Chiefs-Ravens Snap Counts: So far, Travis Kelce isn’t slowing down

Within the NFL’s 2024 season opener on Thursday night time, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-20 on GEHA Area at Arrowhead Stadium. Whereas we are able to’t actually study snap depend developments till we’re about 4 weeks into the season, we’ll nonetheless check out how the Chiefs used their gamers within the first sport of the season.

Starters (offensive): WR Rashee Rice, WR Xavier Worthy, LT Kingsley Suamataia, LG Joe Thuney, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor, TE Travis Kelce, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, QB Patrick Mahomes and RB Isiah Pacheco.

Starters (defensive): DE George Karlaftis, DE Michael Danna, DT Chris Jones, DT Mike Pennel, LB Nick Bolton, LB Drue Tranquill, LB Leo Chenal, CB Trent McDuffie, CB Jaylen Watson, S Justin Reid and S Bryan Prepare dinner.

Didn’t play: QB Carson Wentz and DE Cameron Thomas.

Inactive: WR Marquise Brown, OL C.J. Hanson, OT Ethan Driskell, TE Peyton Hendershot and DT Marlon Tuipulotu.

Offensive takeaways

Not less than on this season’s opening sport, tight finish Travis Kelce confirmed no indicators of slowing down. Whereas he had simply three receptions (on 4 targets) for 34 yards, he was on the sector for 88% of the offensive snaps. That’s a better share than all however three of 2023’s video games.
In the meantime, regardless of getting a brand new three-year contract extension that may pay him $18 million in new cash (and up to date remarks by normal supervisor Brett Veach suggesting that he is likely to be used much less on particular groups and featured extra on offense), tight finish Noah Grey was utilized in nearly the identical means as all the time: 56% of the offensive snaps and 56% of the particular groups snaps. However he did catch all three of his targets, accumulating three extra yards than Kelce did.
Whereas newly-acquired gamers like tight finish Peyton Hendershot (who was inactive on Thursday) and defensive finish Cameron Thomas didn’t play, new working again Samaje Perine managed to get on the sector for eight snaps — virtually all of them passing performs. He had one catch good for 10 yards — and one other one which was simply off his fingertips. That one seemingly would have gone for a rating.
Rashee Rice (76% of the offensive snaps) led all the crew’s wideouts — adopted by Xavier Worthy (62%), Justin Watson (52%), JuJu Smith-Schuster (22%) and Skyy Moore (18%). Whereas he bought some work on particular groups, Mecole Hardman didn’t play on offense.

Defensive takeaways

As all the time, the beginning safeties and corners had been on the sector for all (or nearly all) of the defensive snaps. These 4 had been safeties Justin Reid and Bryan Prepare dinner, together with cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. As our Ron Kopp famous in his Monday evaluation right here on Arrowhead Satisfaction, it seems to be like Watson would be the different nook cross from McDuffie. In the meantime, Charmarri Conner was on the market for 57% of the snaps and Joshua Williams was in for 42% — which means that on common, the secondary had 4.95 gamers on the sector.
MIKE linebacker Nick Bolton was additionally in for each defensive rep. Drue Tranquill was in for 84%, whereas Leo Chenal was in for 61%. In 2023, Kansas Metropolis sometimes had two linebackers on the sector. On Thursday, the crew averaged 2.45. However I wouldn’t essentially count on this to be an indication that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is making a change; it’s extra seemingly this was only a approach to take care of the specter of the Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson and working again Derrick Henry.
In the event you’re doing the maths, you already know that, on common, there have been fewer than 4 defensive linemen on the sector — particularly, 3.61. Which may be why the crew gave defensive sort out Mike Pennel simply 27% of the reps and defensive finish Felix Anudike-Uzomah simply 22% — as a result of the crew consciously selected to defend towards Jackson and Henry on the second and third ranges.

Particular groups takeaways

29 gamers had been used on particular groups. Other than Harrison Butker, Matt Araiza and James Winchester, 9 gamers — Mike Caliendo, Jack Cochrane, Mecole Hardman, Jaden Hicks, Nazeeh Johnson, Cam Jones, Wanya Morris, Hunter Nourzad and Christian Roland-Wallace — had been used completely on particular groups. That’s about one-third greater than we now have sometimes seen.

Editor’s Word: Arrowhead Satisfaction obtains snap depend information from the NFL’s sport stats and data system, which permits us to interrupt out snap counts by run or move on offensive and defensive performs. As a result of GSIS information ignores performs that had been nullified by penalties, whole offensive and defensive snap counts will range from different sources, which get their information from NFL Gamebooks