Arrowhead Pride
In Week 17, the Kansas City Chiefs lost 20-13 to the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day. Third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun was just one of many inexperienced players who saw an extended opportunity. Let’s look at how the Chiefs used their players in this game:
Starters (offensive): WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, TE Travis Kelce, LT Esa Pole, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Chukwuebuka Godrick, WR Jalen Royals, WR Xavier Worthy, QB Chris Oladokun and RB Isiah Pacheco.
Starters (defensive): DE George Karlaftis, DT Chris Jones, DT Mike Pennel, DE Michael Danna, LB Nick Bolton, LB Drue Tranquill, CB Kristian Fulton, CB Nohl Williams, S Bryan Cook, S Chamarri Conner and DB Jaden Hicks.
Did not play: QB Shane Buechele, T Matt Waletzko and WR Jason Brownlee.
Inactive: RB Dameon Pierce, CB Melvin Smith Jr., DE Ethan Downs, DE Tyreke Smith, OL C.J. Hanson, OL Jaylon Moore and DT Derrick Nnadi.
Early on in this game, it appeared the Chiefs had a plan to see more from two specific rookies: Wide receiver Jalen Royals and linebacker Jeff Bassa. Royals, a fourth-round pick, made his first career start, while Bassa rotated in for starting linebacker Drue Tranquill during a drive early in the second quarter.
By the end of the game, Royals played only five offensive snaps with just one featuring a route to run. Bassa flashed in his four defensive snaps, then played solely on special teams for the remainder of the evening.
It was encouraging to see the defense continue using two prominent members of last year’s draft class: cornerback Nohl Williams, who played 100% of the snaps, and defensive end Ashton Gillotte, who was on the field for a season-high 63% of the defense’s plays.
It was an undrafted member of the rookie class that stood out more than usual. Linebacker Cooper McDonald played 30% of the defensive snaps, including 47% of the run plays faced. He was the starting SAM, or the third linebacker alongside Bolton and the WILL when the defense was in base formations.
McDonald and Bassa have both been pillars of the special teams unit this season, but McDonald got the nod on defense against Denver. Bassa, a fifth-round pick, appears to be pigeonholed into the WILL position going forward.
The Chiefs had to rely on the run game to keep this game close with Oladokun under center. Last week, running back Isiah Pacheco led the backfield, but the volume of snaps flipped back to Kareem Hunt against Denver.
Hunt played 65% of the run plays, the highest rate he has experienced since the 23-20 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts. In that game, he had 30 carries for 104 rushing yards. On Christmas, Hunt actually received fewer attempts (7) than Pacheco (9), but he was still on the field more despite Pacheco’s steady ascension back into the lineup since returning from injury against the Dallas Cowboys.
With Pacheco slated to hit free agency,...
