Alex Smith Has Been Really Good And Other Fun Stats

Oct 26, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) runs the ball for a touchdown during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

285.

One of the goals heading into the season was to reduce Jamaal Charles’ workload so as to keep him fresh for the second half of the season and for a potential playoff run. Second year running back Knile Davis seemed ready to take on a bigger role plus the Chiefs seemed to keep 90 running backs on their initial 53-man roster.

Through eight weeks, it would seem like ‘Mission Accomplished’ on the keep Jamaal fresh front.

Noting that Charles missed week three due to injury, Charles has participated in only 285 snaps through the Chiefs first eight games this season out of a potential 521. Again, he essentially missed two games so the number is a bit misleading but it is still a strong indication of how much rest Charles has gotten over the first two months.

At the eight game mark last season Charles had participated in 498 snaps.

Andy Reid spent a lot of time this summer talking about ‘finishing,’ whether it was finishing off blocks, plays, or games. Part of the way you finish of a season is to have your best players as fresh and healthy as possible. A fresh Charles should mean good things for the Chiefs’ offense once they get into crunch time over the next two (hopefully three) months.

Certainly we would all like to see Charles touch the ball 35 times a game and watch him do crazy things. But if the goal is to win in January then Kansas City needs a healthy Charles. Given his current pace, he should be fairly fresh, too.