The Kansas City Chiefs wasted a Week 16 opportunity to evaluate their roster, especially the young guns. Instead of taking advantage of a juicy matchup against the beatable Tennessee Titans, the Chiefs opted to play veterans pretending as if the game had some meaning. It was maddening to watch for Chiefs fans whose lone reason to tune in was in hopes of seeing young and fringe roster pieces given a true chance to play a larger role.
On top of that, the Titans beat the Chiefs 26-9 as Kansas City's coaching staff stubbornly stuck with failing veterans over rookies like running back Brashard Smith.
Smith didn't register a single carry during the disappointing loss. Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Worthy, and Kareem Hunt all combined for 12 carries despite the trio having zero questions to answer. The dozen carries that should've been given to Smith in an effort to evaluate whether or not the rookie has any chance to be a future contributor. Instead, they handed the ball to Pacheco, who clearly is on his way out, and two players whose roles on this team should already be cemented.
Chiefs Failed Brashard Smith in Week 16
The Chiefs' opting not to give Smith a single carry and one lone target in the passing attack wasn't the only area where the poor decision-making was reflected. Chiefs fans were upset throughout the game because of the coaching staff's unwillingness to embrace the youth on the roster, including sticking with the oft-frustrating Jack Cochrane over rookie linebacker Jeffrey Bassa.
This perfectly hits the nail on the head and applies to Smith as well, who should've been the featured back in Week 16. What are the Chiefs trying to prove in a season that no longer matters? The best thing for the future of your franchise is getting a gauge on players who can contribute to your future. Otherwise, Smith will be as big an unknown next year as he was this season.
Over the last six games of the season, the Chiefs have offered Smith only six combined carries. This made sense before the franchise was eliminated and jettisoned to playoff irrelevance. Now, they owe it to Smith and the fan base to explore his potential fit to the 2026 roster.
As promising as Smith is, he's far from perfect. He only has 95 rushing yards on the season, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. He's only seen 32 opportunities, though, which is a fairly small sample size, especially if the Chiefs are curious about what he could do with more on his plate. That only makes their failure to give him more carries in Week 16 even more bizarre.
Fans can only hope that the final two games of the year change are made, and Smith and other depth pieces are given a chance to prove they deserve a future role. If not, it is time to begin to wonder just how drastic Kansas City needs to get in changing its decision-makers after a failed 2025 season that was doomed long before Patrick Mahomes' season-ending injury.