Here’s how the Kansas City Chiefs split up playing time in impressive win at Arizona
The Chiefs started off the 2022 regular season with an impressive 44-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
The offense totaled 488 yards, while the defense came up with a stingy effort to limit the Cardinals on 3-of-12 third-down conversations (25%).
It’s no wonder Chiefs head coach Andy Reid sang the team’s praises after the game.
“I’m happy for our football team,” Reid said. “The guys played hard, aggressive, and didn’t let up, which is important. We were able to get everyone some playing time.”
While the Cardinals scored twice in the fourth quarter, the game at that point was well out of hand in what was a complete game for the Chiefs in all phases of the game
And the Chiefs got all the players on the active game day roster at least one snap, as Reid pointed out.
Here’s how the Chiefs’ snap counts worked out Sunday afternoon:
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (65), Chad Henne (5)
Pro Football Focus, a national website that grades and ranks players on weekly performances, somehow didn’t like Mahomes’ effort.
But that’s OK because the Chiefs will take the real on-field effort from their star signal-caller
Mahomes was on fire against the Cardinals, completing 30 of 39 passes for 390 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions for a 144.2 passer rating. Sunday also marked Mahomes’ sixth career five-touchdown performance.
With the Chiefs on cruise control in the fourth quarter, Mahomes gave way to Henne, who didn’t attempt a pass.
RUNNING BACKS: Jerick McKinnon (27, 5 on ST), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (27), Isiah Pacheco (16, 11 on ST), fullback Michael Burton (9, 14 on ST)
Edwards-Helaire got the Chiefs going on the first scoring drive, accounting for 34 of the team’s 75 total yards. He then scored two touchdowns through the air, and finished the game with 74 total yards (42 rushing).
Pacheco paced the ground game with 62 yards on 12 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and contributed a kickoff return for 22 yards. McKinnon chipped in with 49 total yards (22 rushing).
As a team, the Chiefs pounded out 128 yards on 27 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Marquez Valdes-Scantling (51), JuJu Smith-Schuster (46), Mecole Hardman (39, 1 on ST), Justin Watson (16, 9 on ST), Skyy Moore (13, 6 on ST)
The Chiefs did just fine in the first game without Tyreek Hill.
Mahomes spread the ball around to nine different receivers, and the wide receivers group accounted for 14 of the quarterback’s 30 completions.
Smith-Schuster led the position group with six catches for 79 yards; Valdes-Scantling had four catches for 44 yards; Hardman snared three passes for 16 yards; and Moore totaled a catch for 30 yards.
Moore also contributed on special teams, totaling four punt returns for 41 yards and one kickoff return for 23 yards.
Watson was targeted once but didn’t secure a catch before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a chest injury.
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (45), Noah Gray (37, 16 on ST), Jody Fortson (24, 17 on ST)
Kelce led the team with eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He now owns 30 career regular-season games with 100 or more yards receiving yards, which is a franchise record.
Kelce’s 30 career games with 100 or more yards receiving yards also ranks as the third-most in NFL history, trailing only Rob Gronkowski (32) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (31).
The Chiefs incorporated Gray, who had a catch for 10 yards, in 12-personnel packages (one running back, two tight ends). The Chiefs used Gray in Blake Bell’s complementary role to Kelce, and even utilized Fortson on the first drive in a 13-personnel package.
Fortson made the most of his single catch by hauling in a 1-yard touchdown pass.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Joe Thuney (70, 4), Creed Humphrey (70, 7 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (65, 7 on ST), Andrew Wylie (65, 7 on ST), Nick Allegretti (39, 7 on ST), Trey Smith (31, 3 on ST), Prince Tega Wanogho (5, 7 on ST), Geron Christian (5, 7 on ST)
When Mahomes is picking apart a defense and the running game gains 100-plus yards, the offensive line is doing their job.
The lone downside to Sunday was Smith’s left ankle injury, which caused him to miss the second half of action. Allegretti took Smith’s place at right guard.
DEFENSIVE LINE: George Karlaftis (51, 1 on ST), Chris Jones (42), Mike Danna (36, 1 on ST), Frank Clark (35), Tershawn Wharton (33, 1 on ST), Carlos Dunlap (26), Derrick Nnadi (21, 1 on ST), Khalen Saunders (16)
Karlaftis’ 51 defensive snaps were the second-most on the team, and he produced a tackle, a quarterback hit and a pass defensed. A good majority of his work, though, didn’t show up in the box score, as he helped contain Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“George was solid,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Monday.
Wharton and Dunlap each recorded a sack, while Jones produced a tackle, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.
As a group, the defensive line totaled two sacks and four of the team’s six quarterback hits. The overall effort helped limit Murray’s ability to stress the Chiefs’ defense.
LINEBACKERS: Nick Bolton (50), Willie Gay Jr. (42), Darius Harris (15, 13 on ST), Leo Chenal (10, 11), Elijah Lee (8, 20 on ST)
Bolton picked up where he left off in 2021 as a tackling machine, and he posted a team-high 10 stops, including a tackle for a loss.
Gay contributed four tackles, while Harris, Chenal and Lee got in the game late.
Lee, who was elevated Saturday from the practice squad, notched an assist on special teams.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: L’Jarius Sneed (57, 5 on ST), Justin Reid (50, 10 on ST), Juan Thornhill (50), Rashad Fenton (48), Jaylen Watson (33, 11 on ST), Trent McDuffie (32), Bryan Cook (22, 19 on ST), Deon Bush (15, 20 on ST), Joshua Williams (15, 11 on ST), Chris Lammons (8, 20 on ST)
Sneed turned in a strong game with eight tackles, a sack, two quarterback hits and a pass defensed. Fenton’s five tackles finished third on the team.
Thornhill made his presence felt on the backend of coverage with two passes defensed, which including a diving attempt for an interception near the right sideline.
Reid had a complete game with two tackles on defense and two assists on special teams. The safety also stepped in as a kicker with Harrison Butker dealing with a left ankle injury, converting one of two extra-point attempts and handling the kickoffs.
“What a job he did there,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said.
McDuffie had a tackle before leaving the game in the second half with a hamstring injury. Watson, who had two assists on special teams, entered the game in McDuffie’s place and produced a pass defensed.
SPECIALISTS: Tommy Townsend (9), James Winchester (9), Harrison Butker (6)
Butker briefly left the game in the first quarter but returned to drill a 54-yard field goal with one step. He also converted four extra-point attempts in the game.
“You don’t usually do one step, 54-yarders,” Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said Monday. “You warm up, you start a practice, or you warm up at a game and do one-steppers just to begin the game or start your warmup.
“That’s really all you do. You don’t really try to kick a long field goal from there, but it shows you how long his leg is, though That’s really what it does.”
Townsend totaled 108 yards on two punts, averaging 54 yards per attempt.
