Chiefs snap counts, Week 8: Henne and the Jets

What can we learn from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 8 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs notched their seventh victory of the season against the New York Jets on Sunday. It went just as everyone expected, with the Chiefs amassing a comfortable lead heading into the fourth quarter. That allowed an opportunity for backup QB Chad Henne and several reserve players to get some snaps for the second consecutive week. So what did we learn about the Chiefs from the snaps in this game?

Here’s a look at how the snaps played out in Week 8:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

  • There was a much better balance to offensive and defensive snaps this week compared to last week.
  • Eric Fisher and Mike Remmers are the only offensive linemen who played 100% of the offensive snaps. Yasir Durant, Austin Reiter and Danny Isidora relieved the interior offensive line for a whole two snaps.
  • Chad Henne was in the game for 12 snaps, sending Patrick Mahomes to the bench after the lead was well-secured. He didn’t get the touchdown this week, but he burnt quite a bit of clock.
  • Le’Veon Bell played in just 17 snaps against his former team. So much for a “revenge game.” The game flow didn’t really call for a large portion of snaps from the running game, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the field for just 50% of the offensive snaps.
  • Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle had more snaps than Demarcus Robinson this week. Each of the three receivers has stepped up in various ways in the absence of Sammy Watkins, yet it’s good to see some of the newer guys getting more play and thriving.
  • Deon Yelder and Nick Keizer have their second week of a near 50-50 split in terms of snaps. It seems that they’re both being utilized in different formations. Keizer seems to play with more horizontal blocking, while Yelder plays with more North-South stuff.
  • Tershawn Wharton played 31 defensive snaps and is carving out a nice little role for himself on defense. He notched his first career sack on Sam Darnold in Week 8.
  • Mike Danna played in 25 snaps in his return from a hamstring injury. He didn’t look quite as explosive in pursuit this week, but that’s to be expected at least early on.
  • Willie Gay Jr. played in just nine defensive snaps. His snap counts have been heavily tied to the amount of base defense the Chiefs are forced to play. The Jets rarely utilize three tight ends, especially when they’re playing from behind all game long.
  • Reserve defenders saw just three defensive snaps with BoPete Keyes, Tedric Thompson, Antonio Hamilton and Armani Watts getting some play in the secondary.
  • Dorian O’Daniel, Armani Watts and Antonio Hamilton led the team in special teams snaps with 23. Watts even had a blocked field goal at the end of the first half.

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