Andy Reid Praises Chiefs GM Brett Veach After AFC Divisional Playoff Win: "This Game is Him"

The Chiefs saw some major production from young standouts on Sunday night

The two highest-graded defensive players for the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills both haven’t turned 24 years old yet.

Safety Chamarri Conner (PFF grade - 90.2) and linebacker Leo Chenal (PFF grade - 89.2) were both drafted by the Chiefs within the past three years. Conner is a rookie fourth-round pick, while Chenal was taken in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Chiefs needed both of these players to step up because of injuries and make plays when their names were called, and that’s exactly what they did.

Veteran safety Mike Edwards and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. both went down early with injuries. Gay played only 11 snaps before leaving with a neck injury, and Edwards played just two snaps before leaving with a concussion.

The stage was set for these young players - recently drafted by Chiefs’ GM Brett Veach and company - to help fill the void left by a couple of veteran players on an already-young defense.

All season, the Chiefs had already boasted the NFL’s youngest defense - averaging just over 25 years old. Now you’ve removed two of those veteran players in the biggest game of the season.

“Chamarri (Conner) did a heck of a job,” Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid noted on Monday afternoon during his weekly media availability. “He’s been working in on nickel and dime situations, but to come in and have that extended time in there and make the plays he did – with the exception of just trying to pick the ball to scoop and score - he probably should have just fallen on it when it’s all said and done.

“But he sure did a nice job in there.”

Conner finished the game with 77 defensive snaps played, which was tied for the most on the team with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and the most of his season. He also finished with 10 tackles on the night, which was the third-most for any Chiefs’ defensive player and the most from him in a game this season as well.

In fact, if you combine the regular season and two postseason games, 21 percent of Conner’s tackles this season came on Sunday night.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Chiefs’ three highest-graded players (via PFF) were two 24-year old offensive linemen and Patrick Mahomes.

Center Creed Humphrey led the way with a 91.7 grade - his highest-mark of the season. Right guard Trey Smith came in with a grade of 85.8, which was his second-highest graded performance this season (Las Vegas, Week 12).

Humphrey and Smith, along with veteran left guard Joe Thuney, were responsible for shutting down the impressive interior pass rush of the Bills - highlighted by DaQuan Jones and Ed Oliver. Those two players, who were the Bills’ two top two interior pass rushers this season (most pressures, highest grade), were held to a total of ZERO pressures against the Chiefs on Sunday night.

So, what do Chenal, Conner, Humphrey and Smith all have in common? They were all drafted by Veach and the Chiefs. That’s not even including guys like Rashee Rice, Isaiah Pacheco, George Karlaftis, Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed, among others.

“He’s done a great job,” Reid said of Veach. “I told him after the game - that’s him. This game is him. This is a reflection of all the time and effort he and his guys have put in. That’s what it comes down to - they’ve given us good football players to coach.”

There’s always a lot more said about the misses and guys who didn’t pan out for one reason or another when it comes to roster construction and judging an NFL General Manager’s performance, but it’s moments like what we all saw on Sunday night - when a team’s depth is challenged in the biggest of moments - that the success of a roster-builder is on display for the football-watching world to witness.

And we saw that Veach got it done, and hence, so did the Chiefs.