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WR JuJu Smith-Schuster jumps Xavier Worthy
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WR JuJu Smith-Schuster jumps Xavier Worthy

The Kansas City Chiefs did enough to win a low-scoring prime time game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, coming away with a 22-17 road victory. A look at the snap counts from KC’s third win of the year paints an interesting picture of how Kansas City’s coaching staff currently views three key positions on the team.

Here’s what’s noticeable on both sides of the ball as the Chiefs try to sort out their rotation at wide receiver, running back and cornerback.

This isn’t a cause for panic regarding rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, but it’s certainly worth noting.

Rashee Rice led Chiefs receivers with 55 of 74 offensive snaps (74%). JuJu Smith-Schuster was second with 41 (55%), ahead of Worthy’s 37 (50%) and Justin Watson’s 29 (39%). Skyy Moore had 15 reps (20%) while Mecole Hardman took three (4%).

Smith-Schuster, who re-signed with KC in late August, played just 12 snaps in Week 1 and 13 in Week 2, while Worthy played 34 and 44 snaps, respectively.

While the veteran Smith-Schuster certainly has utility in this offense (especially as the team continues to search for answers after losing Marquise “Hollywood” Brown), I didn’t expect him to be the second-most used receiver in Week 3. Smith-Schuster did some of KC’s dirty work by catching two passes for 17 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown, but Worthy’s 2-for-17 performance (without a score) left something to be desired.

The Chiefs’ final offensive drive, with a chance to end the game with the football, ended after Mahomes appeared to target Worthy for a potential first down on 3rd and 2. Worthy appeared to stop running as Mahomes led him, expecting Worthy to continue. However, when Andy Reid spoke to the media on Monday, he said that the fault did not lie with Worthy, but that his “compadre,” apparently Rice, had made a mistake with his route.

For the third straight week, Trent McDuffie played 100% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps. After an uncertain offseason, Jaylen Watson was KC’s clear No. 2 corner for the third straight week, as Watson played 57 of KC’s 61 snaps against the Falcons offense. The intrigue about KC’s cornerback room now begins after McDuffie and Watson.

In Week 1, Joshua Williams saw 32 defensive snaps, while Nazeeh Johnson saw zero. In Week 2, Williams dropped to six defensive snaps, while Johnson jumped to 22. In Atlanta in Week 3, Johnson saw 26 defensive snaps, while Williams only saw the field on special teams.

While Williams could continue to get defensive snaps as the season progresses, it seems clear that the Chiefs have given Johnson opportunities to surpass Williams on the depth chart, with McDuffie and Watson occupying the top two spots. Through Week 3, Johnson appears to have earned the job.

In the absence of Isiah Pacheco, rookie undrafted free agent Carson Steele received the bulk of the running back workload, playing 46 of the team’s 74 offensive snaps (62%) to Samaje Perine’s 28 (38%). Keaontay Ingram, whom KC signed to the active roster of their practice squad when they placed Pacheco on the injured list, did not see action on offense, logging just five special teams snaps.

Steele was solid in his first game as a starter, as he and Perine both averaged 4.2 yards per carry with nine-yard longs. After not showing much interest in including Ingram, the Chiefs should look to get Kareem Hunt into the mix once he feels comfortable in the offense.

Read More: Underrated Defense and Forgettable Details: Chiefs’ Win Over Falcons Won’t Stick, and That’s OK