Chiefs vs. Panthers Snap Counts: Where is DeAndre Hopkins?

The Chiefs' snap counts revealed a few interesting details from KC's narrow win over the Panthers, including a low-usage game for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson (23) breaks up a pass in the end zone intended for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers took the Kansas City Chiefs to the final second of KC's narrow 30-27 walk-off win on Sunday, and a closer look at the Chiefs' snap counts from the game can provide some clues as to how the Chiefs are evolving in the second half of the 2024 season. The most noteworthy detail comes from Kansas City's midseason addition at wide receiver.

Why isn't DeAndre Hopkins playing more?

Veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins played 33 of the Chiefs' 74 offensive snaps in Carolina, taking just 45% of the offensive workload. Among Chiefs receivers, Hopkins played less than Justin Watson (48 snaps, 65%), Xavier Worthy (47 snaps, 64%) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (41 snaps, 55%). The Chiefs' only other active receiver, Mecole Hardman, took just four offensive snaps, resulting in two rushes.

While the learning curve for incoming wide receivers is well-established in head coach Andy Reid's offense, it's a bit surprising to see Hopkins play less than half of the Chiefs' snaps in his fifth game with the team. In his five games with the Chiefs, Hopkins has played the following percentage of snaps, in chronological order: 32%, 60%, 64%, 47%, 45%. Why the drop-off in recent weeks?

One short-term factor for Hopkins's workload lessening is the return of Smith-Schuster, who shared the field with Hopkins for the first time against the Buffalo Bills, taking 36% of the snaps in Buffalo before his 55% in Carolina. Smith-Schuster is a familiar presence in the Chiefs offense, even though he rejoined KC after training camp had already come and gone. However, while there's some overlap in what both players can do for the offense, Hopkins clearly offers a higher ceiling and should be on the field as often as the Chiefs are comfortable putting him out there.

Some have correctly noted that the Chiefs would have an incentive to hold Hopkins under a 60% snap count threshold due to the fact that the Chiefs' 2025 fifth-round draft pick promised to the Tennessee Titans would escalate to a '25 fourth-round pick if Hopkins plays at least 60% of the Chiefs' offensive snaps following his arrival and if the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LIX. However, as much as general manager Brett Veach would surely like to hold on to KC's fourth-rounder, I'm quite confident that Reid isn't calculating snap counts for the sake of late-round draft capital during the second half of a close game.

I'm more closely aligned with what Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest wrote on Sunday, noting that the Chiefs essentially have three options when it comes to keeping Hopkins on the field beyond his current role: 1. Only call plays Hopkins has practiced, even if it's not your favorite play call. 2. Have Hopkins run a play he's never practiced. 3. Have Hopkins learn every play of Reid's "400-page playbook" in four weeks.

In fairness to all levels of Hopkins-based frustration, I would argue that the Chiefs should be heavily weighting the Hopkins-included plays (particularly on third downs and in the red zone) while the veteran continues to work his way through the playbook. Still, 33 offensive snaps is simultaneously a reasonable and aggravating number. It gave Hopkins enough chances to make the case that he's currently Kansas City's best weapon while removing him from the field for more than half of the offense's snaps. Ultimately, as Derrick noted, the regular season is largely serving as a ramp-up period for Hopkins's full-time debut in the playoffs.

Travis Kelce receives another massive workload

The only Chiefs weapon to out-snap Watson and Worthy was tight end Travis Kelce, who took 66 snaps for an enormous 89% snap share. In his age-35 season, Kelce has taken nearly 83% of the Chiefs' offensive snaps and hasn't taken fewer than 77% of the snaps in any game this year. Kelce is currently pacing to exceed his workloads from the 2021–23 seasons, rivaling his 86% season-long snap-share from the 2020 season.

In his age-35 season, Travis Kelce is on pace to play a higher percentage of snaps than he did in the 2021–23 seasons. pic.twitter.com/zV8qKs0kd2

— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) November 25, 2024

Chiefs' D-line continues to struggle to get pressure with familiar rotation

My concerning takeaway from the Chiefs' nail-biting win over the Panthers was that the Chiefs' biggest defensive issues — struggles in the pass rush and pass coverage — aren't just exploitable by top-tier teams and quarterbacks like Josh Allen and the Bills. Bryce Young and the Panthers took advantage of the same weaknesses. In Carolina, the defensive line rotation looked very similar to the previous week's splits in Buffalo.

Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton led defensive tackles with 85% and 67% of the snaps against Buffalo before taking 85% and 63% against Carolina. George Karlaftis and Mike Danna got 85% and 62% against Allen's Bills before recording 84% and 68% of the reps against Young's Panthers. Felix Anudike-Uzomah got 12 snaps in both games. Joshua Uche took five snaps in Buffalo and 11 in Carolina, seemingly at the expense of Malik Herring falling from 11 snaps two weeks ago to just six on Sunday.

While Charles Omenihu, returning from a torn ACL, should provide a boost to the rotation, I'd still like to see Uche get a larger role as a pass-rushing specialist who stands out among KC's more stout traditional defensive ends. Now up to 36 snaps in his four games with the Chiefs, Uche could offer a change of pace if entrusted with a larger role in light of the starters' struggles.

Read More: Winners and Losers from the KC Chiefs' Week 12 Victory Over the Carolina Panthers