Young Chiefs players performed better than the box score might suggest in Week 18's shellacking vs. Broncos
The Kansas City Chiefs' 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 18 at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium wasn't all bad. If you're looking at the box score, it certainly looks like the worst shellacking this team has faced in many years. However, the reality of the situation is that the team went […]
The Kansas City Chiefs' 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 18 at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium wasn't all bad.
If you're looking at the box score, it certainly looks like the worst shellacking this team has faced in many years. However, the reality of the situation is that the team went into the game with a bare-bones game plan and one goal in mind. That goal? To get experience for the young and inexperienced players on your football team. The Chiefs entered the 2024 NFL season with the fourth-youngest roster in the NFL, with a median age of 25.4 years old.
Many of the Chiefs' youngest players took full advantage of that opportunity, even if they could not showcase it on the scoreboard.
A trio of young offensive linemen shine
One of the biggest aspects of this Week 18 game was the opportunity to see how some of the young offensive linemen in Kansas City performed. Kingsley Suamataia, for instance, got his first NFL action at left guard on Sunday. He allowed just one pressure in 24 pass-blocking snaps. It was much better than his first two games at left tackle to start the 2024 NFL season.
One of his fellow rookie teammates, Hunter Nourzad, didn't allow a single pressure in 24 pass-blocking snaps while starting at center, according to Pro Football Focus. That could line him up to potentially take over as the No. 6 offensive lineman in 2025. It was also a good day for second-year OL Wanya Morris, who allowed two pressures in 25 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle.
Former Holy Cross OL C.J. Hanson had a tough day, allowing one sack and four total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He very much looked like a Patriot League player trying to adjust to the speed and physicality of the NFL game. In fact, the performance wasn't too dissimilar from what we saw out of Mike Caliendo early on out of Western Michigan. Alas, it'll be a good learning experience for the rookie and something that he can build on.
A few young pass-catchers stood out in Week 18
There wasn't much to be pleased about when it came to throwing the football in Week 18 for Kansas City, but a few of the team's young pass-catchers stood out. WR Nikko Remigio really saw his first extended action at wide receiver and led the team with two receptions for 48 yards on six targets. He didn't catch everything thrown his way, but he certainly showed some receiving chops.
Next up is third-string TE Peyton Hendershot, who caught two passes on two targets for 25 yards and also allowed no pressures in his two pass-blocking snaps. The most impressive thing to me is that 17 of those 25 yards came after the catch, with Hendershot often fighting through contact and would-be tacklers for extra yards.
Jaden Hicks continues to prove he's a star in the making
We didn't need this game to know that Hicks is a budding star in the Chiefs' defensive system. The rookie played a full helping of snaps and allowed one reception on two targets into his coverage in Week 18. It resulted in the second-lowest passer rating by a defensive back on Sunday (56.3). He defended a pass against Broncos WR Courtland Sutton and had a tackle for loss on the day, marking the only defensive player with both a pass defended and a tackle for loss.
The most surprising result of Week 18's game
Perhaps the best performance in Week 18's game against Denver came from one of the team's practice squad elevations. LB Blake Lynch arrived in Kansas City shortly after the Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent just over a week getting prepared and learning a new system to post six total tackles and a tackle for loss, and he wasn't targeted in any of his pass-coverage snaps.
Tennessee Titans’ dysfunction has proven to be a major boon to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 and beyond
The Kansas City Chiefs took full advantage of the Tennessee Titans’ front office dysfunction.
