KC Chiefs: Good and bad performances from depth chart players in Week 17

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 27: Offensive guard Nick Allegretti #73 of the Kansas City Chiefs leads players onto the field prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Arrowhead Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tim Ward (90) – Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

Good: Tim Ward

This was Tim Ward‘s first game in the NFL and he played his butt off on defense. The Chiefs defense had a tough day because a lot of their stars were hanging out on the sidelines, but Ward was having himself a day and proved he could be worth the patience.

I’m including this tweet from our friends at Arrowhead Addict who discussed Ward’s potential. The Old Dominion product wasn’t really thought much of when he was first brought in, but he totaled five tackles (one for loss), two quarterback hits, and his first NFL sack. It was quite the effort from Ward and it’ll be interesting to see if he can compete to make next season’s team.

Tim Ward can be the real deal here. Brett Veach preached patience when they first signed him. Gonna be fun to see if he claims a real spot next season.
— Arrowhead Addict (@ArrowheadAddict) January 3, 2021

Bad: Juan Thornhill

I hate dogging on Juan Thornhill because of how spectacular he was as a rookie but the guy has dropped off tremendously since his injury in Week 17 last year. In this game, Thornhill just looked lost and missed tackles, something that was uncharacteristic for him last year as a rookie.

Clearly, the injury is still affecting Thornhill. This poor performance from the defense wasn’t all on him, but he definitely stood out as someone not being able to keep up with the Chargers. This is not what we thought we’d be saying about Thornhill after how good he was in the 2019 season.

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