Chiefs snap counts, Week 12: Sammy Watkins makes his return

What can we learn from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 12 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs put on a show against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. There was a lot to learn from the snaps counts in this game. The team dazzled on offense and had a familiar face back in the lineup in Sammy Watkins. On defense, there were some players who saw an increase in snaps, while others saw a big decrease.

Here’s a look at how the snaps played out in Week 12:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

  • Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce both played the exact same number of snaps for the Chiefs. It’s no coincidence that these two players are on the field most often for the offense, making up the best duo of receiving weapons in football.
  • Andy Reid said that Sammy Watkins wasn’t on a pitch count in his return from injury and he wasn’t. Watkins played 57 snaps, tying Demarcus Robinson for the second-most snaps among receivers. His impact statistical impact on the game was limited, but he wasn’t, playing his typical role in the offense for the first time since his Week 5 injury.
  • Le’Veon Bell saw the most snaps of his Chiefs career with 24. He’s slowly, but surely carving out a nice role in the offense. He’s also done a good job of spelling Clyde Edwards-Helaire and keeping him fresh.
  • Mecole Hardman played in just 24 offensive snaps for Kansas City. He missed a connection with Patrick Mahomes on a play that would have been a walk-in touchdown. Had that play been made it would have helped change the perception around Hardman, but right now, he’s just not doing enough for the Chiefs.
  • 15 snaps appear to be the sweet spot for TE Deon Yelder. He’s recorded 15 offensive snaps in each of the past two games. It’s his third such game with 15 or more snaps in the last four games.
  • Juan Thornhill went from being a “situational guy” last week to being heavily used in Week 12. He played in nearly 70% of the defensive snaps for Kansas City and made a few plays. The Chiefs are still finding a way to get him comfortable in the defense in his return from injury.
  • Tershawn Wharton turned in his third-highest snap total of the 2020 season on Sunday with 43. He’s become a nice piece for the defense and has kept 2019 third-round draft pick, Khalen Saunders, a healthy scratch.
  • Tanoh Kpassagnon and Alex Okafor seemed to nearly split snaps opposite Frank Clark, playing 51% and 41% of the snaps respectively. The pass rush still seemed rather pedestrian at times, especially when the team didn’t send a blitz.
  • L’Jarius Sneed’s snaps are on the rise in his return from injury. He more than doubled his snap total from last week, with 32 snaps against the Bucs. He almost notched his third interception on the season and it seems like only a matter of time before he gets it.
  • After a monster game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11, Willie Gay Jr. received just one defensive snap in Tampa Bay. The team opted to use Ben Niemann more frequently, with 24 snaps going to the subpackage linebacker. Some of this has to do with the fact that Tampa Bay doesn’t often run personnel that requires the Chiefs’ base defense to be on the field. Still, it’s disappointing that the team has been unable to get a talent like Gay Jr. otherwise involved.
  • Niemann, Armani Watts, and Antonion Hamilton were the special teams snap leaders with 24. Marcus Kemp also had 20 special teams snaps in his first game since he joined the 53-man roster.

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