In the Arizona Cardinals’30-17 win over the New England Patriots, 23 players played in at least one of 51 defensive snaps and 34 played at least one of 25 special teams snaps.
How was this playing time distributed? Below are the number of snaps for each player, grouped by position.
The first number after each name is the snap and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Defensive linemen
Darius Robinson 30/59, LJ Collier 28/55, Dante Stills 24/47, Roy Lopez 24/47, Naquan Jones 24/47
Inactive: Khyiris Tonga
Injured reserve: Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols (both eligible to return, but will not)
Robinson led the linemen in moments and seemed to be settling in. His sack didn’t carry any yards, but it counted and he also had three tackles (one solo) and a quarterback hit. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday: “He’s (on) the fast track to learning right now. He was here today talking to (defensive coordinator) Nick (Rallis), myself, ‘D’ (defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc) about the things he’s learning. He’s going to continue to learn every rep he gets and understand it even more and impact the game for us. I thought he was good in the passing game. I think he made some great plays in the running game yesterday, some of which will go unnoticed, but he’s currently doing what he was trained to do at a high level.
Linebackers
ILB Kyzir white 51/100, OLB Baron Browning 30/59, OLB Zaven Collins 25/49, ILB Krys Barnes 23/45, OLB Julian Okwara 18/35, OLB Victor Dimukeje 16/31, OLB Xavier Thomas 10/20, ILB Mack Wilson Sr. 4/8 (injured), OLB Jesse Luketa 3/6 (injured), ILB Owen Pappoe 1/2
Injured reserve: OLB Dennis Gardeck (eligible to return, but will not make it), OLB BJ Ojulari
White led the team with 12 tackles (five solo). Barnes took over when Wilson suffered a concussion on the fourth play of the game and did not return. In addition to his 23 snaps, Barnes also played 17 on special teams where he made a solo tackle. On defense, Barnes had four tackles (one solo).
Browning had a seven-yard sack, two solo tackles including one for loss and a quarterback hit. Okwara was active with six tackles (five solo and one for loss).
Defensive backs
S Budda Baker 51/100, S Jalen Thompson 51/100, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting 47/92, CB Star Thomas V 37/73, CB Garrett Williams 35/69, CB Max Melton 16/31, S Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor-Demerson 12/24, CB Kei’Trel Clark 1/2
Did not play: S Joey Blount (played only on special teams)
Injured reserve: CB Elijah Jones (designated for return/practice)
Budda was, well, Budda. Ho hum, another double-digit tackle game with 10 (seven solo). Thompson had six tackles (four solo, one for loss) and Taylor-Demerson had three tackles (two solo, one for loss). Murphy-Bunting had an interception, a pass defended and two tackles (one solo). Melton also had two tackles (one solo and for loss). Williams had a solo tackle and a forced fumble.
Special teams
LB Owen Pappoe 19/76, S Joey Blount 19/76, LB Victor Dimukeje 18/72, LB Krys Barnes 17/68, S Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor-Demerson 16/64, RB/RS DeeJay Dallas 15/60, WR Zach Pascal 15/60, K Chad Ryland 13/52, TE Tip Reiman 12/48, LB Julian Okwara 12/48, CB Max Melton 10/40, LS Aaron Brewer 8/32, P Michael Palardy 8/32, TE Elijah Higgins 8/32, CB Kei’Trel Clark 8/32, WR /RS Greg Dortch 7/28, T Paris Johnson Jr. 6/24, C Hjalte Froholdt 6/24, G Evan Brown 6/24, G Isaiah Adams 6/24, T Kelvin Beachum 6/24, G/C Jon Gaines II 6/24, G Trystan Colon 6/24, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting 5/20, DL Dante Stills 4/ 16, DL Naquan Jones 4/16, DL Roy Lopez 4/16, CB Star Thomas V 4/16, CB Garrett Williams 2/8, WR Michael Wilson 1/2, TE Trey McBride 1/2, LB Jesse Luketa 1/2, LB Zaven Collins 1/2, S Budda Baker 1/2
Injured Reserve: K Matt Prater (return eligible), P Blake Gillikin (return eligible, but only if Cardinals are in the playoffs)
Gannon said Ryland had a good rebound after missing field goals in three straight games with three field goals 35, 40, 49 and three extra points. “He actually talked trash to me during the week in practice,” Gannon said with a laugh. “He likes to play golf, so he always gives me a golf analogy. It just felt like he was trying to hit him multiple times. He (said), “I just put it in the fairway.” And that’s what he did. He’s a cool cat.
In addition to Barnes, Blount and Pappoe made solo tackles. Blount also recovered the late onside kick that sealed the game after Michael Wilson smothered it. Gannon noted that Blount was the team’s third onside kick returner, with Luketa and Melton missing due to injuries.
“Win (win) the game,” Gannon said. “‘Oh, by the way, you’re in.’ It’s a credit to Joey that he’s ready to go. How often do you practice hands as a team with the third guy? We do, but not a lot, so it was really good of him to adapt and Joey to make the play. It was a huge play.
More Cardinals and NFL coverage
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest news from the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube Or Apple Podcasts.
This article was originally published on Cards Wire: Cardinals defensive and special teams snap counts, observations
