Chiefs snap counts, divisional round: Darrel Williams takes over the backfield

What can we learn from the Kansas City Chiefs’ divisional round snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs overcame adversity to defeat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The snap counts showed us a few things about this team heading into the AFC Championship Game, namely that this team is deeper than it appears at a number of positions.

Here’s a look at how the snaps came down this week:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

  • Chiefs starting QB Patrick Mahomes played in 48 of 68 possible offensive snaps before exiting the game with a concussion. Mahomes was replaced by backup QB Chad Henne, who only needed 20 offensive snaps to seal the victory for Kansas City.
  • Darrel Williams didn’t just get the start on Sunday, he took over the backfield, leading the rest of the running back group by over 40 snaps. Le’Veon Bell only saw 11 snaps while Darwin Thompson only played on special teams. It’ll be interesting to see how the snaps work when Clyde Edwards-Helaire is healthy and returns to the mix.
  • Demarcus Robinson (48) and Mecole Hardman (47) saw practically an even split in snaps with Sammy Watkins sidelined with a calf injury. Even Byron Pringle (32) played a good amount. They used a village to replace Watkins’ presence and it seemed to work out just fine, but it was a departure from the norm.
  • Ricky Seals-Jones only saw four snaps on the day. Nick Keizer seemed to be the one picking up most of the slack with Deon Yelder placed on the injured reserve list with a groin injury.
  • Bashaud Breeland played 55 snaps before exiting the game with a concussion.
  • L’Jarius Sneed continues to be a big part of what the Chiefs do defensively. He played 50 snaps, including some snaps on the perimeter once Breeland left with an injury.
  • Alex Okafor (32) continues to see more snaps than starter Tanoh Kpassagnon (30). It feels like we could see him draw a start before the postseason is over.
  • Mike Pennel didn’t see much of an increase in his snaps against a run-heavy team with just 14 snaps on the day. The Chiefs seemed to opt for more Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton instead.
  • Anthony Sherman and Nick Keizer led the team in special teams snaps with 16. A total of 11 players only played special teams snaps.

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