Snap count notes: Jaguars at Bills

The Jacksonville Jaguars came to town and it was eventful to say the least. Jalen Ramsey was nearly a non-factor in the game. Josh Allen did not look like trash. Nathaniel Hackett was fired after the game. Blake Bortles got benched. Leonard Fournette was suspended for coming off the bench and throwing punches. Most importantly the Buffalo Bills won and sent Doug Marrone packing. Let’s take a peek at playing time to see who gets the credit!

Offense ( 58 snaps)

On the line, John Miller left the game with an oblique injury. While “oblique” is a fun word to say and spell, we wish Miller a speedy recovery. Ryan Groy played in relief. Just a reminder that the Bills allowed zero sacks. Jeremiah Sirles was in on only one play, meaning the Bills didn’t did’t use a lot of their jumbo lineup this week. Patrick DiMarco’s low snap counts tell a similar tale.

Zay Jones hitting 95% is not all that strange this year. With a willingness to block and improving receiving abilities, Jones has been on the field the vast majority of the time. Statistically this wasn’t an impressive day, but his presence was felt on Isaiah McKenzie’s touchdown and the onside kick to close the game. Kelvin Benjamin’s disappearing act has become more than his on-field effort as the coaching staff continues to slowly phase him out of the offense. This week was a season low for Benjamin. McKenzie was the primary beneficiary.

Adding up the snap counts for running backs we land at exactly 58. Brian Daboll continues to avoid using two back sets with the exception of spare DiMarco sightings. The tight ends are similar in that regard with 60 snaps.

Defense (70 snaps)

The usual suspects played 100% of defensive snaps or darn close. Matt Milano, Tre’Davious White and Levi Wallace were each off the field for only three plays. Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer and Tremaine Edmunds didn’t come off the field.

Jerry Hughes saw a slightly higher-than-normal snap count. Trent Murphy trended down a little as he returned from injury. Shaq Lawson might have seen a bit more time on the field, but was ejected after a fight with Leonard Fournette.

Kyle Williams saw a typical amount of time at tackle. Star Lotulelei’s fewer than 50% of snaps has occurred often enough where it’s safe to say it’s the plan for his position. Jordan Phillips and Harrison Phillips both rotate in at tackle. Lorenzo Alexander continues to back up Lotulelei on passing downs in addition to some linebacker and defensive end.

Taron Johnson’s 61% of snaps and Rafael Bush’s 4% suggest the Bills spent a little less time than normal using a nickel defense. With the Jaguars running the ball so much and Bortles being Bortles, this makes sense.

Special Teams (32 snaps)

This week we have all players with 25% or more of special teams snaps (instead of 30%). The Bills usually use about 36 players on special teams in any given week. This week climbed to 41. The suggestion might be the “hands team” on the onside kick. However, only Zay Jones, Trent Murphy and Shaq Lawson came in for only one snap. Jones made the catch on the onside kick. Trent Murphy is an unlikely candidate and Shaq Lawson was already ejected.