Lions-Falcons snap counts: Nick Bellore has entered the game

Here’s a look at the Detroit Lions snap counts for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Offense:

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford: 70 snaps (100%)

Running backs

Theo Riddick: 34 (49%)
Ameer Abdullah: 29 (41%)
Zach Zenner: 7 (10%) — 21 (64%)

Tight ends

Eric Ebron: 45 (64%)
Darren Fells: 29 (41%) — 13 (39%)
Michael Roberts: 9 (13%) — 12 (36%)

Wide receivers

Marvin Jones Jr.: 68 (97%)
Golden Tate: 63 (90%)
Kenny Golladay: 45 (64%)
TJ Jones: 15 (21%) — 13 (39%)
Jared Abbrederis: 6 (9%) — 9 (27%)

Offensive tackles

Rick Wagner: 70 (100%) — 6 (18%)
Greg Robinson: 70 (100%) — 6 (18%)
Brian Mihalik: 6 special teams snaps (18%)

Guards/centers

Zac Kerin: 70 (100%) — 6 (18%)
Graham Glasgow: 70 (100%) — 6 (18%)
T.J. Lang: 70 (100%) — 6 (18%)

Observations

• It’s pretty surprising to see how often Kenny Golladay was out there, considering he was outshined by TJ Jones, and Jones played for 30 fewer snaps.
• Also, it’s a bit surprising to see Theo Riddick in the game more often than Ameer Abdullah. However, considering the Lions had to abandon to run fairly early in the contest, Riddick’s threat in the passing game, along with his abilities to pass protect, made him the more valuable back on Sunday.

Defense:

Defensive end

Anthony Zettel: 37 (54%) — 5 (15%)
Ezekiel Ansah: 33 (49%)
Cornelius Washington: 32 (47%) — 6 (18%)
George Johnson: 20 (29%) -- 1 (3%)
Jeremiah Valoaga: 15 (22%)

Defensive tackle

A’Shawn Robinson: 39 (57%) — 6 (18%)
Haloti Ngata: 34 (50%) — 6 (18%)
Akeem Spence: 34 (48%)
Jeremiah Ledbetter: 28 (41%) — 7 (21%)

Linebackers

Tahir Whitehead: 68 (100%) — 6 (18%)
Paul Worrilow: 42 (62%) — 24 (73%)
Nick Bellore: 35 (51%) — 21 (64%)
Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 26 (38%) — 26 (79%)
Steve Longa: 21 special teams snaps (64%)

Cornerbacks

Darius Slay: 67 (99%) — 6 (18%)
Nevin Lawson: 41 (60%) — 9 (27%)
Quandre Diggs: 33 (49%) — 9 (27%)
DJ Hayden: 28 (41%) — 8 (24%)
Jamal Agnew: 2 special teams snaps (6%)

Safety

Glover Quin: 68 (100%) — 6 (18%)
Miles Killebrew: 53 (78%) — 7 (21%)
Charles Washington: 15 (22%) — 19 (58%)
Don Carey: 0 (0%) — 27 (82%)

Observations:

• Nick Bellore came out of nowhere and stole 50 percent of the snaps. Bellore, who was a long-shot to make the Lions roster, is surprisingly ahead of rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin on the depth chart at linebacker. This is your daily reminder that the Lions need Jarrad Davis back.
• I would love to know what the Lions’ thought process is with how they use their cornerbacks. The endless carousel between Nevin Lawson, Quandre Diggs and DJ Hayden is frustrating to watch when Hayden is playing so poorly and Diggs is playing so well. But these numbers have been shuffling every week, and there’s likely some matchup method to their madness.
• Ezekiel Ansah is still clearly not 100 percent. If he was at full healthy, there would be no reason to play him at any less than 60 percent of the snaps. Zettel, despite missing time with an injury, still played more than the Pro Bowl end.