In the Arizona Cardinals' 45-21 loss to the Detroit Lions, 19 players participated in at least one of the 73 offensive snaps.
How was the playing time divided up? We have the numbers for everyone who got into the game.
The first number after each name is the snap count, and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Quarterbacks
- Jacoby Brissett (73/100)
- Did not play: Gardner Minshew II
- Inactive: Carson Beck (emergency third QB)
It was another spotty performance by Brissett, although the absence of a running game once again resulted in having 47 pass attempts in the game. He did pass for 292 yards and three touchdowns, but 202 yards and two scores came in the second half when the game was out of hand. Pressure once again was a problem as the Lions produced five sacks.
Brissett rushed twice for 19 yards and also had a 7-yard reception from wide
receiver Michael Wilson that led to the team’s first touchdown.
When asked if there might be a quarterback switch coming, head coach Mike LaFleur said, "I have way too many other things that I need to correct right now. Jacoby was not the problem. We were a problem as a team today and again, that starts with me."
Running backs
- Jeremiyah Love (36/49), Tyler Allgeier (32/44), Bam Knight (6/8)
- Injured reserve: James Conner (eligible to return), Trey Benson
The ground threat has disappeared since the first two possessions in the game against the Giants the week before. After Love and Allgeier combined for 81 yards on nine attempts on those two scoring drives, they have combined for a mere 53 yards on 28 carries. Sunday, it was 12-22 for Love with a long of eight and 3-7 for Allgeier and a long of three.
In the passing game, they were afterthoughts against the Lions. Allgeier had two catches for nine yards and Love did not catch his one target.
Knight had an eight-yard run late in the game, but his quickness might be something the Cardinals should utilize at times, especially with Love continuing to battle ankle issues.
Wide receivers
- Michael Wilson (61/84), Jalen Brooks (39/53), Kendrick Bourne (36/49), Reggie Virgil (13/18), Simi Fehoko (3/4)
- Inactive: Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Did not play: Devin Duvernay (played only on special teams)
Without Harrison, who was officially traded to the Texans Monday, there remained an inability to consistently get open against man coverage, or for Brissett to get the ball to open receivers because of pressure. Wilson had only four receptions for 30 yards, averaging only 7.5 yards per catch, while Bourne had five receptions for 70 yards (14.0 average) with a long of 23.
LaFleur said in the last two games, teams have been playing more man coverage and doubling Wilson and tight end Trey McBride.
The absence of Harrison gave Brooks and Virgil more opportunity. Brooks was targeted seven times, but had only two receptions for 16 yards. Virgil was active for the first time this season and had two catches for 29 yards on five targets. The four receivers were targeted 27 times, but totaled only 13 receptions.
Tight ends
- Trey McBride (66/90), Elijah Higgins (39/53), Tegan Quitoriano (30/41)
- PUP reserve: Tip Reiman (eligible to practice)
- Injured reserve: Hunter Long (eligible to return after Week 8), Jamison Geers
It was a productive afternoon for the three tight ends, including Quitoriano who was signed to the active roster from the practice squad when Long was placed on injured reserve. Quitoriano was targeted twice and caught both for 15 yards and two touchdowns. McBride caught nine of 10 targets for 66 yards, including an outstanding bobbled catch in the end zone where he somehow managed to get both feet in bounds. However, his average per catch was only 7.3, which is his season average on 42 receptions for 308 yards. His game-by-game average per catch is 10.6, 5.1, 8.3, 4.4 and 7.3.
Higgins had the longest reception of the game (38) and caught all three of his targets for 57 yards. Add it all up, and the tight ends had 14 catches on 15 targets for 138 yards.
Offensive linemen
- LT Jayden Williams (73/100), LG Isaac Seumalo (73/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (73/100), RG Jon Gaines II (73/100), RT Elijah Wilkinson (73/100), T Josh Fryar (4/5), C/G Hayden Conner (1/1)
- Did not play: T Jedrick Wills Jr. (played only on special teams)
- Injured reserve: LT Paris Johnson Jr. (eligible to return, but won’t), G Isaiah Adams (eligible to return after Week 8), G Chase Bisontis
It was a patchwork group that included undrafted free agent Williams getting his first start after Johnson was placed on injured reserve. Gaines was back as a starter after Adams found his way to injured reserve. With Williams playing every snap at left tackle, Josh Fryar was used as the Jumbo blocker for some running plays.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals Week 5 offensive snap counts, observations vs. Lions
