"When he wasn't suspended or injured, Larry Johnson constituted almost the whole of the Chiefs' running game the last four years.

The Chiefs seem almost certain to split that role into two or more parts now that he's gone.

"It will probably be more of running back by committee," said Kolby Smith, who will be a member of that committee. "It won't be solely on one person's shoulders."

The Chiefs got a glimpse of life without Johnson for the first time this season in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Chiefs split the work among Smith, Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage, and appeared pleased with the results.

Charles and Smith averaged better than 4 yards per carry, and Savage had 4 yards in his two carries. The running game, though, was little used. The Chiefs handed the ball to their backs just 12 times while quarterback Matt Cassel attempted 39 passes.

"I like the average, especially from Jamaal and Kolby," coach Todd Haley said. "When they're 4-plus average, that's a pretty good sign. I think they did a really good job in blitz pickup.

"I don't think I called enough runs. In hindsight, I wish … I think the game kind of dictated it. In a bunch of our run formations we were getting heavy pressure, and I probably let that dictate some of my decisions too much."

Charles started and played more snaps, but eventually Smith could take more of the work. The Jacksonville game was his first in more than a year. He injured his knee and had surgery midway through last season and returned to practice only last month.

"I know he's still working his way back into things," Cassel said. "You definitely see some great things on the field for him.""