L’Jarius Sneed, Clyde Edwards-Helaire lead Chiefs rookie contributions

Tommy Townsend

Kansas City’s rookie punter Tommy Townsend had a pretty light workload on Monday night, but I’m sure he didn’t mind watching the game from the sidelines.

Given the mastery on display by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs needed just one punt on the evening in their big battle with Baltimore. Townsend’s view from the sideline saw his team score on nearly every possession on the evening, coupled with a lost fumble, which meant that, when called upon, the former Florida Gator may have had to remember where he set his helmet.

Fortunately, Townsend continued to show why Dave Toub and the Chiefs had confidence in moving on from veteran Dustin Colquitt, as in his one attempt he launched a 58 yard bomb.

Tershawn Wharton

With the return of veteran Mike Pennel, the Chiefs’ run-stuffing defensive tackle who was suspended for the first two weeks of the season, it was inevitable that undrafted rookie free agent Tershawn Wharton was going to see a decrease in snaps. And he did.

However, with fellow tackle Khalen Saunders still missing in action due to an elbow injury suffered in Week 1, it was also true that Wharton still held an important rotational role.

Frankly, it may have even been a little surprising that, even with Pennel back and Chris Jones playing like a wrecking ball, Wharton still played on 20% of Kansas City’s defensive snaps. Clearly Wharton has earned the trust of the defensive coaches, and when the unit is fully healthy, it’ll be interesting to see if Wharton is able to hold on to his spot in the rotation.