The New England Patriots exited Week 1 with a clear goal in mind: become more balanced on the offensive side of the ball after a pass-heavy season opener. Doing so required not just the running backs to be ready for an increased workload, but the support staff as well.
That included the tight end group, which was heavily involved in the ground game on Sunday versus the Miami Dolphins. Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper and Jack Westover all saw notable action as run blockers, playing a respective 23, 20,
and five run blocking snaps. In fact, out of the three, Henry was on the only one to see a higher share of pass plays than run plays; Hooper and Westover, meanwhile, were primarily used in the running game.
The results were solid. With extra blockers employed regularly, New England averaged 4.1 yards per carry on its 21 scripted runs versus Miami. Interestingly enough, the fullback role was not played by Westover on Sunday. Instead, Hunter Henry lined up in the backfield on six of his snaps.
Here is our full snap count report from the Patriots’ 33-27 win at Hard Rock Stadium.
Offense
Total snaps: 60 | Time on the field: 32:26
QB Drake Maye* (60; 100%), LT Will Campbell* (60; 100%), LG Jared Wilson* (60; 100%), C Garrett Bradbury* (60; 100%), RG Mike Onwenu* (60; 100%), RT Morgan Moses* (60; 100%), TE Hunter Henry* (51; 85%), WR Kayshon Boutte (43; 72%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (39; 65%), WR Mack Hollins* (39; 65%), TE Austin Hooper* (37; 62%), WR Stefon Diggs* (31; 52%), RB TreVeyon Henderson (19; 32%), WR DeMario Douglas (15; 25%), RB Antonio Gibson (10; 17%), WR Kyle Williams (10; 17%), TE Jack Westover (6; 10%)
*denotes starter
The Patriots using more multi-tight end packages also had an impact on the wide receiver group: New England ran fewer three-receiver sets. DeMario Douglas fell victim to that: the third-year slot option played only 15 snaps on the day for a playing time share of 25 percent — his lowest numbers in those categories since early in his 2023 rookie campaign.
As for the running backs themselves, their splits only shifted slightly compared to Week 1. Starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson stayed at 65 percent for a second straight game, and made the most of his time on the field, registering 142 scrimmage yards. TreVeyon Henderson, on the other hand, went from a 35 percent snap share to 32 percent, with Antonio Gibson going the opposite direction and improving from 7 to 17 percent.
Defense
Total snaps: 57 | Time on the field: 25:12
CB Marcus Jones* (57; 100%), LB Robert Spillane* (56; 98%), CB Carlton Davis III* (56; 98%), S Jaylinn Hawkins* (56; 98%), S Craig Woodson* (53; 93%), ED Harold Landry III* (52; 91%), ED K’Lavon Chaisson* (47; 82%), CB Alex Austin (47; 82%), LB Christian Elliss* (42; 74%), DT Milton Williams* (39; 68%), DT Christian Barmore* (38; 67%), DT Khyiris Tonga (19; 33%), S Kyle Dugger* (14; 25%), ED Anfernee Jennings (11; 19%), DT Joshua Farmer (10; 18%), LB Marte Mapu (7; 12%), DT Cory Durden (7; 12%), LB Jack Gibbens (5; 9%), ED Elijah Ponder (4; 7%), S Dell Pettus (4; 7%), CB Charles Woods (2; 4%)
*denotes starter
A look at the Patriots’ snap count numbers shows a clear difference between starters and backups, because there is a clear drop-off in playing time share from the 11th player (DT Christian Barmore; 67%) to the 12th (DT Khyiris Tonga; 33%). Naturally, the line between those two labels is a blurry one — Alex Austin is above the Barmore-Tonga line but did not start the game, while Kyle Dugger did — but it is interesting and quite rare to see it reflected that clearly in snap totals.
As for the different position groups themselves, linebacker stands out as one that saw some movement. The Patriots started out with Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss hoarding snaps, but the latter suffering from dehydration led to the team briefly inserting Jack Gibbens and later Marte Mapu into the lineup. After Mapu himself had to exit for undisclosed reasons, safety Dell Pettus filled in as an extra box defender.
The rest of the rotations on that side of the ball were as expected, with the backups subbing in and out based on packages and situations. The only exception might be the cornerback spot, where the team opted to give Marcus Jones a full workload over Alex Austin, possibly in hopes of better countering Miami’s speed at wide receiver.
Special Teams
Total snaps: 28 | Time on the field: 2:22
LB Jack Gibbens (23; 82%), S Brenden Schooler (23; 82%), Dell Pettus (20; 71%), ED Anfernee Jennings (18; 64%), ED Elijah Ponder (18; 64%), S Kyle Dugger (16; 57%), CB Charles Woods (16; 57%), LB Christian Elliss (13; 46%), LB/PP Marte Mapu (13; 46%), K Andy Borregales (12; 43%), LB Mark Robinson (12; 43%), S Craig Woodson (11; 39%), LS Julian Ashby (8; 29%), TE Jack Westover (8; 29%), P/H Bryce Baringer (8; 29%), ED K’Lavon Chaisson (8; 29%), WR Mack Hollins (7; 25%), RB TreVeyon Henderson (6; 21%), RB/KR Antonio Gibson (6; 21%), TE Hunter Henry (5; 18%), TE Austin Hooper (5; 18%), OT Will Campbell (5; 18%), OL Jared Wilson (5; 18%), OL Mike Onwenu (5; 18%), OT Marcus Bryant (5; 18%), OL Ben Brown (5; 18%), OT Vederian Lowe (5; 18%), LB Robert Spillane (5; 18%), DT Milton Williams (4; 14%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (3; 11%), DT Joshua Farmer (2; 7%), CB Kobee Minor (2; 7%), DT Christian Barmore (2; 7%), CB/PR Marcus Jones (2; 7%), DT Khyiris Tonga (2; 7%)
New England’s kicking game operation saw no surprises on Sunday. Just like last week against Las Vegas, Brenden Schooler, Jack Gibbens, Elijah Ponder and Marte Mapu saw extensive action as members of all four return and coverage units.
Practice squad elevation Mark Robinson was also again prominently featured as a member of both coverage units and the kickoff return squad was. With him having only one standard elevation left and currently just 52 of the Patriots’ 53 available roster spots filled, he might be a candidate for a promotion in the relatively near future.
Did not play
QB Joshua Dobbs
Just like last week, the Patriots elected to use the entirety of their game day roster with one exception. With the two teams involved in a close, back-and-forth battle, backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs spent the day on the sidelines.
Inactive
CB Christian Gonzalez, QB3 Tommy DeVito, DT Eric Gregory, OL Caedan Wallace, WR Efton Chism III, ED Keion White
The Patriots entered the weekend with both Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) and Keion White (illness) ruled out for medical reasons, and the two defenders were joined by four healthy scratches — none of whom a surprise — on Sunday. Why just four? Because the team elected not to fill the open spot on its 53-man roster, and has still not done so.
