Lions Week 11 snap counts: Detroit shakes up secondary vs. Panthers

Here are the snap counts for the Detroit Lions’ Week 11 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Offense:

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford: 65 (100%)

Running backs

Kerryon Johnson: 33 (51%)
Theo Riddick: 27 (42%)
LeGarrette Blount: 12 (18%)
Zach Zenner: 3 (5%) — 18 special teams snaps (70%)

Fullbacks

Nick Bellore: 17 (26%) — 20 (74%)

Tight ends

Levine Toilolo: 42 (65%) — 6 (22%)
Luke Willson: 33 (51%) — 7 (26%)

Wide receivers

Kenny Golladay: 61 (94%) — 1 (4%)
TJ Jones: 45 (69%) — 5 (19%)
Bruce Ellington: 33 (51%) — 4 (15%)
Andy Jones: 19 (29%) — 6 (22%)

Offensive tackles

Rick Wagner: 65 (100%) — 4 (15%)
Taylor Decker: 65 (100%)
Tyrell Crosby: 0 (0%) — 4 (15%)

Guards/centers

Graham Glasgow: 65 (100%) — 4 (15%)
Frank Ragnow: 65 (100%) — 4 (15%)
Kenny Wiggins: 65 (100%) — 4 (15%)
Joe Dahl: 0 (0%) — 4 (15%)

Observations:

• After Kerryon Johnson went down with his injury, it was mostly Theo Riddick in the game, with a little LeGarrette Blount sprinkled in. If Johnson is out for an extended period of time, I would expect the Lions to add a running back. If not, Riddick could immediately become a bell-cow back.
• The Lions were clearly committed to the running game, as fullback Nick Bellore—who also lined up as a tight end/receiver a few times in this game—saw a season-high 17 snaps this game.
• Further evidence that Taylor Decker isn’t completely healthy: He was the only starting offensive lineman to not play any special teams snaps. He ceded those to rookie tackle Tyrell Crosby. This is the second time in three weeks he was held out of special teams snaps.
• Bruce Ellington had a nice chunk of playing time as the Lions’ new slot receiver, while Andy Jones was quiet in his 19 offensive snaps (0 targets).

Defense:

Defensive end

Da’Shawn Hand: 37 (64%) — 3 (11%)
Romeo Okwara: 32 (55%) — 3 (11%)
Ezekiel Ansah: 25 (43%)
Kerry Hyder: 7 (12%)

Defensive tackle

Damon Harrison: 39 (67%) — 3 (11%)
Ricky Jean Francois: 35 (60%) — 3 (11%)

Linebackers

Jarrad Davis: 58 (100%) — 3 (11%)
Devon Kennard: 58 (100%) — 3 (11%)
Christian Jones: 41 (71%) — 7 (26%)
Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 1 (2%) — 20 (74%)
Trevor Bates: 0 (0%) — 20 (74%)

Cornerbacks

Nevin Lawson: 57 (98%) — 3 (11%)
Darius Slay: 54 (93%)
Mike Ford: 29 (50%) — 10 (37%)
DeShawn Shead: 11 (19%) — 16 (59%)
Teez Tabor: 9 (16%) — 16 (59%)

Safety

Quandre Diggs: 58 (100%) — 1 (4%)
Glover Quin: 43 (74%) — 4 (15%)
Tavon Wilson: 29 (50%) — 11 (41%)
Tracy Walker: 15 (26%) — 8 (30%)
Miles Killebrew: 0 (0%) — 23 (85%)
Charles Washington: 0 (0%) — 20 (74%)

Observations:

• Don’t look now, but Ezekiel Ansah is starting to get a little more playing time. Perhaps this was due to the Panthers actually having to throw the ball in this game, perhaps it’s a sign Ansah is getting healthier. Time will tell.
• With no A’Shawn Robinson, both Damon Harrison and Ricky Jean Francois saw a significant boost in playing time—as did rookie Da’Shawn Hand.
• The Lions made some major shakeups in the secondary. Teez Tabor barely played—yet still managed to make a bad impression. Undrafted rookie Mike Ford played in a whopping 50 percent of snaps in his NFL debut.
• At safety, Tracy Walker is starting to chip away at Glover Quin’s playing time. You have to wonder if there’s a changing of the guard happening, as every time Walker entered the game, it seemed like he was replacing Quin. Again, this may be just do to the fact that game situation necessitated more packages with Walker in the lineup, but Walker was good enough out there to warrant more playing time regardless.

Special teams

Sam Martin: 15 (56%)
Don Muhlbach: 10 (37%)
Matt Prater: 4 (15%)