Arrowhead Pride
With AFC positioning at stake on Sunday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs recorded a 22-19 road loss to the Denver Broncos.
Let’s look at how Kansas City used its players.
Starters (offensive): WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, TE Travis Kelce, LT Josh Simmons, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor, WR Xavier Worthy, WR Rashee Rice, QB Patrick Mahomes and RB Kareem Hunt.
Starters (defensive): DE George Karlaftis, DL Jerry Tillery, DT Chris Jones, LB Leo Chenal, LB Nick Bolton, LB Drue Tranquill, DB Trent McDuffie, CB Jaylen Watson, CB Christian Roland-Wallace, S Bryan Cook and S Chamarri Conner.
Did not play: QB Gardner Minshew.
Inactive: CB Joshua Williams, RB Isiah Pacheco, WR Jalen Royals, TE Jared Wiley and OL Hunter Nourzad.
The availability of every Chiefs’ wide receiver has pushed receiver Tyquan Thornton down the depth chart — especially since wide receiver Rashee Rice returned in Week 7. In Denver, Rice and Xavier Worthy led the wide receivers by playing 76% of the offensive snaps. Hollywood Brown played 43% of snaps, while JuJu Smith-Schuster was on the field for 34% of the time. Thornton ranked fifth with 23%.
Kansas City ran 48 pass plays against the Broncos; Thornton had the fifth-fewest snaps (14) at his position. He ended the game with fewer targets (2) than the three primary receivers, but led the room in receiving yards with 61 on one catch. The rest of the group combined for 103 yards over 18 targets.
Thornton was on the field for 29% of the Chiefs’ pass plays, the lowest rate in any game this season outside of the Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders.
Even after the bye week, Thornton is still just a role player — even though he looks the part of a receiver that should run more routes and see more passes. The 61-yard reception against Denver was a major play that helped keep the Chiefs alive late in the game — and on an earlier target, he was inches away from a long reception that fell incomplete.
Starting running back Isiah Pacheco missed the Week 11 contest in Denver. The Chiefs handled his absence differently than in Week 9’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. Behind running back Kareem Hunt in the lead role, Elijah Mitchell was active on gameday for the first time this season; rookie running back Brashard Smith continued to man a niche role in the offense.
The different approach did nothing but increase the reliance on Hunt: he was on the field for every running play called. His rate on passing plays was slightly reduced, which is how Mitchell collected five snaps.
In his debut, the Chiefs did not call one running play for Mitchell. In his prime with the San Francisco 49ers, Mitchell showed an ability to generate explosive runs. Why hasn’t he been given that opportunity in Kansas City?
In Denver, defensive back Christian Roland-Wallace continued his...
