KC Chiefs rookie report: How did they look against Broncos?
Skyy Moore, Wide Receiver (Round 2, Pick 54)
It was another quiet game for Skyy Moore as he recorded one catch for 7 yards on two targets on 11 receiving snaps. Looking at the snap counts alone, it’s pretty clear that Moore is behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and maybe even Justin Watson on the wide receiver depth chart. That doesn’t even include Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman, who are both injured.
Skyy Moore’s quiet rookie season is concerning but isn’t worthy of panic yet. He hasn’t had a consistent role in the offense yet and has been fairly productive when factoring in how few routes he’s run this season. According to Pro Football Focus ($), he ranks fourth among Chiefs receivers and tight ends in yards per route run, only trailing Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Kadarius Toney (only using his games with Kansas City). He’s been more productive than Marquez Valdes-Scantling when you factor in the number of snaps that each has played this year. Moore also hasn’t recorded a drop this year on 27 total targets. It’s also encouraging that Andy Reid continues to give him action on offense, even if he’s not producing as much as the team would hope.
Don’t panic or write off Skyy Moore. Many receivers need time to adjust to the NFL and 3/4 of a season isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. We’d like him to be more productive, but I don’t view it as a huge concern at this point in his career. If he’s in the same position in the middle of next year, then it’s fair to start asking questions.
Isiah Pacheco, Running Back (Round 7, Pick 251)
Isiah Pacheco continues to do a solid job as the primary running back for the Chiefs. On Sunday afternoon, he had 13 carries for 70 yards along with three receptions for 23 yards. He also had multiple “angry runs”, including a game-seeling 10-yard run late in the game, which was one of his best plays of the season to date. The main issue with Pacheco is the lack of usage by Andy Reid. Kansas City isn’t too keen on running the ball with anyone, but they have to reconsider how well Pacheco has been running lately.
Although this past week wasn’t Isiah Pacheco’s most productive week of the season, I would classify it as his best game of the year. He had his career-best in Missed Tackles Forced after a Rush with five as well as catches and receiving yards with three and 23, respectively. He and Jerick McKinnon will continue to split time, but it’s clear as day that Pacheco has established a role for himself in this Chiefs offense.
Jaylen Watson, Cornerback (Round 7, Pick 243)
After a quiet couple of weeks, Jaylen Watson finally saw consistent playing time on defense. He was picked on as he allowed three catches on three targets for 30 yards, a touchdown, and a 147.9 passer rating across 20 coverage snaps. He also recorded a key defensive stop on Denver running back Latavius Murray on the play before Willie Gay’s pick-6 of Russell Wilson.
The honeymoon phase is over with Jaylen Watson as he’s been atrocious in coverage since September. However, I’m not going to freak out since he is a seventh-round rookie and a little patience is in order.