Detroit Lions Week 7 snap counts: Secondary rotation leads to success vs. Packers

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 25: Brian Branch #32 of the Detroit Lions intercepts a pass intended for Christian Watson #9 of the Green Bay Packers during fourth quarter of a game at Ford Field on October 25, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Detroit

Football Zone

SEE ALL

Giants Wire

What we learned from New York Giants' 27-21 win over Houston Texans

Browns Wire

KC Concepcion draws praise from his head coach after breakout game

Bengals Wire

Erick All injury forces Bengals to sign Vikings player

What is the story about?

The Detroit Lions moved to 4-2 on the season and 1-0 in the NFC North after taking down their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, 20-17 in Week 7.

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: 68 (100%)
Josh Dobbs: DNP

Goff continues to play well, producing another 300-yard passing game, while also adding two touchdowns and no interceptions. He did take responsibility for the fumble on the snap exchange, but it’s hard to tell whether

he was actually at fault or simply being a good leader.

Running back

Jahmyr Gibbs: 61 (90%)
Sione Vaki: 9 (13%) — 12 special teams snaps (57%)
Jacob Saylors: 0 (0%) — 12 (57%)

After a couple of weeks of the Lions scaling back Gibbs’ usage to preserve him for a long season, Sunday’s game was too important and too close for them not to want him on the field as much as possible. His 34 total touches are more than the Lions would prefer in any given week, but sometimes that’s the necessary path to take.

Vaki saw one carry early in the game, taking it a strong five yards, and probably would’ve seen more action had the Lions pulled away in this one.

Wide receiver

Jameson Williams: 57 (84%)
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 53 (78%)
Isaac TeSlaa: 33 (49%)
Tay Martin: 1 (1%) — 12 (57%)
DeAndre Carter: 0 (0%) — 6 (29%)

After opening things up with their wide receivers in the first half, the Lions wanted to assert their will more in the second and deployed “bigger” sets, which led to a slightly lower snap count for this unit. Still, St. Brown and Williams were terrific and huge contributors to the win.

Tight end

Sam LaPorta: 66 (97%)
Brock Wright: 38 (56%) — 4 (19%)
Tyler Conklin: 8 (12%)
Jackson Meeks: DNP (INACTIVE)

While the Lions tight ends caught only two passes for 22 yards, they were on the field a lot in blocking situations. Both LaPorta and Wright were sharp as pass protectors, and while LaPorta’s only catch came in the fourth quarter, it helped set things up for the Lions to get into game-winning field goal range.

Offensive line

LG Christian Mahogany: 68 (100%) — 4 (100%)
RT Blake Miller: 68 (100%) — 4 (100%)
RG Tate Ratledge: 68 (100%) — 4 (100%)
LT Penei Sewell: 68 (100%)
C Cade Mays: 68 (100%)
LT/6th OL: Larry Borom: 12 (18%) — 4 (19%)
C Juice Scruggs: 0 (0%) — 4 (19%)
RG Miles Frazier: 0 (0%) — 4 (19%)
C Seth McLaughlin: DNP (INACTIVE)

Mays had some ups and downs in his Lions debut, struggling at times as a blocker—he was credited with giving up the Lions’ only sack allowed on the day—and was involved in both the Lions’ fumbles, but you could see the potential as a people-mover in the run game. He should keep ascending as he acclimates.

Borom saw the field 12 times in this game, with 10 snaps coming as a sixth offensive lineman, and two snaps at left tackle, allowing Sewell to shift into the sixth OL role. Borom wasn’t credited with giving up a pressure, but he was beaten on the play where Sewell ran a short crosser, which drew the eyes of the defense and opened the window for Goff to find Williams for the touchdown. If the Lions want to get Sewell back into a pass-catching role again, they’ll need Borom to be ready.

Interior defensive line

3T Alim McNeill: 52 (78%) — 5 (24%)
DT Tyleik Williams: 34 (51%) — 5 (24%)
3T Skyler Gill-Howard: 31 (46%) — 5 (24%) — 2 offensive plays (3%)
DL Levi Onwuzurike: 14 (21%)
3T Mekhi Wingo: DNP (INACTIVE)

The Lions have found an IDL rotation they like, which essentially consists of McNeill pairing with Williams or Gill-Howard in specific situations, with Onwuzurike filling in as needed, mainly to give McNeill a breather. PFF credited McNeill with six pressures, while Williams accounted for two and a run stop.

EDGE

EDGE Aidan Hutchinson: 58 (87%)
Rush End DJ Wonnum: 48 (72%) — 5 (24%)
Big End Tyler Lacy: 21 (31%) — 4 (19%)
Rush End Derrick Moore: 20 (30%) — 5 (24%)
Rush End Eric O’Neill: 0 (0%) — 13 (62%)
Big End Ahmed Hassanein: DNP (INACTIVE)

Not much has changed in the Lions’ edge-rusher snap distribution following the bye; Hutchinson registers near 90% weekly, with Wonnum and Lacy splitting reps based on the opponent’s approach to offense. This week, with the Packers wanting to throw the ball, Wonnum saw his opportunities increase. Moore is still getting a lower percentage of snaps, but that number is steadily increasing as the coaches begin to trust him in more situational roles.

Linebacker

MIKE Jack Campbell: 67 (100%) — 5 (24%)
SAM Derrick Barnes: 67 (100%) — 5 (24%)
SAM Trevor Nowaske: 14 (21%) — 17 (81%)
WILL Malcolm Rodriguez: 0 (0%) — 12 (57%)
WILL Amen Ogbongbemiga: 0 (0%) — 12 (57%)
MIKE Jimmy Rolder: 0 (0%) — 12 (57%)

The Lions made some tweaks to their linebacker usage this week, opting to deploy Campbell and Barnes on every defensive snap (typically Barnes is closer to 80-85%), and electing to only use Nowaske at WILL. The remainder of the reserves only saw the field on special teams. While the entire linebacking corps was solid against the run, Nowaske was the only linebacker who didn’t struggle in coverage.

Cornerback

CB/NB Roger McCreary: 67 (100%) — 5 (24%)
CB D.J. Reed: 61 (91%)
CB Ennis Rakestraw: 21 (31%) — 2 (10%) — Injured
CB Khalil Dorsey: 14 (21%) — 13 (62%)
CB Rock Ya-Sin: 14 (21%) — 4 (19%)

After watching the Dallas Cowboys rotate their secondary to stay fresh while defending the Packers’ deep ball, the Lions instituted a rotation of their own, and it proved effective, as the corners were credited with giving up only 75 yards through the air.

McCreary continued shifting between outside and in the slot; Reed said he felt fresher after taking a few snaps off; Rakestraw was the first off the bench as CB3 (until he was injured); Ya-Sin returned from injury and contributed on the outside, while Dorsey, who is arguably the fastest corner on the roster, was tasked with covering the Packers’ deep shots.

While Dorsey was tasked with taking away the Packers’ most effective offensive play and sprinting downfield on most snaps, he was targeted just four times and allowed only 5 receiving yards. Pretty spectacular day.

Safety

S Chuck Clark: 55 (82%) — 5 (24%)
S Brian Branch: 45 (67%)
DB Keith Abney: 34 (51%)
DB Christian Izien: 0 (0%) — 10 (48%)
S Bishop Fitzgerald: DNP (INACTIVE)

Welcome back, Brian Branch. With Branch back in the mix, the Lions secondary played with more confidence, and the Pro Bowl safety’s impact was felt throughout the game. Branch not only delivered big hits, but he also intercepted Jordan Love on a bomb downfield, energizing the entire defense.

Branch was on a snap count in Week 7, and the Lions leaned on Clark and Abney to work opposite him, while also overlapping their responsibilities. Clark continues to look steady but is physically limited, while Abney is physically gifted but still learning the position. With Branch unlikely to be on a snap count moving forward, the Lions will likely scale back Clark and Abney’s snaps, while their situational roles will remain.