Lions - Patriots Week 3 snap count observations: Lions DBs steal the show

Here are the snap counts for the Detroit Lions’ Week 3 win over the New England Patriots. Offense:QuarterbacksMatthew Stafford: 74 (100%)Running backsKerryon Johnson: 33 (45%)LeGarrette Blount: 26 (36%)Theo Riddick: 21 (28%)FullbacksNick Bellore: 4 (5%) — 17 special teams snaps (68%)Tight endsLuke Willson: 40 (54%) — 9 (36%)Levine Toilolo: 37 (50%) — 6 (24%)Hakeem Valles: 6 (8%)Wide receiversMarvin Jones Jr.: 67 (91%)Kenny Golladay: 65 (88%)Golden Tate: 55 (74%)TJ Jones: 13 (18%) — 1 (4%)Offensive tacklesTaylor Decker: 74 (100%) — 6 (24%)Rick Wagner: 74 (100%) — 6 (24%)Guards/centersGraham Glasgow: 74 (100%) — 6 (24%)Frank Ragnow: 74 (100%) — 6 (24%)T.J. Lang: 74 (100%) — 4 (16%)Kenny Wiggins: 3 (4%) — 6 (24%)Observations:Kerryon Johnson continues to garner the most snaps among the running backs Tavon Wilson Jersey , but this time, it wasn’t due to an injury or ejection to Blount. He still isn’t considered the starter yet, but it’s only a matter of time.Hakeem Valles took Michael Roberts’ place on the field this week, but didn’t do much of any work with the offense.A very minor note: T.J. Lang didn’t play in all of the special teams snaps he would normally play in. That suggests he may not be 100 percent healthy from his back injury. Hopefully he didn’t reaggravate anything, but the fact that he played every offensive snap is enough to think he’ll be fine. Defense:Defensive endRomeo Okwara: 40 (83%) — 1 (4%)Da’Shawn Hand: 23 (48%) — 2 (8%)Defensive tackleA’Shawn Robinson: 20 (42%) — 4 (16%)Sylvester Williams: 16 (33%) — 2 (8%)Ricky Jean Francois: 15 (31%) — 2 (8%)LinebackersDevon Kennard: 48 (100%) — 2 (8%)Jarrad Davis: 48 (100%) — 2 (8%)Christian Jones: 24 (50%) — 7 (28%)Eli Harold: 21 (44%) — 3 (12%)Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 11 (23%) — 15 (60%)Marquis Flowers: 0 (0%) — 12 (48%)CornerbacksQuandre Diggs: 48 (100%) — 5 (20%)Darius Slay: 48 (100%) — 6 (24%)Nevin Lawson: 48 (100%) — 12 (48%)Jamal Agnew: 22 (46%) — 9 (36%)DeShawn Shead: 13 (27%) — 6 (24%)Teez Tabor: 0 (0%) — 15 (60%)Dee Virgin: 0 (0%) — 14 (56%)SafetyGlover Quin: 48 (100%) — 2 (8%)Tavon Wilson: 22 (46%) — 7 (28%)Tracy Walker: 13 (27%) — 17 (68%)Miles Killebrew: 0 (0%) — 17 (68%)Charles Washington: 0 (0%) — 17 (68%)Observations:There’s a ton to digest here, but look at those defensive line numbers. Outside of Romeo Okwara (which... wow), everyone saw a pretty significant decrease in their roles Sunday night, especially the defensive tackles. Sylvester Williams and Ricky Jean Francois barely played, as the Lions elected to go very linebacker/defensive back heavy.Speaking of the linebackers, the importance of Jarrad Davis and Devon Kennard to this team cannot be overstated. Both haven’t come off the field for a single snap in the past two weeks. Meanwhile with Ezekiel Ansah injured and Kerry Hyder a healthy scratch, Eli Harold saw a significant bump in playing time (along with Okwara).The Lions secondary had a phenomenal game Sunday night, and part of it was likely due to the stability of the defensive backs. Four players never left the field: Quandre Diggs http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ricky-jean-francois-jersey , Nevin Lawson, Darius Slay and Glover Quin. Speaking of defensive backs the Lions utilized DeShawn Shead and Tracy Walker effectively, especially when it came to neutralizing Rob Gronkowski for most of the night. Special teamsSam Martin: 15 (60%)Don Muhlbach: 8 (32%)Matt Prater: 6 (24%)Monday open thread: Do you feel better, worse or the same after the Lions’ win over the Patriots? That felt pretty damn good, right?We know this morning everyone is going to be talking about, “What’s wrong with the Patriots? Is the Brady/Belichick dynasty over? How could they lose to the lowly Lions?”But not here. We’re talking about the Detroit Lions, baby, and they just pulled off one of the most impressive home wins in quite some time. Not only did the Lions look dominant on national television, but they got the 100-yard monkey off their back and Matthew Stafford outdueled Tom Brady. The Lions played a pretty darn good game across the board, and that’s worth talking about. So today’s Question of the Day is:Do you feel better, worse, or the same after the Lions’ win over the Patriots?My answer: On one hand Kenny Golladay Jersey , I’m absolutely thrilled. The Lions don’t beat the Patriots that often, and whether New England is in trouble this year or not, that’s a serious feather in Detroit’s cap. On the other hand, while the Lions were much improved everywhere across the field, there were still some discouraging things.The Lions’ continued to struggle in the red zone, converting touchdowns on just one of four attempts. Matthew Stafford had another bad turnover that threatened to turn the third quarter into another nightmare, and special teams had another rough night.But screw all of that. The Lions won a big game, potentially saved their season and they’re just a game out of first place without having played a single divisional game. Are they a perfect team? Absolutely not. Would I pick them to win the division right now? Nope. But the Lions proved they can be a competitive team when they’re at their best, and that’s something we hadn’t even seen signs of through two weeks.Your turn.