Chiefs vs. Steelers Snap Counts: Season-Long Streak Ends, Defensive Backs Continue Rotating

The Chiefs showed some intriguing rotations in the defensive backfield in their Christmas Day win over the Steelers, while one player's early exit ended a remarkable streak.

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30 carries the ball against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Christmas Day, securing KC's spot as the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the NFL playoffs.

Who stood out from KC's win, and who did the Chiefs rely on in their final meaningful game of the 2024 regular season? A closer look at the Chiefs' snap counts reveal the end of an impressive streak and the next step of a ramp-up for a key offensive weapon.

Trent McDuffie's remarkable season-long streak ends

It took a Week 17 blowout at the end of a stretch of three games in just 11 days, but Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie finally sat for a defensive snap for the first time this season. Through the first 15 games of the season, McDuffie played every single defensive snap for Kansas City. On Wednesday, McDuffie got to end his day early as the Steelers held the ball in garbage time. McDuffie left the field after taking 64 snaps (85%), leaving him with 996 defensive snaps of a possible 1,007 through the Chiefs' 16 meaningful games. With Week 18's showdown with the Denver Broncos now purely logistical for the Chiefs, McDuffie can (and likely should) get to enjoy KC's regular season finale from the sidelines.

KC's defensive backfield continues to evolve

In the Chiefs' second-consecutive game without safety/slot defender Chamarri Conner, Steve Spagnuolo's defensive backfield still left room for interpretation on Wednesday. While McDuffie and safety Justin Reid (63 of 75 snaps, 84%) were at their familiar spots near the top of the snap counts with safety Bryan Cook (54 snaps, 72%) in his typical range, the rest of the secondary varied.

The Chiefs' fourth- and fifth-most-used defensive backs on Christmas were rookie safety Jaden Hicks (53 snaps, 71%) and undrafted rookie slot cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace (50, 67%). Hicks's workload has escalated in recent weeks, with Wednesday's snap count and percentage both setting career-high marks. Roland-Wallace also set new highs in Pittsburgh, presenting an interesting conundrum for Spagnuolo when Conner returns.

On the outside, cornerbacks Joshua Williams (41 snaps, 55%), Nazeeh Johnson (34, 45%) and Keith Taylor (25, 33%) split the workload. The playoffs are just around the corner, and Kansas City appears to still be searching for answers on the boundaries.

Hollywood Brown continues to ramp up, Xavier Worthy remains full-speed

Wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown got a higher percentage of the workload in his second game as a Chief, taking 25 snaps (40%) after receiving 20 (27%) on Dec. 21 against the Houston Texans.

Rookie Xavier Worthy led KC's wide receivers by a large margin (53 snaps, 85%) and trailed only Travis Kelce (55, 85%) among KC's pass-catchers. The rest of the team's wide receiver rotation finished with similar workloads, including JuJu Smith-Schuster (31, 50%), DeAndre Hopkins (29, 47%) and Justin Watson (21, 34%), with Nikko Remigio taking one offensive snap.

Tershawn Wharton carries defensive line rotation without Chris Jones

With superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones inactive due to a calf injury on Christmas, fifth-year defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton took 71 of 75 snaps, ending with 95% of KC's defensive workload — a massive number, especially for an interior defensive lineman. Three of Wharton's fellow interior D-linemen rotated alongside him in limited roles as Derrick Nnadi took 18 snaps (28%) while Mike Pennel and Marlon Tuipulotu each took 13 (17%), with Tuipulotu making his Chiefs debut.

The Chiefs' defensive line is bolstered by defensive ends who can slide to the interior when needed, as George Karlaftis and Charles Omenihu each took 50 snaps (67%) while Mike Danna played 40 (53%). Rounding out the pass rush rotation, Felix Anudike-Uzomah took 21 snaps (28%) on Wednesday.

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