Snap counts: Chiefs’ playing-time ledger vs. Jaguars showed uptick for Pacheco, Toney
The Chiefs received strong efforts on offense and defense in Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs’ offense recorded 486 total yards in the Week 10 matchup, marking a third straight game with more than 400 net yards for Kansas City. The Chiefs also converted seven of 10 third-down attempts (70%).
Defensively, the Chiefs shut down a hot Jaguars running game, holding Travis Etienne to 45 yards and no touchdowns on 11 carries. Etienne entered the game averaging 126.3 yards over the past three games, a span in which he also had scored four touchdowns.
“All in all, it was a good game to get,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
Here’s how the Chiefs’ snap counts worked out as the team improved to 7-2:
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (63), Chad Henne (did not play)
Mahomes continues to make a statement for the league’s MVP award after his four-touchdown performance against the Jaguars. For good measure, he threw for 331 yards and posted a 129.6 passer rating. The lone blemish on Mahomes’ performance was a fourth-quarter interception.
The Chiefs’ star quarterback established a notable NFL record on Sunday. He now has 176 career passing touchdowns in just 72 starts, which eclipses Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino’s record of 173 TDs in 75 starts.
Mahomes added 39 yards on seven carries.
RUNNING BACKS: Isiah Pacheco (35, 4 on special teams), Jerick McKinnon (24, 8 on special teams), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (4), fullback Michael Burton (2, 11 on ST)
Pacheco, the Chiefs’ seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, drew a third straight start and established career-high marks in carries (16) and yards rushing (82).
Despite a lost fumble, it’s become clear the rookie has overtaken Edwards-Helaire, the team’s 2020 first-round pick, on the team’s depth chart. Edwards-Helaire didn’t record a carry or a catch on two targets on his four snaps.
McKinnon gained 2 yards on a single carry but helped in the passing game with six catches for 56 yards. Burton was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on his only carry.
As a team, the Chiefs pounded out 155 yards rushing on 27 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Marquez Valdes-Scantling (53), Justin Watson (46, 7 on ST), Kadarius Toney (28), JuJu Smith-Schuster (24), Skyy Moore (16, 1 on ST)
Toney scored his first career touchdown and finished the game with an all-around effort of four catches for 57 yards, two rushes for 33 yards and two punt returns for 11 yards. His contributions arrived while Mecole Hardman was inactive with an abdomen injury.
Smith-Schuster exited the game in the first half with a concussion after being on the receiving end of a controversial hit from Jaguars safety Andre Cisco. Before leaving the game, Smith-Schuster totaled two catches for 33 yards.
Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 60 yards, including a crucial 36-yard gain on a third-and-7 situation late in the game, and a touchdown.
“MVS had a big catch at the end that I thought was tremendous,” Reid said. “But he had a good day all the way around.”
Watson had a catch for 12 yards on his season-high 46 offensive snaps, while Moore chipped in with a catch for 6 yards and a kickoff return for 8 yards.
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (46), Noah Gray (29, 17 on ST), Jody Fortson (7, 13 on ST)
Kelce had six catches for a team-high 81 yards and a touchdown. Kelce also recorded a team-high 46-yard gain after hauling in a catch across the middle of the field in the first quarter.
Gray continues to make his presence felt on offense and hauled in his first touchdown catch of the season. He finished the game with two catches for 20 yards.
Fortson had a catch for 6 yards but lost a fumble on a kickoff return shortly before halftime.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Trey Smith (63, 4 on ST), Joe Thuney (63, 2 on ST), Creed Humphrey (63, 4 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (63, 4 on ST), Prince Tega Wanogho (38, 4 on ST), Andrew Wylie (25, 2 on ST), Nick Allegretti (1, 4 on ST), Geron Christian (4 on ST)
The front five put on a strong performance and paved the way for the running game to amass 155 yards. The protection also kept Mahomes relatively clean by not allowing a sack.
Wylie left the game in the first half with an elbow injury and Tega Wanogho took over at right tackle for the rest of the game.
If Wylie misses time, the Chiefs could lean on Tega Wanogho to continue filling in while continue to evaluate Lucas Niang, who is attempting to return from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Chris Jones (56), George Karlaftis (51, 5 on ST), Carlos Dunlap (48), Mike Danna (38), Khalen Saunders (23, 4 on ST), Derrick Nnadi (18, 5 on ST), Malik Herring (13, 5 on ST), Taylor Stallworth (9)
Jones led the sack party on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, getting to the signal-caller with a team-high 1.5 sacks. Jones also recorded a team-high two quarterback hits.
Dunlap and Jones split a sack, which gave Dunlap 100 career sacks to place him in elite company. Dunlap, who has four sacks this season, becomes the eighth active player to reach the milestone, and the 41st player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to record 100 or more career sacks.
Saunders continues his stellar play and recorded a sack. He now has 2.5 sacks over the past three games.
“Chris Jones, Khalen Saunders – these guys had sacks and thought they played well all day,” Reid said Sunday.
Karlaftis recorded two tackles and two passes defensed, which came on batted balls at the line of scrimmage.
The defensive line accounted for three of the Chiefs’ five sacks in the game, and is set to receive a boost with the return of Frank Clark, whose two-game suspension ended Monday.
LINEBACKERS: Nick Bolton (64, 5 on ST), Willie Gay Jr. (43), Leo Chenal (11, 22 on ST), Darius Harris (5, 14 on ST), Jack Cochrane (17 on ST)
Gay and Bolton each recorded eight tackles in the game, a total that led the Chiefs defense. Gay also contributed a sack, a quarterback hit and a pass defensed against the Jaguars.
Chenal contributed two tackles in the game and recorded his first career sack.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Juan Thornhill (64), L’Jarius Sneed (64, 6 on ST), Justin Reid (64, 5 on ST), Trent McDuffie (63), Joshua Williams (32, 14 on ST), Jaylen Watson (22, 15 on ST), Bryan Cook (15, 17 on ST), Deon Bush (20 on ST), Ugo Amadi (9 on ST), Chris Lammons (6 on ST)
McDuffie and Reid each totaled seven tackles to pace the defensive backs. McDuffie also produced two passes defensed.
Sneed had six tackles; Williams chipped in with four tackles; Thornhill recorded three tackles; Cook had two tackles on defense and one on special teams; and Watson recorded a tackle.
After the game, the Chiefs’ head coach praised the team’s 2022 draft class.
“The young DBs, all of them –– 23 (Williams), 21 (McDuffie), 35 (Watson) –– they, I thought, played well,” Reid said.
Amadi, who was elevated from the practice squad, had an assist on special teams.
Lammons left the game in the first half with a concussion.
SPECIALISTS: Harrison Butker (6), Tommy Townsend (6), James Winchester (6)
A week after missing a field goal and an extra point, Butker’s kicking adventures continued with a missed extra point. He converted the other three extra-point attempts.
Townsend punted twice for 91 yards, averaging 45.5 yards per punt and placing one punt inside the Jaguars’ 20-yard line.
