The Detroit Lions (4-2) are dealing with a lot of injuries in their secondary and needed to make several roster moves to put enough healthy players on the field on Sunday night. Let’s take a look at this week’s snap counts to see how the Lions adjusted their personnel for the Chiefs game.
Quarterbacks:
- Jared Goff: 54 snaps (100%)
- Kyle Allen: 0 (0%)
By the numbers, Goff had a decent game, but the offense’s inability to make plays in the right moments came back to bite them in the end, resulting in fewer chances than typical.
Running backs:
- Jahmyr Gibbs: 37 (69%)
- David Montgomery: 17 (31%)
- Jacob Saylors: 0 (0%) — 14 special teams snaps (64%)
- Craig Reynolds: 0 (0%) — 13 (59%)
- Sione Vaki: Inactive (Injury)
Gibbs got a large workload early as the Lions opened the game with a 10-minute drive that heavily featured the speedy back. But as the Lions fell from behind, his touches dwindled, and he only saw four second-half runs, including just one (a three-yard loss) in the fourth quarter. Montgomery saw just six total touches in the game: four first-half runs and two second-half receptions.
For an offense whose identity is ingrained in running the ball, calling only four second-half run plays was a strong departure from what had previously earned them four victories.
Wide receivers:
- Amon-Ra St. Brown: 48 (89%)
- Jameson Williams: 46 (85%)
- Isaac TeSlaa: 25 (46%) — 3 (14%)
- Kalif Raymond: 2 (4%) — 1 (5%)
- Dominic Lovett: 0 (0%) — 5 (23%)
With Raymond a non- or limited-participant in practice all week due to a neck injury, the Lions leaned on their rookie TeSlaa to step into their WR3 role. Unfortunately, neither were targeted in this game as the Lions focused on St. Brown and/or Williams on 17 of their 27 passing plays.
Tight ends:
- Sam LaPorta: 52 (96%)
- Brock Wright: 31 (57%) — 12 (55%)
- Ross Dwelley: 9 (17%) — 9 (41%)
LaPorta continues to see the field at an extremely high rate as the Lions are working to maximize his skill set as a receiver and blocker. Wright and Dwelley’s snaps were a tick higher than typical, as the Lions operated with bigger sets against the Chiefs.
Offensive line:
- Christian Mahogany: 54 (100%) — 3 (14%)
- Tate Ratledge: 54 (100%) — 3 (14%)
- Penei Sewell: 54 (100%) — 3 (14%)
- Dan Skipper: 54 (100%) — 3 (14%)
- Graham Glasgow: 54 (100%)
- Trystan Colon: 3 (6%) — 3 (14%)
- Kayode Awosika: 0 (0%) — 3 (14%)
- Devin Cochran: Did not play
- Taylor Decker: Inactive (injury)
After not deploying a sixth offensive lineman set through the first five games of the season, the Lions opened the game with Colon in that role and used him two more times throughout the game. Skipper indeed got the start, as expected, making him the third player the Lions have used at left tackle in as many weeks.
Defensive end:
- Aidan Hutchinson: 61 (95%)
- Tyler Lacy: 37 (58%) — 5 (23%)
- Al-Quadin Muhammad: 17 (27%)
- Pat O’Connor: 13 (20%) — 15 (68%)
- Tyrus Wheat: 2 (3%) — 15 (68%)
Hutchinson continues to play an incredible amount, while the edge role opposite him is getting tweaked weekly. Muhammad is having a strong season, but his snaps were dramatically reduced in this game, as the Lions elected to run more base defense with Lacy and O’Connor in a big end role, along with three linebackers on the field. Despite seeing his fewest defensive snaps since Week 1, Muhammad still recorded one of the Lions’ three sacks. While the heavier use of Lacy/O’Connor (and linebacker Derrick Barnes) was a Chief-specific game plan, the Lions’ defense would surely benefit from finding ways of getting Muhammad on the field more.
Defensive tackle:
- DJ Reader: 43 (67%)
- Tyleik Williams: 35 (55%)
- Roy Lopez: 23 (36%) — 5 (23%)
- Quinton Jefferson: 14 (22%)
- Mekhi Wingo: Inactive
Reader showed terrific anchor and ability to clog rushing lanes in this game, which could have led to him getting a larger share of snaps in this game. But asking a 31-year-old 335-pound defensive tackle to play two-thirds of defensive snaps is not exactly sustainable. The anticipated return of Alim McNeill in Week 7 should hopefully balance out the snaps in this room.
Linebacker:
- Jack Campbell: 64 (100%) — 4 (18%)
- Alex Anzalone: 64 (100%)
- Derrick Barnes: 59 (92%) — 12 (55%)
- Trevor Nowaske: 6 (9%) — 19 (86%)
- Grant Stuard: 1 (2%) — 19 (86%)
- Ty Summers: 0 (0%) — 14 (64%)
- Zach Cunningham: Inactive (injury)
With the Chiefs throwing a lot of quick passes underneath, and the Lions in base defense nearly all game, their linebackers were all tasked with more coverage assignments than typical. Campbell has been sensational this season, but the extra work in coverage appeared to throw him off his path. Per Next Gen Stats, Campbell allowed a team-high four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Anzalone allowed two receptions, while Barnes allowed one.
While tasked with more coverage responsibilities in Week 6, the Lions also leaned on their linebackers to help in the pass rush, and the group accounted for five of the team’s eight pressures; Anzalone and Barnes each had two, while Campbell accounted for one on his sack.
Cornerback:
- Rock Ya-Sin: 63 (98%) — 5 (23%)
- Amik Robertson: 62 (97%)
- Arthur Maulet: 13 (20%) — 10 (45%)
- Erick Hallett: 0 (0%) — 6 (27%)
- Nick Whiteside: 0 (0%) — 7 (32%)
- Terrion Arnold: Inactive (injury)
- Avonte Maddox: Inactive (injury)
With all the injuries in the secondary, the Lions leaned on Robertson and Ya-Sin to start, with Maulet stepping into slot reps in sub-packages. With Arnold and Maddox still nursing injuries and D.J. Reed not eligible to return until after Week 9, the Lions may have to manage with this group of defensive backs in Week 7 against the Bucs and hope to get healthy during their Week 8 bye.
Safety:
- Brian Branch: 64 (100%)
- Kerby Joseph: 53 (83%)
- Thomas Harper: 10 (16%) — 12 (55%)
- Loren Strickland: Inactive
Branch and Joseph were both game-time decisions, and while Joseph was forced from the game for a handful of snaps, Harper showed well as a replacement and made a terrific pass breakup on fourth down. Neither starter looked fully healthy, and both let their frustrations boil over during and after the game.
Specialists:
- Jake Bates: 7 (32%)
- Jack Fox: 6 (27%)
- Hogan Hatten: 6 (27%)
No worries from this consistent group.
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