In the Arizona Cardinals' 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, 19 players participated in at least one of the 75 offensive snaps.
How was the playing time divided up?
The first number after each name is their snap count, while the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Quarterbacks
- Jacoby Brissett (75/100)
- Did not play: Gardner Minshew II
- Inactive: Carson Beck (emergency QB)
The day began with a 27-yard pass play to tight end Trey McBride and a drive for a touchdown, and ended with three kneeldowns. For the day, Brissett completed 27 of 37 passes (73.0 percent) for 277 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a passer rating of 103.1. He also ran six times for 14 yards, three of which were for first downs.
Asked about the belief in him from inside and outside the huddle, Brissett said, “That’s all the motivation I need is the confidence
from my teammates. Mack (Wilson Sr.) texted me this morning and was echoing that. It was at a moment during the day that I really needed, and once I got that text, I was like, ‘I'm ready to go right now.’”
Running backs
- Tyler Allgeier (44/59), Jeremiyah Love (32/43), Bam Knight (3/4)
- Reserve/injured: James Conner (eligible to return after Week 4), Trey Benson
Allgeier rushed 17 times for 61 yards (3.6 average) and added two receptions for nine yards. Love, who had suffered a high-ankle sprain on Aug. 13 and hadn’t practiced much since, had 41 yards on 11 rushes (3.7 average) plus a run of 18 and a 5-yard touchdown on that opening drive. He also had two catches for nine yards.
Two plays before the score, Brissett called timeout from the 8-yard line and admitted, “I think I called the wrong play.” Love gained three, then cut outside for the TD.
“The touchdown was all him,” Brissett said. “I don’t think he was supposed to go that way. But you hand him the ball and you watch. I thought he played well in the pass and run game. Getting some gritty runs, where there was one yard, two yards, making somebody miss in the backfield and just getting us back to the line of scrimmage. I thought he did a really good job. He’s one of the main ones in the locker room saying, ‘I got so much in the tank left.’ I thought the offensive line did a great job of giving him time (so he could) make the right reads.”
Of Allgeier, Brissett said, “Obviously, TA really put a stamp on this game and the yards he got. Nobody’s going to talk about it because it just looks normal, but a lot of those yards were big yards.”
He was referencing the end of the game when the Cardinals were working to run clock. Allgeier had six carries for 19 yards in the first half and 11-42 in the second half, including 32 yards on eight attempts in the final two possessions. The final eight yards resulted in kicker Chad Ryland getting closer and scored the final points on a 49-yard field goal.
Head coach Mike LaFleur said of Love, “I think you guys saw the explosiveness. I expect him to get better and better. He hasn’t practiced in three or four weeks, so he’s just going to get more and more conditioned to go. But I thought our backs, especially in the fourth quarter, started grinding out some yards. The first week, it’s hard to run the ball for whatever reason. It just is. So (it was important) for us to chew out some yards there.”
Wide receivers
- Michael Wilson (64/85), Marvin Harrison Jr. (59/79), Kendrick Bourne (50/67), Simi Fehoko (6/8), Jalen Brooks (4/5)
- Did not play: Devin Duvernay (played only on special teams)
- Inactive: Reggie Virgil
Bourne led the group, catching all eight of his targets for 75 yards. Wilson had seven targets with five receptions for 56 yards. Harrison was targeted three times, but his one catch was a marvelous grab for 33 yards.
Of Bourne, Brissett said, “I’m pretty sure none of y’all had him on your fantasy (team). To play how he played, he was just in the right spot at the right time for a lot of plays. We put him there because we trust him there. We had a tough week with him this week as far as understanding the spot that he was gonna be in. I’m just so happy that he rose to the occasion.”
Tight ends
- Trey McBride (60/80), Hunter Long (26/35), Elijah Higgins (20/27)
- Reserve/PUP: Tip Reiman (eligible to practice after Week 2 and play after Week 4)
- Reserve/injured: Jamison Geers
McBride was, well, McBride with nine receptions on 13 targets for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive linemen
- LT Paris Johnson Jr. (75/100), LG Isaac Seumalo (72/96), C Hjalte Froholdt (75/100), RG Jon Gaines II (75/100), RT Elijah Wilkinson (75/100), T (jumbo) Jayden Williams (7/9), G/C Hayden Conner (3/4)
- Did not play: T Josh Fryar (played only on special teams)
- Inactive: G Isaiah Adams (injured)
- Reserve/injured: G Chase Bisontis
The starters played all 75 snaps, including Gaines, who played because Adams remains out with a knee injury. Asked about the line play, Brissett said, “What’d they give up, zero sacks? On the road versus two or three premier rushers in the league, I mean, that’s big-time football. When we do that, we have a good chance to win.”
Technically, there was one sack for zero yards because Brissett failed to get past the line of scrimmage on a scramble.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals Week 1 offensive snap counts, observations
