KC Chiefs Week 9 Snap Counts vs. Miami Dolphins: A Major Shift and a Harsh Truth
Seven days after having their six-game winning streak snapped, the Kansas City Chiefs got back on track with a Week 9 victory over the Miami Dolphins. With that said, not everything was perfect for Andy Reid's group on Sunday.
The Chiefs' offense put together two impressive scoring drives versus Miami, but it otherwise struggled to move the ball down the field with consistency. On the flip side, Steve Spagnuolo's defense was brilliant for the majority of the afternoon and helped bring the win home for Kansas City in Germany. It wasn't a very balanced Chiefs win, albeit a win nonetheless.
Now that snap counts have been released, what jumped off the page? Let's take a look at three notable takeaways from another week of Chiefs football.
Less was Moore against the Dolphins
Many have called for fewer Skyy Moore snaps in recent weeks due to the second-year man's struggles on offense. He'd seen the field in at least half of the team's available offensive plays in every single game this season, not producing much in those contests. In Weeks 4-8, for example, Moore was targeted 14 times and hauled just in half of those passes for 56 yards. Something was brewing for the Chiefs at the wide receiver position and after seeing a slight dip in his snap count last week, Moore's total cratered on Sunday.
Moore played just 15 snaps against the Dolphins, good for a quarter of all possible reps. Among other Kansas City wideouts, rookie Rashee Rice led the way with 41 snaps and was followed by Justin Watson (38) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (33). It's entirely possible that this trio will be the Chiefs' go-to rotation moving forward, with the likes of Moore, Mecole Hardman (13 snaps in Week 9) and Kadarius Toney (seven) serving as supplemental depth. The team appears to be peeling Moore's workload back to something similar to his rookie campaign, which could lead to building him back up over time. Despite his limited workload, he had two catches for 33 yards on Sunday.
Workload management for multiple players
Speaking of limited workloads, the Chiefs were very intentional with the reps they handed out to certain players in Germany. At the top, tight end Travis Kelce logged 46 snaps (77%) after a season-high involvement rate (52 snaps, 85%) against the Denver Broncos in Week 8. That small discrepancy makes a massive difference, as Kansas City allowed backup tight ends Noah Gray (31 snaps) and Blake Bell (16) to give Kelce a bit of a breather. Gray led all Chiefs players with 34 receiving yards on the outing.
Elsewhere, Kansas City took things somewhat slow with linebacker Willie Gay Jr. by putting him on the field for just 25 snaps on Sunday. He was coming off a tailbone/lower back injury suffered in Week 8, and his 25 snaps played (second-lowest of the year) seemed like an appropriate workload for someone who was limited in practice during the week. Expect Gay's snaps to potentially trend back up in weeks to come, especially with Nick Bolton still out. Gay made a tremendous impact when on the field in Week 9, totaling four tackles (one for loss) and forcing a fumble.
The Chiefs' first 2023 draft pick continues to get very limited reps
The Chiefs' defensive end picture was a pretty clear one against Miami. George Karlaftis and Mike Danna each played 48 snaps, with Charles Omenihu finishing right behind them at 46. That served as Kansas City's primary end rotation, and it will continue to do so for the rest of the year barring an injury. All three players have inside-outside versatility and so does defensive tackle Chris Jones, providing Spagnuolo with plenty of flexibility up front. Omenihu's return has led to what many predicted, however, which is rookie Felix Anudike-Uzomah not seeing the field much.
The 31st overall pick in this year's draft was getting serious run while Omenihu was suspended, logging double-digit snap totals in Weeks 1-5. Since then, he's proceeded to play snap totals of five, 10, nine and four in his last four games. The rookie isn't being phased completely out of the defensive game plan and it's possible that in-game rest or another factor frees up a handful of snaps for him, but it doesn't look good right now. His development is absolutely a long-term play for the franchise rather than a 2023 opportunity.
