Kansas City Chiefs Stock Report: Week 16 2022 -

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In a day that saw frigid temperatures, the Kansas City Chiefs turned up the heat against the Seattle Seahawks. In the victory over Seattle, it was the Chiefs defense who put the pressure on the Seahawks. We also saw the usual chemistry of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce create scoring opportunities for Kansas City’s offense. It was a style of play that had largely been missing for the Chiefs over the last month. By playing complementary football, Kansas City got some confidence and felt comfortable entering the end of the regular season.

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 16 for the Kansas City Chiefs? Let’s kick it off.

Stock Up

L’Jarius Sneed

Sure, DK Metcalf still made some tough catches down the field. But, it was L’Jarius Sneed who had him locked down throughout most of the game. Sneed is a versatile chess piece in the defense. Largely, we rarely see him travel with a top receiver one-on-one. It is safe to say that Sneed lived up to the challenge of the physically imposing Metcalf. He mostly stayed on top of the receiver, limiting his vertical separation. Elsewhere, Sneed stayed sticky in coverage, while finding the ball quickly. For a cornerback that is always somewhat underrated nationally, Sneed made his money against one of the league’s best wide receivers.

George Karlaftis

During this recent stretch, Chiefs rookie defensive end George Karlaftis has truly been coming into his own. He has generated plenty of pressures from the start of the season. Yet, it is his ability to finish plays and get home that have popped up more often recently. He got a sack in this game against Geno Smith. Meanwhile, Karlaftis was able to plug and shoot gaps against the run, allowing his teammates to clean up and finish the play. There is a comfort and confidence that he is playing with right now. Currently, Karlaftis has been a consistent presence for the Chiefs to rely on defensively.

Chris Jones

If anyone topped Karlaftis’ performance on the Kansas City defensive line, it was likely Chris Jones. Jones was continually blowing opposing offensive linemen back and off of their base. His first step quickness and power resulted in Seattle players having to adjust immediately. In the running game, running backs were forced to cutback or bounce it outside. Jones was also forcing Smith to retreat the pocket and throw on the run. In total, Jones finished with nine pressures, four tackles, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and one sack.

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Juan Thornhill

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It has been a challenging season for Juan Thornhill, here and there. You could argue that his performance against Seattle was his best of the season. Thornhill was alert on play direction. He made instant reads at the snap. On top of that, he maintained adequate body positioning for all four quarters. Being in the correct landmarks have hindered him at times this season, resulting in explosive plays for the opposing offense. But on Saturday, Thornhill was exactly where he needed to be against the pass. This allowed him to make immediate tackles in space. Finally, Thornhill registered a pass defensed and an interception.

Stock Down

Justin Watson

To say that it was a tough day for wide receiver Justin Watson, would be putting it mildly. He had zero catches on four targets. He dropped at least a couple of balls that were right in his hands. Seemingly, every drop would have given the Chiefs a first down. That ironically resulted in Kansas City having to punt and give the ball back to Seattle. It is always fascinating to see how the Chiefs treat incoming rookie wide receivers. Nevertheless, Kansas City needs to give more opportunities for rookie Skyy Moore, while limiting Watson in certain situations.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

It was also a goose egg for Marquez Valdes-Scantling this week. He had two targets total. Overall, we know how sporadic he was while with the Green Bay Packers. Seeing Valdes-Scantling go ice cold in production so often is pretty confusing, though. Given how this offense is currently set up, the Chiefs have so many guys who can win underneath, over the middle and in the intermediate passing game. For whatever reason, MVS just seems to struggle with fitting into the big picture consistently. If he finds footing, it is hard to guarantee that it will continue from a week-to-week basis.

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.