Chiefs' Week 5 snap counts: What does the Kansas City offense look like without WR Rashee Rice?

The Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated heading into the bye week after a 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.As much as this game was about notching another win, it was also an evaluation tool for Brett Veach and his staff. They wanted an idea of what the offense looked like WR […]

Charles Goldman NFL Managing Editor
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Oct 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) celebrates with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) and running back Carson Steele (42) after scoring a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
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The Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated heading into the bye week after a 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.

As much as this game was about notching another win, it was also an evaluation tool for Brett Veach and his staff. They wanted an idea of what the offense looked like WR Hollywood Brown, RB Isiah Pacheco, and WR Rashee Rice — and whether they had the pieces in place to sustain a winning season. Well, they got their answer, and it could impact how motivated they are to add a player at the trade deadline.

What exactly can we learn about the win from the snaps? Here’s a look at how the snaps came down in Week 5 followed by some takeaways:

Snap counts via NFL Game Stats Information System

via NFLgsis

Who are the Chiefs' top receivers without Rashee Rice?

Justin Watson led the way with 70% of the offensive snaps. The only problem with that is that Watson didn't even get targeted in the game, let alone have a catch. That could be a byproduct of his role in the offense and him simply not being high in the pecking order when it comes to Mahomes going through his reads on a given play. It's definitely something to watch, though. 

Watson was followed closely by WRs Xavier Worthy and JuJu Smith-Schuster, who both logged 56 snaps on Monday. Smith-Schuster (8) and Worthy (6) had the most targets on the day outside of TE Travis Kelce (10). Smith-Schuster turned back the clock a few years with a 130-yard receiving day. 

Perhaps the most interesting development of the day involved WR Mecole Hardman. He dealt with a knee injury during the practice week, but half of the time he was on the field he was involved in the play. He had four receptions on four targets while playing just eight total snaps on offense. 

Finally, there's Skyy Moore. He played six snaps on offense and didn't get a single target. After last week's drop, it's unsurprising to see this. They might say otherwise, but the trust from the QB and coaching staff is clearly not there with No. 24.

Chiefs tight ends were heavily involved in the game plan

Travis Kelce, of course, had the most snaps of any skill player on Monday night. He wasn't the only tight end involved in the gameplan, though. Noah Gray was on the field 56% of the time in Week 5 against the Saints. He had the fourth-most receiving yards of the game and averaged 14.5 yards per catch. 

Jody Fortson got involved in his first game back with the team. He actually had more snaps than Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman. He caught one pass on one target for five yards and a first down.

Rookie TE Jared Wiley hasn't quite managed to get going yet after having a strong preseason and training camp. He played over 20% of the offensive snaps on Monday, but received no targets from Patrick Mahomes during the game. 

Carson Steele and Samaje Perine helped spell Kareem Hunt

Kareem Hunt was the workhorse at running back, receiving 28 touches for 117 yards and a touchdown in his first game back at Arrowhead Stadium. He played over 30 more snaps than the next-closest running back. 

Samaje Perine and Carson Steele split duties when it came to spelling Hunt. Perine slightly outsnapped Steele with 21 snaps compared to the rookie's 16 snaps. I think that Steele could eat into some of Hunt's snaps moving forward as he rebuilds some trust with the coaching staff following some early-season fumbles. Week 5 was a good start to that.