Welcome to Arrowhead Pride’s weekly snap-count review!
Let’s take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs’ snap counts in a 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6. Starting lineups are courtesy of NFL Game Stats and Information, and snap-count data is from Pro Football Focus’ premium stats.
Starters (offensive): LT Kahlil Benson, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jaylon Moore, QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Andrew Armstrong, WR Xavier Worthy, RB Kenneth Walker, TE Travis Kelce and TE Noah Gray
Starters (defenders): DE George Karlaftis, DT Chris Jones, DT Khyiris Tonga, DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, LB Nick Bolton, LB Drue Tranquill, CB Christian Roland-Wallace, CB Mansoor Delane, CB Nohl Williams, S Alohi Gilman and S Chamarri Conner
Did not play: QB Justin Fields
Inactive: TE Jared Wiley, QB Garrett Nussmeier (Emergency third QB), DB Jadon Canady, DE Jack Pyburn, OT Diego Pounds, LT Josh Simmons (Back), WR Rashee Rice (Hamstring)
The big takeaway: Andrew Armstrong went up in the first race start
With wide receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring) out on the final injury report, the Chiefs lifted second-year wideout Andrew Armstrong from the practice squad. He lined out on the opening snap, marking his first career start.
It was the first of 42 snaps Armstrong played on offense, starting with Xavier Worthy (51) and Jalen Royals (45); he caught a 13-yard pass on one of two passes thrown his way.
Armstrong spent 12 snaps in the slot and 14 snaps on the perimeter of the offense, indicating Armstrong’s use of blocking near the line of scrimmage on run plays. He lined up for 15 run plays, nearly as many as Worthy (18) and Royals (17).
I don’t need PFF “run-blocking” grade to know that Armstrong is an impactful blocker. With an offense built around running back Kenneth Walker gasshing the defense, the question becomes whether Armstrong deserves a spot on the active roster, perhaps in favor of return specialist Nikko Remigio.
The Offensive takeaway: Joshua Ezeudu played the entire second half
After right tackle Jaylon Moore entered the concussion protocol late in the first half, backup Joshua Ezeudu took over on the right side and remained there the rest of the afternoon. He played 30 snaps, 17 of them on pass plays.
PFF blamed Ezeudu for a pressure and rush, so he kept Mahomes clean in his first time in the lineup for the Chiefs offense. After the preseason, he was traded to Kansas City from the New York Giants after spending most of his career at left guard or tackle in Big Blue. It will be interesting to see if the lineup moves forward, even if left tackle Josh Simmons (back) is not ready for Week 7.
Also notable was third-string tight end Jake Briningstool, who played the most snaps (10) he has since Week 1 and made an impactful block on spring running back Kenneth Walker for a 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
The Defensive takeaway: Ashton Gillotte has moved up in the rotation
Second-year defensive tackle Ashton Gillotte played the most snaps among the team’s defensive linemen Sunday, on the field for 52% of the defense’s snaps.
In that time, he registered three pressures: a rush, a quarterback hit and a sack that broke the seal on the Chiefs’ four-sack game. He had two “Stops,” which are tackles that count as failures for the offense.
It was Gillotte’s biggest timeshare in the Chiefs’ starting lineup this season, and his most impactful performance. He, along with rookie edge rusher R Mason Thomas (five pressures), were constant in the backfield Sunday afternoon and were a positive indicator for the pass rush moving forward.
