The Kansas City Chiefs came so close to beating the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day, but their offense couldn’t get anything going under their third-string quarterback. Their defense played one of their most complete games of the season, but their performance will go to waste as this game had no implications for the Chiefs in the playoffs, and it resulted in a loss anyways.

Certainly, there are more negatives than positives to be taken away from the Chiefs’ Week 17 loss. An Andy Reid-led offense produced only 57 passing yards, which is inexcusable regardless of the players on the field. What’s the one thing the Chiefs did right this game that can be applied to their future?

Finally Given a Chance

All things considered, Chris Oladokun played fine in his first-ever NFL start against one of the top five defenses in the NFL. He limited their offense, but made a case to be the second-string quarterback once Patrick Mahomes comes back from his injury.

Despite being 28, Oladokun has as much experience in the NFL as a rookie starting out his career. The Chiefs didn’t put the offense in his hands, relying primarily on their running game, but they did give him plenty of opportunities to hit big-time throws. He couldn’t capitalize on those opportunities, and that’s what led to their pitiful offensive performance. However, he threw his first-ever touchdown in the NFL to a fellow young player from the Chiefs,

I had been clamoring for the Chiefs to give rookie Brashard Smith an increased workload earlier in the season. It sucks that it took a meaningless loss against the Broncos for them to finally start using him, but better late than never.

Smith caught a touchdown, but he didn’t make much of an impact in the receiving game, with him only contributing five yards on three receptions. He made his mark on special teams, as he had an explosive punt return for 44 yards and a kick return for 30 yards. He was by far their most explosive player in the game, and the Chiefs should use him more often going forward.

It made no sense for the Chiefs to close out this season by continuing to lean on their veterans making plays, which would take away from their younger players getting valuable game experience. It’s encouraging that they gave Smith more of an opportunity, but it still isn’t enough. For the final game of the season, I’d like to see them fully buy into the youth and start as many rookie players as they can.

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