BREAKING : Lions WR Injuries Lead to Increased Snap Count for Rookie TeSlaa

The Detroit Lions suffered a crushing loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.

Amidst a slew of injuries, inconsistency on both sides of the ball and difficulties converting in key moments, the Lions fell to 7-5 with a 31-24 loss.

Here is a breakdown of the Lions’ snap distribution, with analysis on what this could mean for the team moving forward.

Quarterbacks

  • Jared Goff — (63) 100%

Goff finished an efficient 20-of-26 through the air, but was sacked three times and had a crucial fourth-down conversion dropped by Jameson Williams. He will now be tasked with helping the team get back into a flow next Thursday against a Dallas team coming off of two straight big wins over Philadelphia and Kansas City.

Running backs

  • Jahmyr Gibbs — (44) 70%
  • David Montgomery — (24) 38%
  • Jacob Saylors — 15 special teams snaps (62%)
  • Sione Vaki — 15 special teams snaps (62%)

Gibbs continues to see a heavy advantage in snaps over Montgomery. The Packers had a solid game plan to neutralize the Lions’ run game, particularly against Gibbs. They limited him to under four yards a carry, while Montgomery did have his first rushing touchdown since Week 5, amidst his eight carries.

Wide receivers

  • Jameson Williams — (59) 94%
  • Isaac TeSlaa – (58) 92% — Two special teams snaps (8%)
  • Tom Kennedy — (41) 65% — Eight special teams snaps (33%)
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown — (4) 6%

St. Brown’s early injury paved the way for more snaps for TeSlaa and Kennedy, while Williams had a big day as the top receiver. Kennedy handled return duties in addition to making four catches, while Dominic Lovett did not see any action despite being active.

Tight ends

  • Ross Dwelley — (47) 75% — Four special teams snaps (17%)
  • Anthony Firkser — (15) 24% — 12 special teams snaps (50%)
  • Zach Horton — (8) 13% — Six special teams snaps (25%)

Down their top two tight ends, the Lions leaned on two veterans and an undrafted free agent to account for their absences. The result was some unique formation variations, which included Horton playing some fullback.

Offensive line

  • Kayode Awosika — (63) 100% — Four special teams snaps (17%)
  • Tate Ratledge — (63) 100% — Four special teams snaps (17%)
  • Penei Sewell — (63) 100% — Four special teams snaps
  • Trystan Colon — (63) 100% — Four special teams snaps
  • Taylor Decker — (68) 100%
  • Dan Skipper — (15) 24% — Four special teams snaps (17%)
  • Michael Niese — Four special teams snaps (17%)

Colon made his first start at center this season in the absence of Graham Glasgow. With Frank Ragnow rejoining the mix, the Lions could elect to slide Glasgow back to guard if he’s able to play next week. This would likely be at the expense of Awosika, who has started on the left side after Christian Mahogany was placed on injured reserve.

Defensive line

  • Alim McNeill — (60) 95% — Five special teams snaps (21%)
  • Aidan Hutchinson — (60) 95%
  • DJ Reader — (39) 62%
  • Tyleik Williams — (34) 54%
  • Marcus Davenport — (24) 38% — Five special teams snaps (21%)
  • Roy Lopez — (22) 35% — Five special teams snaps (21%)
  • Al-Quadin Muhammad — (19) 30% — Five special teams snaps (21%)
  • Tyrus Wheat — 16 special teams snaps (67%)

Davenport played 24 snaps in his first game since Week 2, rotating with Muhammad for a majority of the game. McNeill and Hutchinson were mainstays, while Williams continued to get a significant workload and Reader and Lopez traded snaps at the nose tackle position.

Linebackers

  • Jack Campbell — (63) 100% — Five special teams snaps (21%)
  • Alex Anzalone — (63) 100%
  • Derrick Barnes — (46) 73% — Two special teams snaps (8%)
  • Malcolm Rodriguez — 20 special teams snaps (83%)
  • Grant Stuard — 20 special teams snaps (83%)
  • Trevor Nowaske — 20 special teams snaps (83%)

Detroit relied on its top three linebackers to get them through Thursday’s game, with the others playing exclusively on special teams. Barnes’ absences were package based, as the Lions deployed some nickel packages that resulted in him coming off the field.

Cornerbacks

  • Amik Robertson — (60) 95%
  • D.J. Reed — (55) 87%
  • Terrion Arnold — (18) 29%
  • Rock Ya-Sin — (9) 14% — 13 special teams snaps (54%)
  • Khalil Dorsey — 14 special teams snaps (58%)

Detroit had Arnold on a rep count it appears in what was his first game since Week 10. Reed saw a bg increase after being limited in his own return last week, while defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard also made some room to get Ya-Sin into action.

Safeties

  • Brian Branch — (60) 95% — Four special teams snaps (17%)
  • Thomas Harper — (59) 94% — One special teams snaps (4%)
  • Avonte Maddox — (1) 2% — Two special teams snaps (8%)
  • Daniel Thomas — 20 special teams snaps (83%)

It was more of the same for the Lions at the safety position, as Branch and Harper played the majority of the game. Maddox did get one snap, while Thomas continues to be a special teams ace.

Specialists

  • Jake Bates — Nine special teams snaps (38%)
  • Jack Fox — Six special teams snaps (25%)
  • Hogan Hatten — Six special teams snaps (25%)

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