The Minnesota Vikings disappointed everyone in a 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. The defense played well, especially compared to last year, but mistakes crushed their ability to finish the game with a win.
When breaking down the game, one of the first things that I look at is snap counts. Who was on the field matters, especially when discussing how each unit played.
Buy Vikings TicketsThere were some really interesting tidbits from the snap counts on Sunday, especially on the defensive side of the football.
Offense
64 offensive snaps
- 64: Brian O’Neill, Ed Ingram, Ezra Cleveland, Kirk Cousins
- 63: Justin Jefferson
- 58: Christian Darrisaw, K.J. Osborn
- 57: Austin Schlottmann
- 48: T.J. Hockenson
- 47: Alexander Mattison
- 36: Jordan Addison
- 30: Josh Oliver
- 22: C.J. Ham
- 11: Ty Chandler
- 7: Garrett Bradbury
- 6: Oli Udoh
- 5: Johnny Mundt
Offensive snap takeaways
There isn’t a ton of surprise here. Jordan Addison playing in 56% of snaps feels about right considering it was his debut and the amount of 12 personnel the Vikings used. C.J. Ham playing in 34% of snaps is low for a player they extended, but not low for a fullback.
Defensive snaps
68 defensive snaps
- 68: Byron Murphy Jr.
- 67: Camryn Bynum
- 66: Jordan Hicks
- 65: Harrison Smith
- 62: Akayleb Evans
- 60: Harrison Phillips
- 58: Danielle Hunter
- 57: Josh Metellus
- 54: D.J. Wonnum
- 46: Ivan Pace Jr.
- 40: Patrick Jones II
- 29: Jonathan Bullard
- 15: Mekhi Blackmon
- 9: Khyiris Tonga
- 2: Troy Dye
- 2: Brian Asamoah
- 1: Theo Jackson
- 1: Benton Whitley
Defensive snaps takeaways
There are three takeaways that are noteworthy.
- Harrison Phillips outsnapped Khyiris Tonga 60 to nine at nose tackle.
- Ivan Pace Jr. outsnapped Brian Asamoah II 46 to two. Josh Metellus getting 57 snaps also made an impact, as he played linebacker on occasion.
- Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr. didn’t receive a single defensive snap.
