The Rams were able to give their backups some playing time on Sunday afternoon in Arizona, blowing out the Cardinals 34-7 on the road. It was their fifth straight win over the Cardinals dating back to 2017, all of which were by at least 16 points.
As a result of the lopsided score, the snap counts were impacted and starters didn’t get as much run as they typically do. Many of the starters on offense were replaced in the fourth quarter, as was the majority of the defense.
Blake Bortles and Darrell Henderson handled the offense on the final few drives, giving Jared Goff and Todd Gurley a rest. Here’s how the rest of the snap counts broke down on that side of the ball.
Offense
Tyler Higbee was the starting tight end with Gerald Everett out, and he made the most of his opportunity. He played 91% of the snaps, which was the same number as Jared Goff and the other starters who were pulled in the fourth quarter, turning his extended playing time into a career-high seven catches for 107 yards and one touchdown.
Robert Woods led all wide receivers with 67 snaps played, followed by Brandin Cooks (61) and Cooper Kupp (57). Josh Reynolds played 29 snaps, while Mike Thomas got in for seven snaps at the end of the game. Woods was targeted 19 times in the game, so when he was running routes, Goff was looking his way.
Todd Gurley got a little bit of a breather, playing only 68% of the snaps. Malcolm Brown spelled him on occasion, while Henderson closed out the game with four carries for 17 yards.
Defense
Nickell Robey-Coleman surprisingly played the most snaps of any defender. Typically, that title goes to Cory Littleton, Jalen Ramsey and Eric Weddle, but Robey-Coleman hardly came off the field. The Rams liked him against Larry Fitzgerald, and he did a good job in coverage.
David Long got more playing time in the blowout. He played 27 snaps, which was more than Donte Deayon for the fourth CB spot. Troy Hill and Ramsey obviously stand above them all as the starters outside.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Samson Ebukam played 23 and 29 snaps, respectively. Okoronkwo had an excellent rush that was negated by a bogus roughing the passer penalty, and Ebukam finished with four tackles.
Travin Howard out-snapped Troy Reeder, which is somewhat surprising. He hasn’t gotten much playing time this season, and Reeder’s snaps have been limited, as well, but Howard could be in line for more action as the season goes on.
