Here’s how the Chiefs distributed playing time in Week 16’s 24-10 win over Seahawks
The Chiefs turned in a stellar defensive outing in Saturday’s 24-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Seattle entered the game averaging 25.4 points per game, which ranked seventh-best in the NFL, but the Chiefs turned away the Seahawks.
In addition to holding the Seahawks to just 10 points, the Chiefs’ other notable statistics from the game included limiting Seattle’s third-down conversion rate to 14.3% and quarterback Geno Smith to 215 yards passing.
“I thought, overall, our defense had just a great day,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game.
The Chiefs improved to 12-3 with the two games remaining in the 2022 regular season. More importantly, the Chiefs kept pace with the Buffalo Bills in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs.
Here’s how the Chiefs’ snap counts worked out in Week 16:
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (53), Chad Henne (did not play)
Mahomes’ full magic wasn’t needed Saturday, but he had an efficient outing with 224 yards passing, two touchdowns and no turnovers for a 106.8 passer rating. He added 8 yards rushing and a diving touchdown scamper on two carries.
The Chiefs’ quarterback now has 4,720 yards passing and 37 touchdown passes this season to become just the fourth signal-caller in NFL history to post four career seasons of 4,500 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes. Tom Brady (five seasons), Drew Brees (four) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (four) are the other three quarterbacks to accomplish the feat.
RUNNING BACKS: Isiah Pacheco (26, 1 on special teams), Jerick McKinnon (25, 8 on special teams), fullback Michael Burton (4, 13 on ST), Ronald Jones (1)
Pacheco led the team in rushing with 58 yards on 14 carries, adding 32 yards receiving on a catch to give him 90 total yards in the game.
McKinnon’s touchdown streak extended another game after he hauled in a 9-yard pass in the second quarter. McKinnon has scored six total touchdowns over the past four games (one rushing, five receiving). The veteran rusher produced 38 total yards (31 receiving) against Seattle.
Jones saw action on a single play and gained 4 yards.
As a team, the Chiefs totaled 77 yards rushing and a touchdown on 22 carries, averaging 3.5 yards per attempt.
WIDE RECEIVERS: JuJu Smith-Schuster (44), Justin Watson (39, 10 on ST), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (23), Kadarius Toney (16, 6 on ST), Skyy Moore (11, 1 on ST)
Smith-Schuster totaled a position-group-high 27 yards receiving on three catches, and Toney made the most of his single catch by turning it into an 8-yard touchdown. Toney also contributed two punt returns for 18 yards.
Other than that, it was a relatively quiet day out of the Chiefs’ wide receiver corps.
Watson had a game to forget on offense, dropping multiple passes on his four targets as he didn’t record a catch. Watson, though, recorded a tackle on special teams.
Moore had a catch for 5 yards, while Valdes-Scantling didn’t record a catch on his two targets.
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (43), Noah Gray (27, 17 on ST), Blake Bell (6, 1 on ST)
Kelce led the offense with six catches for 113 yards on eight targets. He has now topped 100 yards receiving in two straight games but hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 12.
Gray contributed a catch for 8 yards and a tackle on special teams, while Bell made his 2022 season debut and contributed in the Chiefs’ 13 personnel packages (one running back, three tight ends).
OFFENSIVE LINE: Trey Smith (53, 4 on ST), Creed Humphrey (53, 4 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (53, 4 on ST), Andrew Wylie (53, 4 on ST), Joe Thuney (53), Nick Allegretti (4 on ST), Prince Tega Wanogho (4 on ST), Lucas Niang (4 on ST)
The protection allowed just one sack and three quarterback hits on Mahomes.
Smith produced the block of the game in the first quarter. With the Chiefs on the Seahawks’ 8-yard line, Mahomes took the snap and delivered a shovel pass to Toney, who went in motion from the right side of the line of scrimmage. Smith moved across the line of scrimmage to his left at the snap and pancaked Seahawks cornerback Coby Bryant inside the 5-yard line to clear a lane for Toney to waltz into the end zone.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Chris Jones (61), Frank Clark (58), Carlos Dunlap (54), Mike Danna (47, 2 on ST), Derrick Nnadi (31, 2 on ST), George Karlaftis (31, 2 on ST), Brandon Williams (10), Danny Shelton (9, 2 on ST)
The defensive line consistently harassed the Seahawks’ quarterback throughout the game.
Jones and Karlaftis each recorded a sack, and the front four accounted for six of the Chiefs’ nine quarterback hits. Jones led the way with four of the quarterback hits; Clark had two and Karlaftis and Dunlap each recorded one.
“The D-line, I thought, was extraordinary,” Reid said.
LINEBACKERS: Nick Bolton (76, 2 on ST), Willie Gay Jr. (46), Leo Chenal (21, 20 on ST), Darius Harris (2, 14 on ST), Jack Cochrane (18 on ST)
Bolton led the defense with a season-high 17 total tackles. Saturday’s performance gave Bolton his eighth game of 10 tackles or more this season.
Gay also had a productive outing, totaling nine tackles, including one for a loss, and two passes defensed.
Chenal and Cochran each recorded a tackle on special teams.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: L’Jarius Sneed (76), Juan Thornhill (76), Justin Reid (76, 2 on ST), Trent McDuffie (76, 5 on ST), Jaylen Watson (35, 6 on ST), Bryan Cook (31, 18 on ST), Joshua Williams (20, 12 on ST), Chris Lammons (20 on ST), Deon Bush (14 on ST), Nazeeh Johnson (11 on ST)
It was a busy Saturday afternoon for the Chiefs’ defensive backs.
Reid led the defensive backs with eight tackles; Sneed totaled seven tackles, including one for a loss; Thornhill and McDuffie each had five tackles, while Thornhill recorded an interception; Cook had four tackles and a quarterback hit; Williams and Watson each had two tackles.
Of note, Sneed traveled with Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf regardless of personnel package. The strategy is notable because the Chiefs in previous games haven’t had Sneed shadow a team’s top wide receiver this season, often electing to move Sneed from outside to inside in nickel packages.
But on Saturday, where Metcalf went, so did Sneed.
SPECIALISTS: Tommy Townsend (10), James Winchester (10), Harrison Butker (9)
Butker rebounded from a shaky Week 15 performance and enjoyed a solid game, converting all three extra points and drilling a 47-yard field goal in adverse winter conditions.
Townsend had six punts for 246 yards, averaging 41 yards per effort. Three of Townsend’s punts pinned the Seahawks inside their own 20-yard line.
