KC Chiefs Week 12 Snap Counts vs. Raiders: Leveling Off

Taking a closer look at how Kansas City divvied up its snaps in a big Week 12 win against the Raiders.

Week 12 is in the books for the Kansas City Chiefs, with Andy Reid's squad rising to 8-3 on the season with a big win on Sunday.

In the victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on the road, Kansas City saw several players step up and take advantage of their opportunities. The Chiefs scored 31 points in the game, all coming over the course of the outing's final three quarters. Following a rough start on both ends, the offense and defense leveled off and were able to deliver winning performances in the end. The same could be said for some of the workloads doled out to players.

Now that snap counts have been released, what jumped off the page? Let's take a look at three notable takeaways from another week of Chiefs football.

A pared-down wide receiver rotation

The Chiefs' wide receiver room had as many as seven or even eight notable names entering the year, which was pitched as a good problem to have and a bad thing for opposing defenses. Over time, though, it became quite apparent that having that many cooks in the kitchen was a troublesome thing for Kansas City's offense. Entering Week 12, Mecole Hardman (thumb, placed on injured reserve) and Kadarius Toney (hip) were ruled out. That left the door open for others to step in and make an impact, but the Chiefs instead were mostly consistent with a primary rotation of four players.

As expected, rookie Rashee Rice led the wideout room with 40 snaps. That was good for 67% of those available, followed by Justin Watson and Skyy Moore (both at 34 snaps). Veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling brought up the final part of the quartet, logging a season-low 32 snaps on Sunday. Rice had his best game of the season and Moore had one of his better efforts, making the most of their time on the field. As the Chiefs move forward, perhaps they've finally pared things down a bit. If that's the case, it spells good news for development on offense. 

More evenly distributed interior defensive line reps

The Chiefs' defensive line is always an interesting picture to piece together, as Chris Jones is the unquestioned leader of the interior but multiple defensive ends are capable of kicking inside as needed. That naturally leads to some fluctuation for players like Derrick Nnadi, Matt Dickerson and Tershawn Wharton. In Week 12, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive line coach Joe Cullen implemented one of their more balanced plans for those three players.

For the second time in three weeks, Nnadi saw the field fewer than 25 times for less than 40% of available reps. Wharton logged under 20 snaps for the second time in a row, and Dickerson got double-digit snaps once again. This version of the Chiefs' defensive front is versatile and flexible, allowing for everyone to remain fresh. Since Charles Omenihu has returned from suspension in Week 7, Kansas City's supporting pieces on the inside are falling in line nicely.

Checking in on the Chiefs' 2023 rookie class

The Chiefs got tremendous contributions from their 2022 rookie class, which in turn didn't leave a ton of room for this year's first-year crop to make a profound impact. Of the seven drafted rookies who entered the fold back in April, only Rice has risen to the top and emerged as a borderline franchise cornerstone. BJ Thompson is a routine healthy scratch, Keondre Coburn is back on the practice squad and Nic Jones is a special teams piece. A few other rookies did see the field some on Sunday, though.

Due to an injury to Donovan Smith in the second half, rookie Wanya Morris stepped in and played five offensive snaps in the third quarter. The third-rounder left the game once Smith returned from battling his stinger, but he looked competent when on the field. Fourth-round cornerback/safety Chamarri Conner got double-digit defensive snaps for the third week in a row, also topping 20 snaps on special teams to extend his same streak. The most notable rookie was first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who logged only three snaps and continues to not see the field a ton. A lot of that can be chalked up to supreme defensive line depth, however. 

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