Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings Week 9 snap count observations

Here are the snap counts for the Detroit Lions’ Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:

Offense:

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford: 70 (100%)

Running backs

Kerryon Johnson: 39 (56%)
Theo Riddick: 39 (56%)
LeGarrette Blount: 11 (16%)

Fullbacks

Nick Bellore: 6 (9%) — 18 special teams snaps (69%)

Tight ends

Michael Roberts: 36 (51%)
Luke Willson: 34 (49%) — 9 (35%)
Levine Toilolo: 16 (23%) — 8 (31%)

Wide receivers

Kenny Golladay: 68 (97%)
Marvin Jones Jr.: 63 (90%)
TJ Jones: 36 (51%)
Andy Jones: 2 (3%) — 18 (69%)
Brandon Powell: 0 (0%) — 10 (38%)

Offensive tackles

Rick Wagner: 70 (100%) — 3 (12%)
Taylor Decker: 65 (93%)
Tyrell Crosby: 5 (7%) — 3 (12%)

Guards/centers

Graham Glasgow: 70 (100%) — 3 (12%)
Frank Ragnow: 70 (100%) — 3 (12%)
Kenny Wiggins: 39 (56%) — 3 (12%)
T.J. Lang: 31 (44%)

Observations:

• For the past two weeks, the Lions had been giving T.J. Lang some scheduled drives off, but this was more than that. Lang was severely limited in practice all week with a hip injury, and the result was playing less than half of the offensive snaps on Sunday. Kenny Wiggins took his place 56 percent of the time... and struggled.
• Additionally, it’s clear Taylor Decker wasn’t 100 percent either. While he only missed five snaps in the game, and it was due to cramping, Detroit took him off of special teams completely, suggesting his back injury was still limiting his play.
• If you had Andy Jones higher on the Lions’ depth chart than Brandon Powell, raise your hand. Anybody?
• Unsurprisingly, Theo Riddick had a ton of offensive snaps in his return from injury. Kerryon Johnson’s impact was limited after the Lions were forced to abandon the run in the second half.

Defense:

Defensive end

Romeo Okwara: 44 (90%)
Da’Shawn Hand: 24 (49%) — 5 (19%)
Ezekiel Ansah: 12 (24%) — 1 (4%)

Defensive tackle

Damon Harrison: 33 (67%) — 4 (15%)
A’Shawn Robinson: 30 (61%) — 7 (27%)
Ricky Jean Francois: 13 (27%) — 4 (15%)

Linebackers

Jarrad Davis: 49 (100%) — 5 (19%)
Devon Kennard: 49 (100%) — 5 (19%)
Christian Jones: 37 (76%) — 11 (42%)
Trevor Bates: 0 (0%) — 18 (69%)
Eli Harold: 0 (0%) — 17 (65%)

Cornerbacks

Nevin Lawson: 46 (94%) — 6 (23%)
Darius Slay: 46 (94%) — 1 (4%)
DeShawn Shead: 30 (61%) — 5 (19%)
Teez Tabor: 14 (29%) — 17 (65%)
Lenzy Pipkins: 0 (0%) — 6 (23%)

Safety

Quandre Diggs: 49 (100%) — 2 (8%)
Glover Quin: 39 (80%) — 5 (19%)
Tavon Wilson: 17 (35%) — 9 (35%)
Tracy Walker: 5 (10%) — 14 (54%)
Miles Killebrew: 0 (0%) — 22 (85%)
Charles Washington: 0 (0%) — 18 (69%)

Observations:

• Ezekiel Ansah was clearly just limited to pass-rushing situations and only played 12 snaps in his return. He did pick up a sack, but it was an otherwise unceremonious return to action.
• Damon Harrison took his rightful place as the team’s leading snap-getter along the interior of the defensive line. However, it curiously took away a good chunk of snaps from Da’Shawn Hand, who had been playing very well as a pass-rusher. I suppose Lions found themselves in need of more run-stopping defenders, which is why both A’Shawn Robinson and “Snacks” saw significantly more playing time.
• Teez Tabor played in just 14 snaps, but was able to make a horrible impression on limited playing time. Detroit more often opted to put DeShawn Shead out there, who had a mostly quiet day—a good thing for a cornerback.

Special teams

Sam Martin: 13 (50%)
Don Muhlbach: 9 (35%)
Matt Prater: 3 (12%)