After starting the season 1-1 with glaring holes in defensive execution, the Detroit Lions made some significant changes to their personnel, some of which helped them get back on track, leading to a 31-24 win over the New York Jets in Week 3.
Let’s look at the snap counts from this game and see what they mean for the depth chart hierarchy and what we can ascertain moving forward.
Quarterback
- Jared Goff: 65 (100%)
- Josh Dobbs: Did Not Play
After a bumpy start to the game, Goff settled in quickly and continued his high level of play. While you’d like to see the offense
sharp from start to finish, it’s hard to argue with the offense putting up 31 points in all three games so far this season.
Running back
- Jahmyr Gibbs: 45 (69%)
- Sione Vaki: 20 (31%) — 15 special teams snaps (65%)
- Jacob Saylors: 2 (3%) — 15 (65%)
Gibbs was once again a human highlight reel in this game, but Aaron Glenn’s Jets exposed a possible weakness: pass protection. Glenn’s repeated A-gap blitzes were a problem for Gibbs, and likely why Vaki saw his snaps increase, as he was terrific in pass protection. Vaki’s ability to contribute in the run and pass game proved to teams that he’s not just a one-trick player that will tip the offensive play call.
Vaki talked with Pride of Detroit after the game and discussed his growth since the beginning of the season:
“The preparation going into these past two weeks, going out there and letting loose, and not being afraid to mess up. Being able to believe in myself, supported by (running backs) coach (Tashard) Choice and the boys in the room, has helped push me forward and has been a real confidence builder.”
Vaki went on to discuss how he tries to be the aggressor in pass protection:
“It’s definitely a conscious choice. Watching the film of (Jets) Demario Davis, being the great linebacker that he is, we knew he was going to try and run through our faces, and I just knew I had to respond by stuffing my face in there. There’s still some things to clean up, but today’s game did feel good.”
And for those worried that threatening the blitz could be a way for defenses to get Gibbs off the field, the Lions did respond by running some 21 personnel, with both Gibbs and Vaki on the field at the same time. A nice counterpunch by offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Wide receiver
- Jameson Williams: 53 (82%)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown: 48 (74%)
- Isaac TeSlaa: 31 (48%)
- Tay Martin: 2 (3%) — 15 (65%)
- Tom Kennedy: 0 (0%) — 8 (35%)
With the Lions deploying some heavier sets against the Jets—13 personnel and Jumbo packages saw upticks in usage—the Lions wide receivers saw their opportunities scaled back a tick. Snap distribution remains very similar to past weeks, but it wouldn’t be surprising if this is St. Brown’s lowest snap count this season.
Tight end
- Sam LaPorta: 60 (92%)
- Brock Wright: 38 (58%) — 10 (43%)
- Jackson Meeks: 10 (15%) — 2 (9%)
- Tyler Conklin: DNP (INACTIVE)
As mentioned above, the Lions deployed a fair amount of 13 personnel in this game, with the wrinkle being that they split Meeks out wide to stretch the Jets’ Base defense. There will be games moving forward that the Lions will want a more balanced TE3 like Conklin on the field, but this new wrinkle with Meeks illustrates the versatility this group has.
Offensive line
- LT Penei Sewell: 65 (100%)
- LG Christian Mahogany: 65 (100%) — 5 (22%)
- C Juice Scruggs: 65 (100%) — 5 (22%)
- RG Tate Ratledge: 65 (100%) — 5 (22%)
- RT Blake Miller: 65 (100%) — 5 (22%)
- T Larry Borom: 15 (23%) — 5 (22%)
- G/T Miles Frazier: 0 (0%) — 5 (22%)
- C Seth McLaughlin: DNP
- LG Ben Bartch: DNP (INJURED)
With their preferred starting five healthy again, the offensive line played very well in this game, slowing down a Jets defense near the top of all defensive rankings entering Week 3. Overall, the Lions gave up just eight pressures and two sacks, but the offensive line accounted for only five pressures and was not to blame for either sack.
As previously mentioned, the Lions leaned on their Jumbo sets in this game, utilizing Borom as a sixth offensive lineman for nearly a quarter of offensive snaps.
Interior defensive line
- 3T Alim McNeill: 48 (73%) — 3 (13%)
- 3T Skyler Gill-Howard: 33 (50%) — 2 (9%) — 1 offensive snap (2%)
- DT Tyleik Williams: 30 (45%) — 3 (13%)
- DL Levi Onwuzurike: 11 (17%)
- 3T Mekhi Wingo: DNP (INACTIVE)
The defense made a lot of personnel adjustments in this game, with the first clear change being the scaling back of McNeill’s snaps. While 73% is still a big percentage, that’s about the spot he’s been at in the past when he’s been his most productive. His seven pressures and a sack illustrate this was a smart decision.
With McNeill scaling back a bit, that opened up the opportunities for his backup, rookie Skyler Gill-Howard, to increase his workload, and he rewarded them with three pressures and a half-sack (he split with Aidan Hutchinson).
Gill-Howard spoke with Pride of Detroit following the game and discussed his first NFL sack:
“The guard (Jordan Meridith), he was the second one because the first (Dylan Parham) got hurt—I knew I could beat him laterally, so that’s what I did; I took an inside counter, and while I got a little past the quarterback, the D-line did a good job of forcing him up, allowing me to spin out and get it—and of course, Hutch was right there.”
Gill-Howard also saw one snap on offense on a goal-line run that resulted in a Gibbs touchdown. Although the play went in the opposite direction of Gill-Howard’s block, it looks like a precursor to something the Lions could build on moving forward.
“You know coach (Dan) Campbell. You’ve seen those types of plays throughout his tenure here. He told me during training camp that he was going to put something in and we came up with ‘that’ for now, and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
EDGE
- EDGE Aidan Hutchinson: 64 (97%) — 1 (4%)
- Rush End DJ Wonnum: 44 (67%) — 3 (13%)
- Big End Tyler Lacy: 19 (29%) — 5 (22%)
- Rush End Derrick Moore: 9 (14%)
- Rush End Eric O’Neill: 1 (2%) — 13 (57%)
- Big End Ahmed Hassanein: DNP (INACTIVE)
While McNeill saw his reps scaled back a bit, the Lions ramped Hutchinson’s up, as he only took two defensive snaps off all game. Despite facing what looked like constant double teams, Hutchinson still managed five pressure and the half-sack mentioned above.
Typically, when the Lions deploy three-linebacker sets, they lean on a Big End (Tyler Lacy) to work opposite Hutchinson, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. Wonnum saw his snaps increase in multiple formations beyond what we have seen from a rush end in the past. Wonnum also rewarded the team for the move, delivering three pressures and two sacks.
Linebacker
- MIKE Jack Campbell: 66 (100%) — 3 (13%)
- SAM Derrick Barnes: 57 (86%) — 1 (4%)
- SAM Trevor Nowaske: 33 (50%) — 17 (74%)
- WILL Malcolm Rodriguez: 19 (29%) — 7 (30%)
- WILL Amen Ogbongbemiga: 0 (0%) — 17 (74%)
- MIKE Jimmy Rolder: 0 (0%) — 15 (65%)
- WILL Devin White: DNP (INACTIVE)
Campbell continues to play every defensive rep, and Barnes only misses a handful of snaps a game, but the LB3/4 spot saw a big shakeup in this game. White, previously in a starting role, was a healthy scratch, giving Rodriguez the start at WILL. However, the big change came with Nowaske, who was deployed all over the field and was on the field for half the game.
Pride of Detroit spoke with Nowaske after the game and asked him if his increased usage was opponent-specific, or something that was a result of his performances in practice and games.
“It could be a combination of both. I know I am a good linebacker in this league. I feel like I’ve done a good job in the preseason and when I’ve gotten my opportunities on defense. I was kind of used all over the field today, whether it was defensive end, OLB (SAM), inside backer, or nickel. Whenever I’m getting an opportunity, I want to make the most of it. I don’t ask too many questions; I just go out there and do my job.”
Nowaske made several key fourth-quarter stops, including tracking down Jets RB Breece Hall on a swing to the sideline and making a touchdown-saving tackle.
“It’s year four now, and the game is slowing down a ton for me,” Nowaske said. “So being able to dissect those plays and react a little bit faster is definitely helping me make more plays when I get those opportunities.”
Cornerback
- NB/CB Roger McCreary: 64 (97%) — 3 (13%)
- CB D.J. Reed: 62 (94%) — 1 (4%)
- CB Ennis Rakestraw: 23 (35%) — 2 (9%)
- CB Rock Ya-Sin: 13 (20%) — 13 (57%)
- CB Khalil Dorsey: 0 (0%) — 12 (52%)
- NB Keith Abney: 0 (0%) — 2 (9%)
The secondary saw some of the biggest changes as the Lions moved Ya-Sin to a reserve CB4 role and promoted McCreary to a starting role. McCreary not only started at CB2 on the outside, but also kicked inside when the team shifted to subpackage sets, bringing Rakestraw on to supplement outside snaps as CB3.
This group is still working through on-field and mental mistakes, but they did show some signs of improvement. It’ll take time to build communication in this scheme, but baby steps forward are better than continuing to regress.
One final note: while Abney didn’t see the field on defense, he was taking reps at free safety in warm-ups. It’s not entirely clear where he fits in the pecking order, but he could be the next man up at nickel (behind McCreary) and free safety (behind Chuck Clark).
Safety
- S Chuck Clark: 66 (100%) — 3 (13%)
- NB/S Christian Izien: 64 (97%) — 7 (30%)
- S Jalen Mills: (%) — (%)
- S Bishop Fitzgerald: DNP (INACTIVE)
With Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper landing on injured reserve this week, the Lions shifted Izien from a starting nickel role to a starting strong safety role, the one typically occupied by Brian Branch. While this role demands an expansion of duties for Izien, it’s actually not too far off from what he did at nickel. He spent a lot of time in the box—where he’s at his best—and was used as a primary run gap filler and pass rusher, accounting for a team-leading 11 tackles (nine solo), including three tackles for loss and a pass deflection.
“I think my ‘box presence’ gets a lot of the credit, but I think I can be a well-rounded safety,” Izien said. “I believe I can play deep, even though my game has stood out more in the box.”
Clark also saw his role expand with the Lions’ short personnel at safety, and his game-sealing sack-fumble at the end of the game illustrated how important the veteran is to the Lions’ defense right now.
Specialists
- K Jake Bates: 11 (48%)
- P Jack Fox: 7 (30%)
- LS Hogan Hatten: 7 (30%)
Steady improvement from this group, as they’re getting sharper by the week.
