In the Arizona Cardinals' 36-24 loss to the New York Giants, 17 players participated in at least one of the 66 offensive snaps.
Right guard Isaiah Adams suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and played only 28 snaps. Jon Gaines II replaced him. Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. missed the final snap of the game because of a torn biceps and was replaced by Jayden Williams.
Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was not on the field for 23 snaps during the game. Running back Tyler Allgeier played more snaps than Jeremiyah Love, who had trainers working on his ankle during the game. Love acknowledged it was about managing him after missing close to a month of practice because of a high-ankle sprain suffered on Aug. 13.
How was the playing time divided
up? We have the numbers below.
The first number after each name is the snap count, and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Quarterbacks
- Jacoby Brissett (66/100)
- Did not play: Gardner Minshew II
- Inactive: Carson Beck (emergency QB)
Protection issues continue to bedevil the passing game, forcing Brissett to often throw quickly, especially on the fateful four plays from the 4-yard line at the end of the game. Success in the close red zone often comes when the quarterback has time to find a receiver coming open. Overall, Brissett’s 21 completions on 35 attempts averaged 7.9 yards and an abysmal 4.74 per attempt.
Three interceptions plummeted his passer rating in the game to 55.2 with two of the picks coming on a tipped ball and when his arm was hit while throwing. He did run four times for 18 yards. If there was more time on the clock at the end of the game, the best strategy might have been to simply have him run up the middle a few times.
Running backs
- Tyler Allgeier (36/55), Jeremiyah Love (30/45)
- Did not play: Bam Knight (played only on special teams)
- Injured reserve: James Conner (eligible to return after Week 4), Trey Benson
It started off strong on the first two drives with Love gaining 43 yards on six rushes and Allgeier three for 38, including a 22-yard touchdown. Production sank for the remainder of the game after that with Love 8-20 and Allgeier 5-4 (13-24 total). There was little in the passing game with Allgeier 2-7 and Love 1-minus 8.
Allgeier was in the game instead of Love at the end of the game because he’s better in production than Love and healthier.
"It's frustrating because I'm the type of guy who is willing to do whatever I can to help the team have success," Love said. "I want to be out there regardless how I am feeling, but my coaches care about me. They're not going to put you out there if you're not in a position to be yourself. It's frustrating for me personally, not even with the coaches. I'm really frustrated with myself because I just want to be good. I want to be 100 percent."
NextGen Stats had Allgeier with 10 snaps in the red zone and Love only two.
"It's been a long year for me," Love said. "Body sometimes is down, sometimes it's tired. It's managing those things. Coaches know that. This is probably going to be the longest year of my life, and I want to manage that workload. So today, making sure they are managing me. They are doing what they need to do to keep me up for the rest of the season."
Wide receivers
- Michael Wilson (62/94), Marvin Harrison Jr. (43/65), Kendrick Bourne (42/64), Jalen Brooks (3/5)
- Did not play: Devin Duvernay, Simi Fehoko (both played only on special teams)
- Inactive: Reggie Virgil
Wilson led the team in targets with 13 after having 17 the week before. He caught seven for 95 yards. Harrison had one reception and a touchdown for 12 yards in four targets. He wasn’t able to make a catch on the late pass that resulted in a questionable pass-interference penalty that moved the Cardinals from the 22-yard to the 4-yard line. Bourne was never targeted.
Tight ends
- Trey McBride (64/97), Elijah Higgins (24/36), Hunter Long (20/30)
- PUP reserve: Tip Reiman (eligible to practice after Week 2 and play after Week 4)
- Injured reserve: Jamison Geers
It was another lackluster day for McBride, who caught only seven of 12 targets for a mere 31 yards (4.4 average). In the last two games, he has 16 catches for 106 yards (6.6 average). In Week 2 against Seattle, he averaged 4.1 yards on eight receptions for 41 yards. Higgins had two receptions for 17, one for a 2-yard touchdown.
Offensive linemen
- LG Isaac Seumalo (66/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (66/100), RT Elijah Wilkinson (66/100), LT Paris Johnson Jr. (65/98), RG Jon Gaines II (38/58), RG Isaiah Adams (28/42), T Jayden Williams (7/11)
- Did not play: G/C Hayden Conner (played only on special teams)
- Inactive: T Josh Fryar
- Injured reserve: G Chase Bisontis
The Cardinals now must deal with the loss of Johnson for the remainder of the season. Seventh-round pick Williams will be his likely replacement. In addition, Adams suffered an ankle injury. Gaines played all of the snaps in Week 1 against the Chargers when Adams was inactive because of a knee injury suffered in practice during the week of preparation for the Aug. 22 preseason game against the Cowboys. Wilkinson has had a few issues with protection that resulted in pressure on Brissett.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals' Week 4 offensive snap counts, observations vs. Giants
