Detroit Lions Week 10 snap counts: D’Andre Swift achieves workhorse back status

Here’s a look at the Detroit Lions’ Week 10 snap counts against the Washington Football Team.

Offense

Quarterbacks:

Matthew Stafford: 59 (100%)

Running backs:

D’Andre Swift: 43 (73%) — 6 special teams snaps (20%)
Kerryon Johnson: 9 (15%)
Adrian Peterson: 7 (12%)
Jason Cabinda: 6 (10%) — 18 (60%)
Jonathan Williams: 0 (0%) — 3 (10%)

Tight ends:

T.J. Hockenson: 39 (66%)
Jesse James: 32 (54%) — 12 (40%)
Isaac Nauta: 13 (22%) — 6 (20%)

Wide receivers:

Marvin Jones Jr.: 51 (86%)
Marvin Hall: 38 (64%) — 6 (20%)
Quintez Cephus: 30 (51%) — 6 (20%)
Danny Amendola: 23 (39%) — 2 (7%)

Offensive tackles:

Taylor Decker: 59 (100%)
Tyrell Crosby: 59 (100%) — 6 (20%)
Matt Nelson: 4 (7%) — 6 (20%)
Dan Skipper: 0 (0%) — 6 (20%)

Guards/centers

Frank Ragnow: 59 (100%) — 6 (20%)
Jonah Jackson: 59 (100%) — 5 (20%)
Oday Aboushi: 59 (100%) — 5 (20%)

Observations:

• D’Andre Swift not only got his first start of the season, but he saw his biggest workload by percentage in this game (72%), topping his previous high of 62%. Meanwhile, Adrian Peterson (seven snaps) and Kerryon Johnson (nine snaps) were relegated to small roles. Matt Patricia often talks about how there aren’t many backs capable of being true workhorse backs, but this is the closest we’ve seen them use a back like that in quite some time. Kerryon Johnson only topped 72 percent twice as the Lions’ feature back in his first two seasons.
• Sunday saw an increased use of both Jesse James and Isaac Nauta. This was likely a move to establish a better running game this week, after having to abandon it early last week.
• Marvin Hall continues to get the nod over Quintez Cephus, who struggled in his 30 snaps on Sunday.
• Nice again to see the offensive line all play 100 percent of the snaps against Washington. They obviously fared pretty well, too.

Defense:

Defensive end:

Everson Griffen: 56 (64%)
Romeo Okwara: 54 (61%) — 14 (47%)

Defensive tackle:

Da’Shawn Hand: 52 (59%) — 6 (20%)
Danny Shelton: 41 (47%) — 6 (20%)
John Penisini: 37 (42%)
Frank Herron: 21 (24%) — 1 (3%)

Linebackers:

Jamie Collins Sr.: 88 (100%)
Reggie Ragland: 77 (88%)
Austin Bryant: 44 (50%) — 10 (33%)
Christian Jones: 19 (22%) — 10 (33%)
Jahlani Tavai: 11 (12%) — 10 (33%)
Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 0 (0%) — 24 (80%)

Cornerbacks:

Desmond Trufant: 88 (100%)
Justin Coleman: 80 (91%) — 2 (7%)
Amani Oruwariye: 54 (61%) — 6 (20%)
Jeff Okudah: 34 (39%)
Mike Ford: 4 (5%) — 18 (60%)

Safeties:

Duron Harmon: 88 (100%) — 12 (40%)
Jayron Kearse: 80 (91%) — 6 (20%)
Tracy Walker: 36 (41%) — 12 (40%)
Will Harris: 4 (5%) — 18 (60%)
Miles Killebrew: 0 (0%) — 24 (80%)
C.J. Moore: 0 (0%) — 24 (80%)

Observations:

• First, let’s give a shoutout to Jamie Collins Sr., Desmond Trufant, and Duron Harmon for playing all 88(!!!) defensive snaps in this game. Y’all earned a day of rest.
• Everson Griffen saw a boost in his playing time on Sunday, likely due in part to Washington falling behind quickly and having to throw the ball 55 times.
• Similarly, we saw Da’Shawn Hand get his biggest chunk of playing time since Week 2. Obviously, the injury to Nick Williams played a part in that, but Hand is also Detroit’s best pass rushing interior defender. However, it was a quiet day from him on Sunday.
• We’re starting to see a significant drop in playing time from second-year linebacker Jahlani Tavai, much like we saw with Jarrad Davis earlier in the year. It’s clear this team prefers Collins and Reggie Ragland as their top two linebackers, and Austin Bryant got a fair share in his second week back.
• Justin Coleman nearly played in every snap and would’ve played in more were it not a knee injury that forced Mike Ford into the game. Detroit was clearly focused on getting as many defensive backs on the field, and with Coleman now healthy, Detroit has placed a lot of faith in him.
• It appears Tracy Walker may have lost his starting job to Jayron Kearse. Perhaps this was simply the Lions easing Walker back into the lineup after missing last week with an injury. However, Kearse’s snap counts have been trending in this direction for a few weeks now.

Special teams:

Jack Fox: 15 special teams snaps (50%)
Don Muhlbach: 10 (33%)
Matt Prater: 7 (23%)