Chiefs snap counts, Week 11: Juan Thornhill a ‘situational guy’

What can we learn from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 11 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs got a healthy dose of offensive and defensive snaps off the bye week in their Week 11 showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders. The offense spent a bit more time on the field compared to the defense. There wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary this week and really the snaps resembled the first matchup against Las Vegas for many Chiefs players.

So what can we learn about this game from the snap counts? Here’s a look at how the snaps played out in Week 11:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

Clyde Edwards-Helaire got the lion’s share of the snaps for the Chiefs on Sunday with 40 snaps. Meanwhile, Le’Veon Bell and Darrel Williams split carries in relief of Edwards-Helaire. The rotation saw a lot of success, with three touchdowns scored by running backs on the day.
Byron Pringle played a season-high 40 snaps. With Sammy Watkins ruled out and Mecole Hardman limited due to a lack of practice from being on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Pringle had a big opportunity. He caught three passes on four targets for 17 yards. He also suffered an ankle injury during the game, but Andy Reid said after the game he was cleared to return and came back into the game.
Nick Keizer was one snap shy of matching his season-high for snaps which came in Week 1 against the Houston Texans. It seems as if he’s slowly working his way back into favor.
Gehrig Dieter played in just three offensive snaps despite the Chiefs being shorthanded at the receiver position. It’s a bit surprising, but perhaps they didn’t incorporate him much into the gameplan this week and truly expected Sammy Watkins to be available.
Alex Okafor played 22 snaps and L’Jarius Sneed played 13 snaps in their return from IR. Neither player made much of an impact in their limited snaps, but it’s a starting point building up to more snaps down the line.
Rookie LB Willie Gay Jr. played 31 snaps against the Raiders and really had a solid game, recording five total tackles. He seems to play more often against teams that force the Chiefs into their base personnel.
Juan Thornhill played the lowest snap total of his career against the Raiders with just 11 snaps on the day. After the game, Andy Reid said it was planned and that Thornhill was a “situational guy.” It would seem that they’re really only using him when they have their big nickel package on the field. This game called for more base and dime looks.
Armani Watts, Dorian O’Daniel and Antonio Hamilton were the special teams snap leaders for the Chiefs once again.

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Week 11 snap counts: Lions fail in attempt to replace injured players

Examining the Detroit Lions Week 11 snap counts following their 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

The Detroit Lions entered Week 11 with several injuries, including five starters missing the game: running back D’Andre Swift, wide receiver Kenny Golladay, slot receiver Danny Amendola, defensive end Trey Flowers (injured reserve), and defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand.

Make no mistake, this is not an excuse for the embarrassing 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers, because this team is supposed to have the depth to overcome the long grind of an NFL season. This is merely an observation that the Lions current team did not have any answers when it came to adjusting to and overcoming difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, this has been a calling card of this coaching staff over the last three seasons. Smart preparation at the beginning of the week, but when a wrench gets thrown into the works, they flounder when it comes to adjusting.

On most weeks, the difficultly adjusting happens on game day, but this week, this game may have very well been decided on Thursday when Swift was forced out of action with a concussion and Golladay was downgraded at practice.

Instead of readjusting their game plan for a Swift-less offense, it appeared the Lions instead decided to plug ahead with the same game plan and replace Swift with Kerryon Johnson and leaning on Adrian Peterson slightly more. That’s a tough spot for Johnson, as his and Swift’s skill sets don’t exactly lineup.

At wide receiver, expecting Marvin Hall and Quintez Cephus to be able to do what Golladay does is also wishful thinking. This is not a knock on Hall or Cephus either. They are all capable players in their own ways, but they also need to be put into the right circumstances to succeed.

This is the major flaw in thinking that the “next man up” can just jump into another player’s role without adjusting the game plan. And this flaw is the biggest reason no coach in the NFL is sitting on a hotter seat than Matt Patricia.

That and more in this week’s snap count review.

Ravens’ Week 10 snap counts vs. Patriots: Injuries beginning to pile up

With injuries beginning to pile up for the Baltimore Ravens, their Week 10 snap counts show some of the changes happening.

The loss on the scoreboard was one of many losses for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10 after a 23-17 reverse against the New England Patriots. The defeat drops them to 6-3, now three games back from the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers and level with the feisty Cleveland Browns.

But while the result is painful, the team suffered a number of key injuries during the game including a gruesome-looking one to tight end Nick Boyle. The team has already confirmed that he’s done for the year, leaving the Ravens with just a single tight end on the 53-man roster.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 10.

Saints snap counts, Week 10: Kwon Alexander plays early and often

New Orleans Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander did not waste time waiting to play against the San Francisco 49ers team that traded him.

Injuries took a toll on the New Orleans Saints during their Week 10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, but they were able to overcome it thanks to a quality depth chart and effective execution in all three of the game’s phases (after some early goofs and gaffes, of course). Here’s how snaps were distributed on Sunday:

Week 10 Lions snap counts: Welcome to the D’Andre Swift show

Examining the Detroit Lions Week 10 snap counts from their 30-27 victory over the Washington Football Team.

Well, it took nine games but the Detroit Lions have finally turned the backfield reigns over to second-round pick D’Andre Swift.

The Lions don’t appear ready to give up on their three-headed committee at running back just yet, but after Swift’s performance, coaches will have a hard time justifying not giving him the majority of snaps/touches moving forward.

Saints snap counts, Week 9: How often did Michael Thomas play?

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was supposed to be on a pitch count against the Buccaneers in his first game back, but he played often.

The New Orleans Saints destroyed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, and they did it with a fully armed and operational group of weapons, led by All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas.

But how often did he play, exactly? Reports said before kickoff that he would be limited to a pitch count as the Saints cautiously worked him back into the mix, but the results suggest he had more of a green light than was advertised. Week 9’s Saints snaps counts, by position groups:

Ravens’ Week 9 snap counts vs. Colts: A new offensive line stays steady

We take a closer look at the Baltimore Ravens’ snap counts in Week 9 to see who played and what changes the starting lineup made.

The Baltimore Ravens got back to their winning ways with a 24-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It wasn’t always pretty but the Ravens overcame a lot of hurdles in Week 9 to pick up a statement win, including battling with several new starters on the offensive line and injuries on defense.

At the midpoint of the season, all of those changes ultimately mean a time of uncertainty for Baltimore. Swapping starters at this point is never an ideal situation and it’ll take time for the Ravens to get back up to whatever full speed truly looks like. But at the same time, Baltimore’s snap counts against Indianapolis at least clues us into where the Ravens might be heading in terms of their personnel.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 9.

Chiefs snap counts, Week 9: Receivers prevail vs. Panthers

What can we learn from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 9 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs will enter the bye week with a victory over the Carolina Panthers. It wasn’t as easy of a win as many predicted, with the game coming down to the final play and a failed 68-yard field goal attempt by Carolina. The offense was as explosive as ever for Kansas City and the defense tightened up when the game was on the line.

So what can we learn about this game from the snaps played? Here’s a look at how the snaps panned out in Week 9:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

Austin Reiter, indeed, is back as the Chiefs’ starting center, playing 100% of the offensive snaps on the day. Turns out that Andy Reid was being sincere about his knee injury. Expect the next depth chart to reflect this change.
Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill both nearly played 100% of the offensive snaps on the day. It makes sense given the fact they both had big days statistically.
The other receivers also caught their fair share of the snaps, with the Chiefs playing a ton of 11 personnel on the day. Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman and even Byron Pringle got involved. Really the only receiver that didn’t get work in on offense was Gehrig Dieter.
It’s starting to look like Le’Veon Bell is competing with Darrell Williams for snaps. Bell had one more snap to Williams this week, while Clyde Edwards-Helaire had the most snaps by a running back. Andy Reid said after the game that the team didn’t expect to find much success running the ball against the Panthers defensive front.
Mike Remmers played in 81% of the offensive snaps on the day. His injury forced rookie OT Yasir Durant into the game for 12 offensive snaps. He struggled against Brian Burns and his speed.
Daniel Kilgore had one snap as an extra blocker. It looks like they’ll still find ways to get him involved now that he’s gone to the bench.
Daniel Sorensen got the start again this week and played 100% of the defensive snaps. Juan Thornhill still played in 81% of the snaps despite not getting the start.
Armani Watts earned 14 snaps on defense, the most that he’s recorded in a game so far this season.
Derrick Nnadi got the start at defensive tackle this week, but Tershawn Wharton finished the day with more snaps. His 50 defensive snaps are the most he’s had in a single game in his career.
Taco Charlton played in just a single snap before suffering what might be a season-ending injury.
Ben Niemann played 41 defensive snaps on the day. That’s the most snaps that he’s seen since Week 2 of the 2020 season.
Willie Gay Jr. played just 15 defensive snaps on the day. He seems to only be on the field when the team is in their base defensive looks. The coaching staff would be wise to get him more involved moving forward.
Anthony Sherman played only on special teams in his return from the reserve/COVID-19 list, recording 21 snaps on the day.
Niemann, Watts and Dorian O’Daniel played the most special teams snaps on the day with 24 apiece.

Week 9 snap counts: Lions went big up front to stop the run and it didn’t work

Reviewing the Detroit Lions snap counts from the Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Detroit Lions went big in order to stop the Minnesota Vikings rushing attack, and it didn’t work — at all.

Going bigger up front was the perfect post-bye adjustment and the Lions found immediate success against the Jaguars and Falcons running games, but the past two weeks the strategy has fallen flat.

This raises several concerns, including, what do they do now?

The Lions have to take a hard look at what’s happing up front because if they don’t fix it soon, it could be curtains on the season.

Ravens’ Week 8 snap counts vs. Steelers: Changing the lineup

A look at the playing time for members of the Baltimore Ravens offense and defense in their Week 8 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Baltimore Ravens fell, 28-24, to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Ravens now sit at 5-2 on the year, while the Steelers remain unbeaten and atop the AFC and the AFC North. But the loss will be seen as more costly than just on Baltimore’s current record.

Days after signing a lucrative long-term extension, the Ravens lost left tackle Ronnie Stanley to a season-ending ankle injury. Matthew Judon allowed his emotions to get the better of him as he was ejected from the game for contacting an official. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, one of the young stars of the offense broke ranks to make his displeasure regarding his role known to the watching world. There are worrying cracks beginning to develop on this roster.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 8.