Breaking: Chiefs Secret Weapon in Defensive Secondary: Week 17 Snap Counts Reveal Surprising Strategy

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, dominating the game 29-10. This win helped the team clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye week in the playoffs.

It was a unique game for Kansas City on both sides of the ball, with players like DT Chris Jones, S Chamarri Conner, and LT D.J. Humphries absent. The team continued using Joe Thuney at left tackle and saw increased usage throughout its interior defensive line group. In the secondary, fans can see a familiar youth movement similar to what transpired in 2022.

What else can we learn about the win from the snap totals? Here’s a look at how the snaps came down in Week 17.

A new youth movement in the Chiefs’ secondary

The Chiefs have struggled to find the right combination of players in the secondary ever since CB Jaylen Watson went down with an injury back in Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season. With Chamarri Conner out the last two games, the Chiefs have really leaned into the youth they have in the secondary. In Week 17 against the Steelers, rookies Jaden Hicks (53) and Christian Roland-Wallace (50) both played career-high defensive snaps totals. Fourth-year NFL CB Keith Taylor also played 25 snaps, which marks the most in his Chiefs career. They each made some big plays during Wednesday’s win over the Steelers, getting valuable experience in the process. It could prove big in the postseason.

How did the Chiefs handle Chris Jones’ absence?

With Chris Jones sidelined due to a minor calf injury, Tershawn Wharton got a major boost in snaps. In fact, his 71 defensive snaps against the Steelers in Week 17 were a career-high, ousting his previous high set in Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season. Wharton wasn’t the only interior defensive lineman to see action, though. Derrick Nnadi played 24% of the team’s defensive snaps, while Mike Pennel and Marlon Tuipulotu each played 17% of the defensive snaps.

Wide receiver splits still appear to be off, and that’s alright

The offense was cooking against the Steelers in Week 17, but they haven’t quite yet reached their final form. You can tell that by the wide receiver snap splits. Players like DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown each were on the field for less than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps. Yes, Kansas City has a lot of snaps to go around at skill positions, but it feels like they’re also holding back from opening the offense up and keeping their best weapons on the field as much as possible. Xavier Worthy and JuJu Smith-Schuster played the most snaps among wide receivers this week. I won’t be shocked if we see Hopkins and Brown up there once the playoffs roll around.