Arrowhead Pride
After being eliminated from postseason contention, the offseason effectively began for the Kansas City Chiefs with a 14–12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The regular-season finale was ugly throughout — and with multiple starters sidelined, there was little to take away from the game itself.
While the Raiders resembled a junior-varsity version of their usual porous roster, Kansas City still suited up a handful of young players who project as future contributors.
Let’s consider what we saw from three of them.
Kansas City let its rookie running back finish the season on a high note — and he delivered his best performance of the year. Smith carried 12 times for 56 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt while flashing improvement throughout the game.
The Chiefs have lacked explosion in the running game all season — and although Smith did not break a run longer than 14 yards, he showed cutback ability and burst that Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have not consistently provided.
On this snap, the Chiefs want to run zone right with Smith. The play is not particularly well-blocked on the front side — and the Raiders are playing with outside contain. Smith recognizes this and hesitates in the backfield, which allows Kingsley Suamataia and Esa Pole enough time to generate movement on the back side of the zone.
Following that movement, Smith makes a sharp cut. Then — using good vision — he picks up yards on a play that initially appeared destined to fail.
The Chiefs have lacked a back with the ability to create yards all season, especially when a play isn’t perfectly blocked. Smith will be on the team in 2026, and he should be able to help fix this issue. The Chiefs will likely add to the running back room during free agency or the NFL draft, but Smith’s combination of agility and burst will still be needed — and utilized.
The rookie cornerback capped an impressive season with a strong showing against the Raiders. He finished with six tackles, a sack and two pass breakups as he continued to establish himself as a core piece of the secondary.
General manager Brett Veach has consistently drafted productive cornerbacks, and Williams appears poised to be his next success story. Throughout the season, he showed sticky man coverage ability, strong ball skills and a willingness to tackle.
Here, Williams is matched one-on-one against Raiders receiver Tre Tucker, an underrated player in an otherwise struggling offense. Tucker relies on quickness to create separation and work back to the football. Williams — despite being the larger defender — runs stride for stride downfield, stays tight at the break, and shuts down Tucker’s comeback.
Williams then uses his size advantage to knock the ball away, forcing an incompletion.
Williams proved to be a versatile defender for the Chiefs in 2025. He was able to cover both larger and smaller wide receivers while still demonstrating a nose for the football....
