Chiefs vs. Buccaneers Snap Counts: DeAndre Hopkins, Travis Kelce Shine vs. Tampa Bay

In the Chiefs' win over the Buccaneers, a pair of veterans carried KC's passing game as the team continues to battle injuries.

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Despite a rash of injuries challenging both sides of the football, the Kansas City Chiefs are 8-0 after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. As always, a closer look at KC's snap counts can provide more context to some of the game's biggest storylines while keeping an eye on the Chiefs' future.

DeAndre Hopkins nearly lands full workload

After debuting with 23 offensive snaps (32%) against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins more than doubled that effort in his second game as a Chief. Taking 51 of 85 offensive snaps (60%) against the Buccaneers, Hopkins hauled in eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

Veteran wide receiver Justin Watson (59 snaps, 69%) and rookie Xavier Worthy (58, 68%) led wide receivers in snaps taken ahead of Hopkins, while Mecole Hardman (15, 18%) and Justyn Ross (seven, 8%) rounded out the room.

Tight ends lead the way for offensive weapons

With the aforementioned wide receiver woes challenging the group of passing weapons, Kansas City's top two tight ends took on season-high snap counts on Monday night. Travis Kelce played 71 of 85 offensive snaps (84%) while Noah Gray took 59 (69%). Those shares are not the largest percentage splits for either tight end in 2024, but 71 snaps for Kelce and 59 for Gray are both season-high totals.

Gray didn't catch a pass on Monday night, but Kelce tied a career-high in receptions with 14 catches on 16 targets for 100 yards. Kelce's previous 14-reception game came in the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars in January 2023, which included a touchdown pass from Chad Henne while Patrick Mahomes was sidelined due to an ankle injury.

In light of season-ending injuries to third and fourth tight ends Jared Wiley and Jody Fortson, Peyton Hendershot signed an active roster contract after spending recent weeks on the practice squad. Hendershot took 14 offensive snaps (16%) in addition to 15 snaps on special teams and wrangled one catch for nine yards late in the fourth quarter.

Short-handed cornerback rotation centers around Joshua Williams

The Chiefs had to pivot after losing starting No. 2 cornerback Jaylen Watson (ankle) for the foreseeable future before also seeing next-man-up Nazeeh Johnson (concussion) sidelined for the Buccaneers game, and Joshua Williams was the clear answer for Steve Spagnuolo's defense. Williams and No. 1 cornerback Trent McDuffie were the only two Chiefs defenders to play 100% of the snaps on Monday night, though it often wasn't pretty for Williams. Assuming a return for Johnson in the next week or two, the 2022 seventh-rounder (Johnson) could return to leap back over the '22 fourth-rounder (Williams) when healthy. Nickel defensive back/safety Chamarri Conner took 41 of KC's 55 defensive snaps (75%) while undrafted rookie cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace played 22 (40%). Cornerbacks Keith Taylor and Nic Jones only saw the field on special teams.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes Explains Severity of Ankle Injury, Andy Reid Describes 'Loosest Ankles in America'