The Chiefs suffered their third loss of the season in Week 13, falling 27-24 to the Cincinnati Bengal at Paycor Stadium.
A fourth quarter of miscues, which featured a missed 55-yard field goal, Travis Kelce’s lost fumble and being outscored 10-0, doomed the Chiefs, who have now lost three straight to the Bengals.
“We just had a couple mistakes down the stretch and when two good teams are playing each other, that takes place, and it can cost you,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “And so, that’s kind of what happened.
“Not that there weren’t plays in between there that needed to be made, likewise, but down the stretch, when you have an opportunity to potentially go up on them and make it real difficult, we can’t have these things happen that happened.”
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 9-3 and back into a tie with the Buffalo Bills (also 9-3) in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Buffalo currently owns the tie-breaker scenario because of a Week 6 win over the Chiefs, who would be the No. 2 seed if the season ended today.
Here’s how the Chiefs’ snap counts worked out in Week 13:
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (55), Chad Henne (did not play)
Mahomes’ streak of 300-yard games came to an end. He completed 16 of 27 passes for a season-low 223 yards and a touchdown, adding 9 yards rushing and a touchdown on two carries.
RUNNING BACKS: Jerick McKinnon (26, 7 on special teams), Isiah Pacheco (25, 6 on ST), Ronald Jones (3), fullback Michael Burton (3, 12 on ST)
Pacheco produced 198 all-purpose yards in the losing cause. He had 66 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries, 16 yards receiving on two catches and 116 yards on five kickoff returns.
McKinnon totaled an efficient 51 yards rushing on eight carries, averaging 6.4 yards per attempt, while adding two catches for 9 yards and a touchdown.
Jones did not record a carry or catch on his limited snaps. McKinnon and Burton each recorded a tackle on special teams.
As a team, the Chiefs totaled 138 yards rushing on 25 carries, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt.
WIDE RECEIVERS: JuJu Smith-Schuster (42), Justin Watson (34, 1 on ST), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (31), Skyy Moore (23), Cornell Powell (5 on ST)
Valdes-Scantling hauled in two catches (42 and 29 yards) on six targets.
Smith-Schuster briefly left the game in the second quarter and was evaluated in the blue medical tent, but he returned to action and finished with three catches for 35 yards.
Watson had one reception for 15 yards. Moore did not record a target but had a 12-yard run.
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (45), Noah Gray (32, 12 on ST), Jody Fortson (10, 11 on ST)
While Kelce’s fumble stands out, he had a team-high catches for 56 yards on six targets. The Bengals, for the most part, bracketed Kelce in coverage to not allow him to take over the game.
“They had a plan for him where they were going to double, in-and-out him, and take him out,” Reid explained. “Now listen, it opened up things for the other guys to be productive, but we take a lot of pride in being able to get guys open when somebody has a plan on them.”
Gray contributed a catch for 15 yards, while Fortson had one for 6 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Trey Smith (55, 5 on ST), Creed Humphrey (55, 5 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (55, 5 on ST), Andrew Wylie (55, 5 on ST), Nick Allegretti (55, 5 on ST), Lucas Niang (1, 5 on ST), Prince Tega Wanogho (5 on ST), Darian Kinnard (did not play)
The Chiefs turned to Allegretti to start at left guard for a second straight game in place of Joe Thuney, who was inactive with an ankle injury.
While the front five allowed the running game to top 100 yards rushing, there were issues in protection. Cincinnati recorded two sacks and eight quarterback hits on Mahomes.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Chris Jones (61), Frank Clark (55), Carlos Dunlap (39), Mike Danna (37, 6 on ST),George Karlaftis (33, 6 on ST), Khalen Saunders (33, 5 on ST), Derrick Nnadi (18, 6 on ST), Taylor Stallworth (10)
Jones paced the defensive line group with five tackles, but his streak of six straight games with a sack came to an end. Cincinnati’s offensive line paid close attention to the Chiefs’ sack leader and kept him away from quarterback Joe Burrow, who was sacked just once in the game.
Karlaftis produced the Chiefs’ lone sack against the Bengals and the only quarterback hit. The rookie finished the game with three tackles, including one for a loss.
Dunlap produced a defensive gem of a play to end the second quarter when he dropped Bengals receiver Trent Taylor for a 3-yard loss on a fourth-and-goal situation. Dunlap finished with four tackles.
Clark had three tackles, Saunders two and Nnadi and Stallworth one apiece.
But it was the Chiefs’ inability to bring down Burrow, who escaped pressure, that stood out Sunday.
“We got around him,” Reid said. “We just didn’t get him on the ground, which we’ve got to do a better job with.
“He has a knack for getting out of there and he did a good job, but it wasn’t that we didn’t have people around him. That wasn’t the case. The majority of the time there were people there. He just slithered underneath.”
LINEBACKERS: Nick Bolton (72, 6 on ST), Willie Gay Jr. (52, 1 on ST), Darius Harris (17, 7 on ST), Leo Chenal (6, 17 on ST), Jack Cochrane (12 on ST)
Bolton produced 16 tackles, marking a third straight game that the second-year pro has recorded double-digit takedowns in a game.
Gay had five tackles, including a tackle for a loss, and a pass defensed. Harris had a tackle and his 17 defensive snaps are the highest he’s played since Week 7.
Chenal produced a tackle on special teams.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: L’Jarius Sneed (72, 1 on ST), Trent McDuffie (72, 1 on ST), Juan Thornhill (71, 1 on ST), Justin Reid (70, 5 on ST), Joshua Williams (66, 10 on ST), Bryan Cook (8, 12 on ST), Zayne Anderson (18 on ST), Chris Lammons (17 on ST), Nazeeh Johnson (11 on ST), Jaylen Watson (did not play)
Thornhill returned to his starting spot after not playing in Week 12 and led all defensive backs with 10 tackles.
Williams had seven tackles, while Sneed and McDuffie each recorded six tackles. Reid totaled four tackles.
The Chiefs pass coverage, however, experienced issues against Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who finished the game with seven catches for 97 yards on eight targets. Chase has become a Chiefs’ killer and has 24 catches for 417 yards and four touchdowns in three career games, including the postseason, against Kansas City.
SPECIALISTS: Harrison Butker (10), Tommy Townsend (6), James Winchester (6)
Butker missed a 55-yard field goal attempt, which would’ve tied the game late in the fourth quarter. Before the miss, he made a 24-yard field goal and converted three extra points.
Townsend had one punt in the game, booming a 55-yard kick.
