Welcome to Arrowhead Pride’s weekly snap-count analysis!
Let’s take a closer look at the Kansas City Chiefs’ snap counts in the 35-12 win over the New York Jets in Week 9. The starting lineups are courtesy of NFL Game Stats and Information, and the snap-count data comes from Pro Football Focus’ premium stats.
Starters (offensive): LT Kahlil Benson, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jaylon Moore, QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Rashee Rice, WR Xavier Worthy, WR Cyrus Allen, RB Kenneth Walker and TE Travis Kelce
Starters (defensive): DE George Karlaftis, DT Chris Jones, NT Khyiris Tonga, DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, LB Nick Bolton, LB Drue Tranquill, CB Kristian Fulton, CB Nohl Williams, S Chris Roland-Wallace, S Alohi Gilman and S Chamarri Conner
Did not play: N/A
Inactive: QB Garrett Nussmeier (Emergency third QB), CB Mansoor Delane (shoulder), FB Ben VanSumeren, DE Jack Pyburn, DT Peter Woods (neck) and OT Diego Pounds
The big takeaway: Kristian Fulton continues playing well in relief
With Delane out again, veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton stepped into a starting role for the second consecutive week. His role as a reliable outside cornerback was further solidified over 62 snaps and 39 snaps in coverage. He was targeted three times and allowed just one catch for five yards. He had a clean sheet on the penalty front after drawing a flag for over-aggressive coverage against the Denver Broncos.
It’s the fourth game this season that Fulton has had to fill in for an injured Delane, and he has stepped up in a big way seemingly every time. When you look at his entire season, Fulton has been faulted for just 50 receiving yards on 8 catches (15 targets) against him in coverage; quarterbacks are registering a 32.6 passer rating when targeting the veteran cornerback.
Kansas City has a strong trio of outside cornerbacks as it tries to figure out how best to cover the slot.
The Offensive takeaway: Chiefs have a WR3 by committee
(Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) Getty Images
The Chiefs’ wide receiver position continues to be led by Xavier Worthy (74% offensive-snap rate) and Rashee Rice (58%). After that, there hasn’t been a clear WR3 like there was when the group was completely healthy. Here’s how the rest of the group’s snaps broke down:
Andrew Armstrong (22 snaps) — 0 targets
Jalen Royals (21 snaps ) — 2 catches for 18 yards (1 first down)
Cyrus Allen (19 snaps) — 1 target
Allen took a step back in playing time after 30 snaps in Denver; he did fumble a kick return this week.
Royals made a strong catch on a pass thrown over the middle in traffic, slightly behind him, to move the chains in the red zone.
Armstrong seems to have a defined role as the strongest blocker of the trio, so the coaching staff is trying to use each player to their strengths while general manager Brett Veach potentially adds a proven player to the mix before tomorrow’s trade deadline.
The Defensive takeaway: Chris Roland-Wallace has become one of defense’s key players
KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 08: Chris Roland-Wallace #30 of the Kansas City Chiefs flexes after a tackle for loss in the second quarter of an NFL game between the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs on Nov 8, 2026 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Since veteran slot cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was placed on the Reserve/Injured list before Week 8, the Chiefs have trusted safety Chris Roland-Wallace as the Nickel and primary slot defender.
With 45 snaps against New York, he out-snapped teammates in the secondary like safety Alohi Gilman (44 snaps) and safety Jaden Hicks (19 snaps). He has mainly been a staple in defending teams’ quick passes, but he was also used on blitzes a season-high five times in Week 9; he registered two hurries.
While I believe rookie Jadon Canady could eventually prove he has the coverage chops to be trusted more in the slot, Roland-Wallace is proving defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo right in trusting him to this extent, even after an undisciplined post-snap play that got him ejected in Week 6.
Offensive Snaps
Defensive Snaps
Special teams snaps