Kansas City Chiefs Stock Report: Week 14 2022 -

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In what was a wacky game, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to down the Denver Broncos by a score of 34-28 on Sunday. Kansas City now sits at 10-3 with four games left to play in the 2022 regular season. No matter what happens in other games, the Chiefs will clinch the AFC West division with a victory against the Houston Texans this upcoming Sunday. On the flip side, the Broncos fell to 3-10, the second-worst record in the AFC. This game saw some ups and downs from each side of the ball for the Chiefs, when all was said and done.

Each and every week, we will be listing players, position groups or coaches that improved or hurt their respective stock. Who saw their stock rise or fall in Week 14 for the Kansas City Chiefs? Let’s kick it off.

Stock Up

Jerick McKinnon

Jerick McKinnon may not be the top running back in Kansas City. He may not even be the most consistent, to boot. But on Sunday, McKinnon had a dominant performance. Most of his damage came as a pass catcher. He was the receiver on a rare play, where Patrick Mahomes threw what appeared to be a no-look, underhand hook shot. McKinnon scored a touchdown on that play. On top of that, he was lethal as a pass catcher on screen passes and had another touchdown catch on a screen underneath. McKinnon finished the day with 112 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on seven catches. He also had six carries for 22 rushing yards. At this point in the season, McKinnon is such a unique and dangerous depth piece for the Chiefs offense.

Isiah Pacheco

Simply put, Isiah Pacheco continues to be dependable and is growing in all phases. His work and touches have sometimes been limited. That could be somewhat expected, possibly due to his rookie status. Nevertheless, Pacheco shut the door on the opponent, even if his second half carries were down. His ability to run through defenders is just a tremendous aspect to have, especially come playoff time. In total, Pacheco had 70 rushing yards on 13 carries, good enough for 5.4 yards per carry. Meanwhile, he caught all three of his targets for 23 yards.

JuJu Smith-Schuster

JuJu Smith-Schuster may not be the most dynamic or flashy wide receiver. But, his dependability and constant success as a route runner and with separation provides more trust from Mahomes. His comfort in crossing routes and over the middle of the field in traffic were on display in Denver. As a result, Chiefs fans were able to see what he could do against a physical, stingy defense. That makes him a perfect fit for what Kansas City relies on now, without Tyreek Hill. JuJu had nine catches for 74 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos.

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Kansas City Pass Rush

Even with some defensive gaffes, the Chiefs had a noticeable resurgence as a pass rush. That was major for Kansas City, given their putrid performance there last week. The Chiefs were sometimes so quick, that they met the Denver quarterback at the top of his dropback. Moreover, Kansas City had to be pleased with their resiliency upfront on defense. The Chiefs finished with 11 quarterback hits. Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Mike Danna, George Karlaftis and Juan Thornhill each recorded one sack. Finally, Darius Harris and Brandon Williams each combined for half a sack.

Stock Down

Patrick Mahomes

It was not all bad for Patrick Mahomes on Sunday. But as he said after the game, he put his team in precarious positions with some costly interceptions. On those plays, he seemed to stare down his reads, something he has not struggled with much this season. Elsewhere, Mahomes appeared to rush some throws, which affected his ball placement and the timing of the receivers. His highlight-reel play to McKinnon, escape of pressure and play extension still got the Chiefs going, when necessary. But for Mahomes’ standard and his current MVP race, Sunday was a bit of a disappointment in certain areas.

Chiefs Cornerbacks

There have been bright moments this season for the Chiefs rookie cornerbacks. At times, the trio of Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson have shown to be poised and wise. Yet, it was one of those rough rookie days on Sunday. McDuffie got hurt by reading the backfield and by jumping towards in-breaking routes, failing to keep adequate positioning on the outside. As for Williams and Watson, their lack of crisp cuts and breaks allowed them to get beat in space or inside. This group also had some costly penalties against the Broncos.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.