Lions-Saints snap counts: Injuries shuffle offensive line, Teez Tabor sees the field

Here’s a look at the Detroit Lions’ snap counts from their Week 6 game against the New Orleans Saints.

Offense:

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford: 81 snaps (100%)

Running backs

Ameer Abdullah: 37 (46%)
Theo Riddick: 35 (43%)
Zach Zenner: 9 (11%) — 23 special teams snaps (51%)

“Fullback”

Nick Bellore: 1 (1%)

Tight ends

Darren Fells: 46 (57%) — 16 (36%)
Eric Ebron: 41 (51%)
Michael Roberts: 5 (6%) — 12 (27%)

Wide receivers

Marvin Jones Jr.: 80 (99%)
TJ Jones: 58 (72%)
Jared Abbrederis: 47 (58%) — 16 (36%)
Golden Tate: 46 (57%)

Offensive tackles

Rick Wagner: 76 (94%) — 7 (16%)
Greg Robinson: 60 (74%) — 4 (9%)
Brian Mihalik: 26 (32%) — 7 (16%)

Guards/centers

Travis Swanson: 81 (100%) — 7 (16%)
Graham Glasgow: 81 (100%) — 7 (16%)
Emmett Cleary: 53 (65%) — 7 (16%)
Tim Lelito: 28 (35%) — 12 (27%)

Observations:

• For the third straight game, Darren Fells received more playing time than his counterpart, Eric Ebron. A lot of that is likely due to the struggles along the offensive line, but Ebron hasn’t exactly made a play for more playing time, either.
• It’s never a good sign when seven offensive lineman get a significant portion of snaps. It’s especially bad when your starting right guard is unavailable due to an injury flare-up two hours before kickoff. Every single active offensive lineman was on the field for at least 30 percent of snaps.
• No surprise, but both T.J. Jones and Jared Abbrederis saw the most playing time in their Lions career after Golden Tate went down early in the second half.

Defense:

Defensive end

Anthony Zettel: 43 (61%) — 6 (13%)
Ezekiel Ansah: 42 (59%)
Jeremiah Valoaga: 29 (41%) — 10 (22%)
George Johnson: 29 (41%) — 10 (22%)

Defensive tackle

Akeem Spence: 52 (73%) — 3 (9%)
A’Shawn Robinson: 51 (72%) — 10 (22%)
Jeremiah Ledbetter: 22 (31%) — 12 (27%)
Caraun Reid: 18 (25%) — 1 (2%)

Linebackers

Jarrad Davis: 71 (100%) — 9 (20%)
Tahir Whitehead: 63 (89%) — 12 (27%)
Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 27 (38%) — 28 (62%)
Nick Bellore: 2 (3%) — 38 (84%)
Steve Longa: 0 (0%) — 29 (64%)

Cornerbacks

Darius Slay: 69 (97%) — 10 (22%)
Nevin Lawson: 43 (61%) — 13 (29%)
Quandre Diggs: 28 (39%) — 14 (31%)
DJ Hayden: 25 (35%) — 8 (18%)
Teez Tabor: 3 (4%) — 14 (31%)
Jamal Agnew: 0 (0%) — 31 (69%)

Safety

Tavon Wilson: 65 (92%)
Glover Quin: 37 (52%) — 7 (16%)
Charles Washington: 35 (49%) — 24 (53%)
Miles Killebrew: 27 (38%) — 15 (33%)
Don Carey: 0 (0%) — 38 (84%)

Observations:

• Jarrad Davis was the only Lions player to see every defensive snap against the Saints, but it’s interesting to see that Jalen Reeves-Maybin was Detroit’s third linebacker of choice. Definitely a sign of progress for the rookie.
• Welcome to the game, Teez Tabor! Against the Saints, Tabor played his first defensive snaps of the season, even if it was just three.
• Akeem Spence and A’Shawn Robinson saw a huge portion of snaps in Haloti Ngata’s absence. Anything over 70 percent is a high number for a Teryl Austin-led defense. Expect those numbers to go down once Datone Jones is in the lineup.
• Interesting to see Charles Washington get a huge bump in playing time after Glover Quin’s injury. This is yet another sign that Detroit favors Washington in coverage over Miles Killebrew.

Overall observations:

• 45 out of 46 active Lions players saw at least 10 total snaps (including special teams). The one player that did not see a single snap? Jake Rudock.
• According to Sports On Earth, an average NFL game has about 134 total offensive snaps between both teams. This game had 152. It felt like 170.