Chiefs snap counts: Sammy Watkins, Charvarius Ward earn big playing time

A look at the latest snap counts from the Chiefs’ game against the Colts reveals news about Sammy Watkins, Charvarius Ward, Kelvin Benjamin and more.

After 25 years, the curse is over! The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the red hot Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, breaking a postseason home losing record of 0-6.

The Chiefs dominated on both sides of the ball, which is exactly what this team is going to need to go deeper into the playoffs. The defense was once again without safety Eric Berry who practiced the first day of preparation but was not able to practice the rest of the week and, when push came to shove, did not play. The defense did not appear to miss Berry, however, as they held Andrew Luck and company to a single fourth-quarter touchdown on the night.

The defensive dominance was a shock, but another big surprise came from the return of wide receiver Sammy Watkins.  There is a lot to talk about in this postseason look at snap counts.

DEFENSE:

More from Arrowhead Addict

• Former Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las Vegas
• Chiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract news
• Chiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in Germany
• Podcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battles
• KC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching accelerator

In the week leading up to the game, there was plenty of speculation about whether or not the Kansas City Chiefs and their league-leading front seven would be able to penetrate the stout offensive line of Indianapolis, who before Saturday’s game had only allowed 18 sacks. In the end, Luck was under pressure all night, and the Chiefs were able to sack Luck three times.

The biggest surprise of the weekend would be that the secondary appears to have been solidified in Eric Berry’s absence. With Berry out, safety Eric Murray played 80% of the defensive plays opposed to the 52% that he played in the week 17 game against the Raiders.

With the emergence of Murray, safety Ron Parker, who played in 10% of defensive plays against the Raiders played for only 14% this week, this means that the starting job will more than likely stay with Murray if Berry can’t go on Sunday.

The budding star in the secondary is cornerback Charvarius Ward, who took his licks against Seattle but has transformed into a player that the Chiefs can look to and trust. In Week 17 against the Oakland Raiders, Ward played 79% of defensive snaps. That number jumped to 93% against the Colts, which was the highest of all cornerbacks.

With the high level of communication and coordination that was shown Saturday, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton will look to keep that going this week.

OFFENSE:

The offense was a well-oiled machine this week. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to dissect the Colts vanilla cover-2 defense to the tune of 27-41 for 278 yards. Mahomes did not throw a touchdown pass, but he did run for one of his own, but the stat line does not do him justice. The entire game showed why he is the MVP of the 2018 season.

Saturday’s game also showed us why receiver Sammy Watkins is so valuable to this teams offensive success. Watkins was on the field for 93% of offensive snaps, which were the most by any Chiefs receiver. He also had the Chiefs longest pass play of the day, which was his first catch of the day that went for 34 yards. Watkins showed great hands and blocking skills that will take this Chiefs offense to the next level, and at the right time.

With Watkins back, it appears that the Kelvin Benjamin experiment may be over in Kansas City. Benjamin was a healthy scratch on this week’s final report. The only question about the offense is running back Spencer Ware, who many believed to be healthy but once again found himself inactive. If Ware is healthy, look for him to play second fiddle to the hot hand of Damien Williams.

The Chiefs look to be coming together at the right time. The offense is led by the probable MVP of the 2018 season, and the defense is coming off its best showing all year. The best part is Kansas City will be hosting the first AFC Championship game in franchise history, which means the fans can be a part of the game plan. Hopefully, they will leave next Sunday’s game preparing for the first franchise Super Bowl in 50 years.