Chiefs snap counts, Week 7: Le’Veon Bell makes his debut

What can we learn from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 7 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs notched an important win over the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 7. It extended their winning streak against Denver to 10 games. It also gave them a comfortable lead in the AFC West rankings. It was an awkward day on offense for Kansas City, but the team had great contributions on defense and special teams. Can the snaps tell us something about why that is?

Here’s how the snaps played out in Week 7:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

  • The snap split between Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell wasn’t equal in Week 7. Edwards-Helaire received 10 more snaps to Bell. I’d expect that to be closer to equal if not a little more lopsided in Week 8 against the New York Jets, who are Bell’s old team.
  • Despite a hot start to the game, Mecole Hardman played in just 22 snaps on offense. He also matched his season-low snap total on special teams with Byron Pringle emerging at kick returner.
  • Nick Keizer and Deon Yelder both had very similar snap counts and yielded similar results. I think that upgrading at TE2 would be a wise choice for the Chiefs moving forward.
  • Darrel Williams had just one offensive snap on the day. He seems to be relegated to third-string duties behind Edwards-Helaire and Bell.
  • Chad Henne, DeAndre Washington, Marcus Kemp all received 10 snaps in garbage time when the game was essentially wrapped up. Byron Pringle played WR opposite Kemp as well, but he also saw some repetitions with the starters.
  • An interesting note about substitutions on offense, the Chiefs left in every starter on the offensive line with the exception of Daniel Kilgore. I’d think they would want to get snaps for guys like Yasir Durant and Danny Isidora. Instead, they put in Austin Reiter for 10 snaps, further emphasizing his demotion.
  • Willie Gay Jr. saw the most defensive snaps he’s seen all season with 39 snaps. He had a pair of passes defended and flowed to the football very well, looking the part of a starter on defense.
  • Tershawn Wharton also saw the most defensive snaps of his young career with 47. It was surprising given the return of Khalen Saunders. He notched a key forced fumble during the game and seems to be improving steadily.
  • Armani Watts and BoPete Keyes both saw eight snaps on defense as key substitutions.
  • Antonio Hamilton, Armani Watts and Dorian O’Daniel led the way on special teams with 22 snaps a piece.

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