The Tennessee Titans managed to crush the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, 27-3, despite not having some key players on the field.
The Titans were without left guard Peter Skoronski for a third straight game, and wide receiver Treylon Burks wasn’t able to suit up, either. On defense, defensive back Elijah Molden missed his first game of 2023.
We already knew how the Titans would replace Skoronski, with the team rightly giving the nod to Dillon Radunz as they did in weeks past.
But how did Tennessee fill the voids left by Burks and Molden? We take a look at that and more as we analyze the snap counts from Sunday.
Snap counts: Offense
-The Titans deployed Jeffery Simmons as a decoy blocker for Derrick Henry’s touchdown pass. Big Jeff hopes next time the pass goes to him.
-Josh Whyle saw a career-high 19 snaps, three less than he had in the first three games combined. The rookie made the most of them, with two catches for 26 yards and his first career touchdown. Whyle suffered an ankle injury that forced his early exit. Hopefully it doesn’t cost him any time.
-Nick Westbrook-Ikhine once again led all receivers in snaps, and he stepped up in the absence of Treylon Burks with five catches for 51 yards and a score. Chris Moore, who recorded a long catch for the third straight game, saw the biggest bump in snaps with Burks out, playing a season-high 52. DeAndre Hopkins 35 snaps were tied for his season-low set last week, and Colton Dowell saw 15 snaps in his NFL debut but didn’t record a catch.
-Henry and Tyjae Spears split snaps almost evenly, with The King getting just four more. Both players were effective on Sunday, with Henry breaking the century mark on the ground for the first time this season.
Snap counts: Defense
-Nearly the entire starting secondary played every snap, with the exception of Sean Murphy-Bunting, who played 52 of 53. The secondary as a whole played its best game of the season.
-Azeez Al-Shaair also played every snap and had his best game of 2023. Monty Rice, who played his first defensive snaps last week, was relegated to special teams duty only.
-After being inactive the last two weeks, Trevis Gipson logged three snaps — and he made the most of them with a strip sack that led to a turnover.
-With Elijah Molden sidelined, Shyheim Carter saw 11 snaps after being elevated from the practice squad.
-Caleb Murphy was active for the first time this season and was on the field for a pair of defensive snaps. He played 10 special teams snaps, also.
-The Titans appear to be managing Harold Landry’s snaps. After he played in 88 and 80 percent over the first two weeks, he’s played 59 and 64 percent the last two weeks, respectively.
More from Week 4
