The New England Patriots offense received a boost on the eve of the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos. Mack Hollins, who had led the team’s wide receivers in snaps before suffering an abdomen injury in late December, was reactivated after a four-week stint on injured reserve.
The 32-year-old picked up right where he left off, both on and off the gridiron.
Entering Denver’s Mile High Stadium with his traditional bare feet and paying homage to the cult film The Warriors, Hollins was part
of the Patriots’ starting lineup against the Broncos. He ended up ranking second among New England’s wideouts with 39 snaps and a playing time share of 61%. More importantly, he continued to prove his value to the operation, hauling in two passes for a team-high 51 yards.
While neither of the plays ended up contributing to any scores in the 10-7 game, they at the very least helped sway field position in New England’s favor. In addition, Hollins also continued to do the dirty work as a blocker in the run game, particularly in the second half, when the conditions started to deteriorate.
“It doesn’t matter, the weather,” Hollins said after the game. “Warriors came out and got the work done.”
Here is our full snap count report from the Patriots’ 10-7 win at Mile High Stadium.
Offense
Total snaps: 64 | Time on the field: 31:45 | *denotes starter
QB Drake Maye* (64; 100%), LT Will Campbell* (64; 100%), LG Jared Wilson* (64; 100%), C Garrett Bradbury* (64; 100%), RG Mike Onwenu* (64; 100%), RT Morgan Moses* (64; 100%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (60; 94%), TE Hunter Henry* (44; 69%), WR Kayshon Boutte (40; 62%), WR Mack Hollins* (39; 61%), WR Stefon Diggs* (30; 47%), FB/TE Jack Westover (26; 41%), TE Austin Hooper (26; 41%), OT/TE Thayer Munford Jr.* (21; 33%), WR Kyle Williams (15; 23%), WR DeMario Douglas (12; 19%), RB TreVeyon Henderson (4; 6%), DT/FB Khyiris Tonga (2; 3%), DT/FB Milton Williams (1; 2%)
Has TreVeyon Henderson hit the rookie wall? After playing 48.5% of offensive snaps during the regular season and proving his big play potential on multiple occasions, he played a season-low four snaps against the Broncos to bring his playoff share to 28.5% of offensive snaps. The second-round draft pick has undeniable talent and a bright future ahead, but against the Broncos and their league-leading pass rush, the coaching staff trusted veteran Rhamondre Stevenson to serve as a workhorse in the run game and as both a receiver and blocker.
At wide receiver, the aforementioned Mack Hollins found himself in his usual spot among fellow top options Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs. Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas continue serving as package players, and finished the game with only 15 and 12 snaps, respectively, and one incomplete target to the latter between them.
Up front, meanwhile, the Patriots used their typical grouping. They did, however, employ sixth lineman Thayer Munford Jr. at an increased rate: the 26-year-old aligned as a tackle eligible on 21 snaps. Interestingly enough, however, only four of those came on the left side in support of left tackle Will Campbell.
Defense
Total snaps: 58 | Time on the field: 25:54 | *denotes starter
CB Christian Gonzalez* (58; 100%), CB Carlton Davis III* (58; 100%), S Jaylinn Hawkins* (58; 100%), S Craig Woodson* (58; 100%), LB Jack Gibbens (50; 86%), ED K’Lavon Chaisson* (43; 74%), LB Christian Elliss* (42; 72%), DT Milton Williams* (41; 71%), CB Marcus Jones* (40; 69%), DT Christian Barmore* (38; 66%), ED Anfernee Jennings* (32; 55%), DT Cory Durden (26; 45%), ED Elijah Ponder (26; 45%), DT Khyiris Tonga (20; 34%), LB/ED Jahlani Tavai (17; 29%), DT Leonard Taylor III (16; 28%), LB Robert Spillane* (13; 22%), S Dell Pettus (2; 3%)
Missing starter Harold Landry because of a knee injury, New England again relied on a rotational approach on the defensive edge. Like previously when the team captain was unavailable, the top option to step in was the longest-tenured Patriot, sixth-year man Anfernee Jennings. Rookie Elijah Ponder — who had a crucial fumble recovery in the second quarter — and to a lesser degree off-/on-ball linebacker Jahlani Tavai also saw valuable playing time in place of Landry.
On the second level, the Patriots had to improvise. Robert Spillane, who normally plays close to 100% of snaps, suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and was unable to finish the game; he did return to the sidelines but never actually reentered the contest. The team went with its usual contingency plan: Jack Gibbens took over as on-field signal caller, and ended the game ranked first among front seven defenders with 50 snaps and six tackles.
In the secondary, meanwhile, stability was the name of the game. Starters Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson went wire-to-wire, with nickel Marcus Jones joining them on the field for 40 of 58 snaps.
Two other players worth highlighting are Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga. Besides their roles along the interior defensive lines, the two also moved over to offense. Williams played the first offensive snap of his career when the Patriots ran a successful quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1 in the third quarter; Tonga was part of that group as well after earlier in the game playing one snap at fullback.
Special teams
Total snaps: 26 | Time on the field: 2:21
LB Jahlani Tavai (22; 85%), S Brenden Schooler (22; 85%), S Dell Pettus (22; 85%), LB Chad Muma (21; 81%), FB Jack Westover (19; 73%), ED Elijah Ponder (18; 69%), LB Jack Gibbens (16; 62%), LB/PP Marte Mapu (13; 50%), CB Charles Woods (12; 46%), P/H Bryce Baringer (12; 46%), LS Julian Ashby (12; 46%), LB Christian Elliss (10; 38%), ED Bradyn Swinson (9; 35%), CB Alex Austin (8; 31%), K Andy Borregales (7; 27%), CB/PR Marcus Jones (6; 23%), DT Cory Durden (5; 19%), TE Austin Hooper (4; 15%), OT Thayer Munford Jr. (4; 15%), OT Vederian Lowe (4; 15%), OL Jared Wilson (4; 15%), OL Mike Onwenu (4; 15%), OL Ben Brown (4; 15%), DT Christian Barmore (4; 15%), DT Leonard Taylor III (4; 15%), ED K’Lavon Chaisson (4; 15%), DT Khyiris Tonga (3; 12%), ED Anfernee Jennings (3; 12%), S Craig Woodson (3; 12%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (3; 12%), RB/KR D’Ernest Johnson (2; 8%), WR/KR Kyle Williams (2; 8%)
The Patriots had another active special teams day highlighted by practice squad call-up Leonard Taylor blocking what would have been a game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter. Taylor played four kicking game snaps on the day, all as part of the field goal and extra point blocking squads.
New England’s core-four group, meanwhile, consisted of six players. Besides captain Brenden Schooler, who was one of the top performers on Sunday, Jahlani Tavai, Dell Pettus, Chad Muma, Elijah Ponder and Jack Gibbens also appeared on all the return and coverage units on the day.
Did not play
QB Joshua Dobbs
Another Sunday, another three hours spent on the bench for Joshua Dobbs. For a 16th time this season, the Patriots’ backup quarterback did not see the field.
Inactive
QB3 Tommy DeVito, WR Efton Chism III, TE C.J. Dippre, OT Marcus Bryant, OL Caedan Wallace, ED Harold Landry III, CB Kobee Minor
After seeing only limited action in the divisional playoffs against the Texans the previous week, the aforementioned Harold Landry missed the entire week of practice leading up to the AFC Championship and was subsequently ruled out. Despite missing the game, he did make the trip to Denver alongside his teammates.
The other inactives, meanwhile, were all healthy scratches. That includes wide receiver Efton Chism, who lost his spot on the game day roster to the returning Mack Hollins.
