In the Arizona Cardinals’ 20-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the defense was on the field for 62 defensive snaps. Only one player was on the field for every snap.
How was that playing time divided up?
Below, we go over each individual player’s playing time, grouped by position, and make observations about the numbers.
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Defensive line
J.J. Watt, 56; Leki Fotu, 40; Michael Dogbe, 40; Manny Jones, 22; Jonathan Ledbetter, 16
Ledbetter would have played more but got hurt early. That is why others’ snaps were higher.
Outside linebacker
Markus Golden, 49; Myjai Sanders, 26; Cameron Thomas, 23; Dennis Gardeck, 18; Jesse Luketa, 11
Luketa got to play some and Gardeck played more than he had in a few games.
Golden continues to get the bulk of the playing time with the other players sharing the other reps.
Inside linebacker
Zaven Collins, 59; Isaiah Simmons, 59; Zeke Turner, 34; Ben Niemann, 19; Tanner Vallejo, 11; Kamu Grugier-Hill, 7
Including Simmons here is probably not the right position, as he played mostly safety on Sunday. Collins probably would have played every snap, but did have to be checked medically.
Turner’s snaps are interesting. They used him the way they use Simmons in a linebacker role. Other than that, Niemann, Vallejo and Grugier-Hill all split time.
Cornerback
Christian Matthew, 62; Jace Whittaker, 59
The Cardinals only used two cornerbacks the whole game, and sometimes only had one.
Safety
Jalen Thompson, 61; Chris Banjo, 9; Josh Thomas, 1
Again, we should probably include Simmons’ 59 snaps here. Thomas’ one snap came when Thompson had to be checked out medically.
