Chiefs snap counts, Week 2: Rookies continue to see time

What can we learn from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 2 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in a slugfest of a game during Week 2.

The team was already missing several key players going into Week 2 and lost several during the course of the game. Rookies and untested players were asked to step up and they did so on the way to a Week 2 victory.

Here’s how the snaps shook out in Week 2:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

  • Travis Kelce nearly played all of the offensive snaps for Kansas City. He played a single snap on defense in hail mary defense to close out the first half.
  • The Chiefs had a new No. 2 receiver this week, at least in terms of snaps. Mecole Hardman had the second-most snaps this week. Sammy Watkins exited the game with an injury, so it’s not surprising to see the uptick in snaps. He caught two passes for 30 yards on just three targets, he also had a crucial two-point conversion to tie the game.
  • Clyde Edwards-Helaire remains the workhorse back in Kansas City by a mile. He had 62% of the offensive snaps for the Chiefs, while the next closest running back, Darwin Thompson, had just 19% of the offensive snaps. Darrel Williams left the game with an injury after just 10 snaps.
  • Tyrann Mathieu continued to be the snap leader on defense, playing in every single defensive snap. He was followed by L’Jarius Sneed, Juan Thornhill and Rashad Fenton, who all played in 99% of the defensive snaps.
  • Linebackers Damien Wilson and Anthony Hitchens both left the game briefly due to injury, opening up the opportunity for rookie Willie Gay Jr. to make his defensive debut. He played in just six defensive snaps and didn’t really flash there. He did however have a big play on one of his 18 special teams snaps.
  • Mike Danna built on his Week 1 performance, playing in nearly 50% of the defensive snaps in Week 2. He notched the first sack of his career as a member of the Chiefs and had a number of impressive plays.
  • Tershawn Wharton increased his Week 2 snap count, playing in 25 defensive snaps and six special teams. It’s not quite the workload increase that was expected with Khalen Saunders on injured reserve. He’ll likely take a back seat as Mike Pennel returns in Week 3.
  • Taco Charlton made his defensive debut playing in 27% of the team’s defensive snaps. He backed up Frank Clark, who left the game with an illness after playing in 43% of the defensive snaps. During those snaps, he notched his first sack as a member of the Chiefs.
  • Armani Watts and Dorian O’Daniel led the way with 22 special teams snaps apiece.
  • BoPete Keyes, despite an injury to Antonio Hamilton, didn’t play a single defensive snap on Sunday. In his NFL debut, he played on just six special teams snaps.

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