Falcons 41, Jaguars 14
Due to the blowout in this game, the snap counts were a lot different than we would expect because the Falcons rested people at the end of the game. Both Sean Weatherspoon (who played 86% of the snaps on defense) and Curtis Lofton (80%) typically play every down, which made room for Stephen Nicholas (35%) getting some snaps after missing two weeks, and rookie Akeem Dent (20%) seeing his first significant playing time. On the defensive line, all of the backups saw more time than usual, and all of the starters saw less, including Ray Edwards (43%) and John Abraham (41%) playing less than half the snaps.
The Jaguars saw Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (99%) see a little time last week in place of Chris Prosinki, and this week he played almost the entire game. Cornerback Morgan Trent (28%) wasn’t used at all last week, but saw some time on the field in place of Kevin Rutland (72%). Defensive end Jeremy Mincey (83%) saw a season low in terms of percentage of snaps this week, although 83% is still very good for a defensive end. Defensive tackle C.J. Mosley (44%) saw the biggest increase in snaps.
Cowboys 31, Bucs 15
The Cowboys also saw some weird snap counts thanks to the blowout victory, as DeMarcus Ware (15%) and Jay Ratliff (20%) both saw out the second half of the game. The player who benefited the most from this is Victor Butler (85%) who played for more than half the game for the first time this season. Undrafted rookie outside linebacker Alex Albright (24%) saw some significant time, and defensive end Clifton Geathers (24%) nearly doubled his snap count on the season. The Cowboys needed more nickel defense, which mostly led to Mike Jenkins (85%) seeing the field a lot more.
After last playing in Week 7, Frank Okam returned to the lineup and played 51% of the game. This meant the Buccaneers didn’t need backup John MCCargo, while Brian Price (25%) saw a decrease in snaps. 2010 third round pick defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (11%) made his debut with the Buccaneers defense, as did 2009 seventh round pick defensive end Nick Reed (5%) who had spent most of the season with the Bears.
Seahawks 38, Bears 14
The only major change in snap counts came at defensive end, where Raheem Brock (51%) saw a bit of an increase, while Red Bryant (52%) saw a decrease. Undrafted rookie outside linebacker Michael Morgan (6%) made his debut, as did sixth round rookie cornerback Byron Maxwell (3%).
The Bears were without defensive tackle Henry Melton for the first time this season, so Anthony Adams (40%) returned to the rotation. Like every week I can talk about the Bears safeties, where Chris Conte (40%) suffered an injury and is out for the year, while Brandon Meriweather (60%) took over his snaps. The Bears needed less nickel defense, so Nick Roach (53%) saw an increase in snaps while D.J. Moore (47%) had a decrease. Cornerback Zackary Bowman (29%) continued to see his playing time increase, while Tim Jennings (72%) played less.
Colts 27, Titans 13
The Colts were without linebacker Philip Wheeler and defensive end Jamaal Anderson in this game. This made Ernie Sims an every down player, while Dwight Freeney (75%) saw an increase in snaps. Defensive backs Joe Lefeged (68%) and Kevin Thomas (68%) were both needed more often in this one than usual, which left safety David Caldwell (36%) and linebacker Kavell Conner (33%) playing less. Cornerback Brandon King (10%) made his debut with the defense.
The Titans were without Jason McCourty last week, but he was back to playing every down, so Alterraun Verner played just half the snaps and Chris Hawkings wasn’t needed. Akeem Ayers only played part of the game last week, but he was back to playing every down. Defensive end William Hayes was out of the lineup, so Malcolm Sheppard (19%) was back in the defensive end rotation.
Redskins 23, Giants 10
Most of the significant news for the Redskins came at defensive back. This week O.J. Atogwe (65%) got the majority of snaps, which left DeJon Gomes (30%) with less playing time. Josh Wilson (74%) suffered an injury, so Byron Westbrook (35%) took over at cornerback. The Redskins needed less nickel defense than last week which meant less of slot cornerback Kevin Barnes (52%), and more of defensive linemen Adam Carriker (56%) and Chris Neild (14%).
The Giants were missing safety Kenny Phillips last week against the Cowboys, but he was back to playing every down. Deon Grant (23%) took his spot last week but wasn’t needed much this week. Nickel cornerback Prince Amukamara (15%) also wasn’t needed nearly as much as usual. At linebacker, Michael Boley was back to playing every down like he was earlier in the season, which left Jacquian Williams (30%) not playing as much as recent weeks. Justin Tuck (76%) was back to playing a lot of snaps at defensive end after not playing as much last week, so Dave Tollefson (24%) saw a decrease in snaps.
Bengals 20, Rams 13
After missing four of the last five games, pass rushing extraordinaire Carlos Dunlap (61%) returned to the lineup, which left Robert Geathers (44%) not playing nearly as much at left defensive end. Last week cornerback Nate Clements (97%) played only half of the game, but was back to playing almost every down which left Kelly Jennings (53%) playing a lot less. 2010 third round pick cornerback Brandon Ghee (3%) made his debut with the defense.
The Rams were without starters Justin King and James Hall in this matchup. Roderick Hood (94%) took over at cornerback while safety Craig Dahl (42%) took over in nickel situations. At defensive end Robert Quinn (89%) played even more than usual, as did Chris Long (83%). At defensive tackle Fred Robbins (46%) returned to the lineup after missing last week, so C.J. Ah You (39%) and Dorell Scott (31%) both saw decreases in playing time. Linebacker Bryan Kehl (8%) saw his first snaps with the defense since Week 8.
Saints 42, Vikings 20
Since this was also a blowout, there isn’t a ton to read into these snap counts. The Saints used Patrick Robinson (100%) as a starter, and Tracy Porter (14%) as the nickel cornerback. Scott Shanle (55%) barely played last week, but saw most snaps in this game before some backups came in. Sedrick Ellis (43%) returned after missing last week, and took the snaps you would expect him to take. The Saints used a dime defense with four down linemen and one linebacker, which included Jeff Charleston (39%) and Cameron Jordan (64%), so that could mean more snaps for them if they use this defense in the future. Third round rookie cornerback Johnny Patrick (27%) made his debut with the defense.
An early injury to Asher Allen (16%) led to Marcus Sherels (90%) joining the starting lineup at cornerback, while Brandon Burton (40%) saw significant time as a slot cornerback for a second game this season. Because the Saints played a very high amount of plays on offense, as well as this game being a blowout, the three defensive line stars played less than usual, while all of the backups as well as “starter” Remi Ayodele (25%) saw an increase in snaps.
Patriots 41, Broncos 23
The Patriots continue to tinker their defense, with safety Sergio Brown (65%), linebacker Gary Guyton (20%), defensive linemen Gerard Warren (18%) and Eric Moore (18%) all seeing significant playing time after not playing a down last week. One of the constants on defense was Andre Carter (33%), but now he is out with an injury. Nathan Jones (62%), Dane Fletcher (40%) and Matt Salter (17%) all saw significant decreases in snaps. On the other hand, Brandon Deaderick (67%) and Mark Anderson (60%) both saw significant increases
With Brian Dawkins out, Rahim Moore (94%) took over the starting job. Cornerback Andre’ Goodman (91%) missed some time last week, but was back to a more usual amount of snaps. Wesley Woodyard (81%) and Ryan McBean (81%) both saw significant increases in snaps, while Brodrick Bunkley (27%) and Joe Mays (25%) saw decreases.
Cardinals 20, Browns 17
After last playing in Week 5, Kerry Rhodes (45%) returned to action part time in this game, which led to Rashad Johnson (48%) and A.J. Jefferson (32%) seeing a decrease in snaps. The least used players on defense like David Carter (18%), Ronald Talley (6%) and Vonnie Holliday (3%) played even less this week than usual.
Outside of the need for more nickel defense, there wasn’t much change for the Browns. The most significant one is Auston English (25%) returned to the defensive end rotation, which led to Jayme Mitchell (70%) playing a little less than usual. Kiante Tripp, Ray Ventrone and Ben Jacobs all saw a few snaps each last week, but didn’t see the field this time, while undrafted rookie Quinton Spears had a snap.
Chargers 34, Ravens 14
The Chargers saw outside linebacker Travis LaBoy (14%) suffer an injury early on, so Antwan Barnes (83%) took over and saw similar playing time to when Shaun Phillips was out. There was an increase in base defense this week, so defensive linemen Corey Liuget (59%) and linebacker Donald Butler (25%) saw more time compared to last week. Roughly 20% of the Chargers snaps were in garbage time where they used a number of backups, so not much can be read into the rest of the snaps. 2010 fourth round pick Darrell Stuckey (19%) made his first snaps with the defense during the garbage time.
The Ravens got to see Ray Lewis return and play every down after missing the last four games. This hurt the playing time of Jameel McClain (65%) who had been playing every down, and Brendon Ayanbadejo (11%). Both Haloti Ngata (90%) and Jarret Johnson (85%) played more than usual. In this game Jimmy Smith (82%) was the starting cornerback, while Lardarius Webb (21%) came in for nickel situations. Pass rushers Pernell McPhee (19%) and Paul Kruger (19%) were both used a lot less than usual. Danny Gorrer, Sergio Kindle and Chykie Brown all saw time last week, but weren’t used in this game.
Eagles 45, Jets 19
The Eagles still haven’t settled on linebackers, with Brian Rolle (77%) saw a slight increase in snaps, while Jamar Chaney (62%) and Akeem Jordan (62%) had significant increases from last week. On the other hand Casey Matthews (38%) and Keenan Clayton (20%) both saw significant decreases. Asante Samuel (48%) didn’t play the whole game thanks to injury, while Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (55%) saw a significant increase in snaps from last week. There were also changes along the defensive line, as Juqua Parker (45%) and Brandon Graham (22%) both returned to the rotation, while Trevor Laws and Darryl Tapp were taken out of it.
After missing the last two games, Mike Devito (50%) returned to action on the defensive line. Both Bart Scott (76%) and Sione Pouha (73%) saw signiciant increases in snaps, while the rest of the starters stayed around the same. On the other hand, pretty much all of the backups saw decreases in snaps. Most significantly, Marcus Dixon (39%), Donald Strickland (37%) and Ropati Pitoitua (21%) all saw decreases.
Lions 28, Raiders 27
The Lions saw a lot of changes on defense this week. John Wendling (94%) took over at one of the safety positions, Ndamukong Suh (86%) returned from suspension, and cornerback Chris Houston (52%) and defensive tackle Nick Fairley (20%) returned from injury. The only other player seeing a significant increase in snaps was Justin Durant (63%) after playing just 20% last week. Both Aaron Berry and Keyunta Dawson splayed 25% of the game last week, but weren’t used this week. Sammie Lee Hill (15%), Chris Harris (4%), Bobby Carpenter (3%) and Andre Fluellen (1%) all saw significant time last week, but not nearly as much this time.
The Raiders were without both Michael Huff and John Henderson in this game. At safety Matt Giordano played every down while Michael Mitchell (85%) saw a significant increase in snaps. The decrease in extra defensive back sets led to Aaron Curry (72%) seeing an increase in snaps. On the defensive line, both Desmond Bryant (78%) and Tommy Kelly (74%) both saw big increases, while Lamarr Houston (46%) saw a decrease.
Panthers 28, Texans 13
The Panthers were without cornerback Darius Butler (68%) and in his place R.J. Stanford (61%). Both Captain Munnerlyn (56%) and Charles Godfrey (49%) typically play every down, which led to Jordan Pugh (41%) seeing an increase in snaps, and more base defense which led to Dan Connor (75%) having a significant increase in snaps.
The Texans biggest change was at cornerback. Kareem Jackson (66%) was back to playing more snaps than Jason Allen (38%) which is more typical for him. The Texans needed less extra defensive back sets, which meant less of Brice McCain (17%) and Troy Nolan (8%). On the other hand, there was more use of backup defensive linemen Earl Mitchell (40%) and Tim Jamison (31%).
49ers 20, Steelers 3
The 49ers had nine players play at least 85% of the game last week, and those same nine players saw at least 85% of the snaps this week as well. The 49ers needed more nickel defense, so Chris Culliver (70%) and Aldon Smith (68%) saw more playing time than last week, while Parys Haralson (41%) and Isaac Sopoaga (30%) both saw less time.
On one hand, the Steelers had Lamarr Woodley (75%) return at outside linebacker, but on the other James Harrison was suspended. On the defensive line, Ziggy Hood (92%) saw a significant increase in snaps, which led to backups Cameron Heyward (22%), and Steve McLendon (17%) both seeing significant decreases. The Steelers needed less nickel defense which meant less of Keenan Lewis (17%). This meant more snaps for Larry Foote (45%) who took some time from James Farrior (78%) as well as Woodley which caused Lawrence Timmons (94%) to move to outside linebacker in some situations.
Chiefs 19, Packers 14
The Chiefs barely used extra defensive backs last week against the Jets, but this week used them for most of the game. Defensive backs Travis Daniels (89%), Javier Arenas (68%) and Sabby Piscitelli (68%) all saw significant increases in snaps. Defensive linemen Wallace Gilberry (66%) and Allen Bailey (40%) also saw significant snaps. The three starting defensive linemen and Amon Gordon all saw significant decreases, as well as inside linebacker Jovan Belcher (32%). Linebacker Cameron Sheffield (23%) was used for the first time since Week 11, while Jon McGraw and Demorrio Williams were both not used in this game.
The Packers saw A.J. Hawk (99%) return to the starting lineup, so Robert Francois returned to the bench. On the defensive line was without Ryan Pickett, so B.J. Raji (90%), C.J. Wilson (74%) and Howard Green (68%) all saw significant increases. The Packers needed less nickel defense, so Sam Shields (26%) had a season low for snaps for games where he was healthy, while pass rushing defensive ends Mike Neal (15%) didn’t play much. At right outside linebacker, Erik Walden (86%) played most of the game, while Frank Zombo (14%) had the rest of the snaps.
Dolphins 30, Bills 23
The Dolphins were without outside linebacker Koa Misi, so Cameron Wake (92%) and Jason Taylor (62%) both saw increases in snaps. Both Vontae Davis (100%) and Will Allen (97%) saw low numbers of snaps this week, but were both back up in this game. Nolan Carroll (60%) also saw an increase. Due to the increase in extra defensive back sets, all of the defensive linemen saw less time.
The Bills has Aaron Williams (95%) play this came at cornerback instead of Leodis McKelvin who didn’t play at all. The only other players who saw significant decreases in snaps was defensive linemen Marcell Dareus (56%) and middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (55%). The only players seeing significant increases was slot cornerback Justin Rogers (45%), and Kirk Morrison (5%) who saw his first snaps since Week 11.
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