Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 2 Snap Count Observations: Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals prove that they can do more with less
What can we learn about the Kansas City Chiefs from their Week 2 snap counts in their win over the Indianapolis Colts?
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Indianapolis Colts 33-30 in Week 2 on “Sunday Night Football.”
The overtime win led to high snap counts for the offense, with 80 total snaps. The defense also played 65 total snaps. They’ll have a normal practice week to recover from the extra quarter of play, with a game against the Miami Dolphins slated for Sunday afternoon in Week 3. This comes after playing back-to-back primetime games.
What did we learn about Kansas City from Week 2 snap counts? Here’s how the snaps played out in Week 2, followed by some takeaways.
Snap counts via the NFL Game Stats Information System.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 2 snap counts vs. Indianapolis Colts
| Player & Position | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Humphrey — C | 80 (100%) | — | 8 (24%) |
| K. Benson — T | 80 (100%) | — | 8 (24%) |
| K. Suamataia — OL | 80 (100%) | — | 8 (24%) |
| T. Smith — G | 80 (100%) | — | 8 (24%) |
| P. Mahomes — QB | 80 (100%) | — | — |
| J. Moore — OL | 79 (99%) | — | 7 (21%) |
| X. Worthy — WR | 69 (86%) | — | — |
| T. Kelce — TE | 68 (85%) | — | — |
| K. Walker — RB | 66 (82%) | — | — |
| R. Rice — WR | 63 (79%) | — | — |
| T. Thornton — WR | 47 (59%) | — | — |
| N. Gray — TE | 40 (50%) | — | 10 (30%) |
| E. Johnson — RB | 14 (18%) | — | 15 (45%) |
| J. Royals — WR | 12 (15%) | — | 7 (21%) |
| J. Briningstool — TE | 10 (12%) | — | 16 (48%) |
| H. Nourzad — OL | 3 (4%) | — | 8 (24%) |
| C. Allen — WR | 3 (4%) | — | 3 (9%) |
| M. Caliendo — OL | 1 (1%) | — | 8 (24%) |
| J. Ezeudu — OL | 1 (1%) | — | 1 (3%) |
| K. Tonga — NT | 4 (5%) | 36 (55%) | 7 (21%) |
| N. Williams — DB | — | 65 (100%) | 15 (45%) |
| J. Hicks — DB | — | 65 (100%) | 8 (24%) |
| N. Bolton — LB | — | 65 (100%) | 7 (21%) |
| A. Gilman — S | — | 65 (100%) | 1 (3%) |
| D. Tranquill — LB | — | 63 (97%) | 7 (21%) |
| G. Karlaftis — DE | — | 58 (89%) | 7 (21%) |
| K. Fulton — CB | — | 52 (80%) | — |
| L. Sneed — CB | — | 49 (75%) | 1 (3%) |
| C. Jones — DT | — | 44 (68%) | — |
| P. Woods — DL | — | 34 (52%) | 7 (21%) |
| F. Anudike-Uzomah — DE | — | 29 (45%) | — |
| A. Gillotte — DE | — | 28 (43%) | 7 (21%) |
| R. Thomas — DE | — | 27 (42%) | — |
| J. Cochrane — LB | — | 26 (40%) | 25 (76%) |
| C. Roland-Wallace — CB | — | 6 (9%) | 18 (55%) |
| M. Harris — DT | — | 2 (3%) | — |
| J. Bassa — LB | — | 1 (2%) | 24 (73%) |
| J. Canady — DB | — | — | 24 (73%) |
| C. Christiansen — LB | — | — | 18 (55%) |
| B. VanSumeren — FB | — | — | 18 (55%) |
| X. Nwankpa — S | — | — | 16 (48%) |
| H. Butker — K | — | — | 15 (45%) |
| M. Araiza — P | — | — | 10 (30%) |
| J. Winchester — LS | — | — | 10 (30%) |
| B. Smith — RB | — | — | 9 (27%) |
| N. Remigio — WR | — | — | 2 (6%) |
Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals capitalize on opportunities
Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice saw the most snaps of any Chiefs receivers in Week 2 against the Colts, but it feels like others did more with less. Tyquan Thornton played less than 60% of the offensive snaps, but he was on the field on third-and-long. He notched a 45-yard catch on 3rd-and-11 on a scoring drive, along with a 30-yard catch on 3rd-and-12 in overtime. Jalen Royals saw even fewer opportunities with just a dozen snaps on the night. He recorded a five-yard first-down reception on a touchdown drive, and notched his first career touchdown reception.
Khiyiris Tonga is the Chiefs’ fullback of choice
Despite signing FB Ben VanSumeren to the 53-man roster, the Chiefs continued to utilize Khyiris Tonga as their primary fullback in Week 2 vs. the Colts. Yes, that’s right. The 6-foot-2, 335-pound defensive tackle is regularly being used as a fullback. Tonga saw four offensive snaps on the day. It was the same total as he had in Week 1 against the Broncos. The difference? This week, he got a carry on fourth-and-1, gaining three yards and moving the chains.
Second-year LB Jeff Bassa struggles to see the field even with Cooper McDonald hurt
It felt like Jeffrey Bassa could see more snaps in Week 2 after Cooper McDonald was placed on injured reserve. Steve Spagnuolo mentioned him and Jack Cochrane in his press conference this week. Plus, the Colts were expected to force a lot of base 4-3 personnel out of Kansas City.
Bassa played a single defensive snap on Sunday night. Cochrane was the primary beneficiary of McDonald’s absence with 26 defensive snaps. The only thing I can reasonably determine is that the Chiefs felt more comfortable with Cochrane at SAM linebacker. Whereas Bassa is a stronger fit at WILL or MIKE.
Kristian Fulton gets starting snaps in Week 2
Fulton filled in for Mansoor Delane in Week 1 after he went down with a shoulder injury. Despite being available to play in Week 2, Delane did not suit up. Fulton drew the start opposite Nohl Williams when the team played nickel defense. It felt like both a reward for Fulton’s play in Week 1 and a move to further protect Delane as he recovers from a shoulder injury.
Fulton made the most of his opportunity, recording an impressive interception that set up a scoring drive to give Kansas City the lead. He had a few penalties and a replay review that didn’t go his way, but ultimately had a solid night in relief for Delane.
Special teams-only snaps for six players again, including a practice squad elevation
Cole Christiansen was elevated from the practice squad for Week 2 against the Colts. He played only special teams snaps and recorded two total tackles. Ben VanSumeren, Jadon Canady, Xavier Nwankpa, Brashard Smith, and Nikko Remigio were the other players to play special-teams-only snaps on Sunday night.
