Vikings Snap Counts at Eagles in Week 2
The Minnesota Vikings fell in Week 2 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, 34-28.
They now have a long week ahead as they prepare for their second home game of the season, taking on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.
Prior to breaking down that matchup, though, here is a look at the Vikings snap counts from Week 2 as recorded by Pro Football Focus.
Offense
T-1: QB Kirk Cousins (58)
T-1: WR Justin Jefferson (58)
T-1: RG Ed Ingram (58)
T-1: RT Brian O’Neill (58)
T-1: LG Ezra Cleveland (58)
T-1: C Austin Schlottmann (58)
7. WR K.J. Osborn (56)
8: TE T.J. Hockenson (50)
9: RB Alexander Mattison (44)
10: WR Jordan Addison (40)
11: LT Oli Udoh (39)
12: TE Josh Oliver (20)
13: LT David Quessenberry (19)
14: FB C.J. Ham (13)
15: RB Ty Chandler (7)
T-16: WR Jalen Nailor (1)
T-16: TE Johnny Mundt (1)
A major difference from Week 1 to Week 2 for the Vikings was a lessened use of their “heavy” personnel. C.J. Ham got just 13 snaps in Week 2 after playing 22 snaps in Week 1, the most of the Kevin O’Connell head coaching era. Meanwhile, TE Josh Oliver played only 20 snaps compared to 30 in Week 1.
Of course, an important factor in this was the fact that Minnesota was down by 20 points early in the second half. This meant they had to rely on their passing attack and 3-WR sets to get back into the game. With Alexander Mattison’s struggles to begin the year, it will be interesting to see if Ty Chandler gets more run against the Chargers next weekend.
Defense
T-1: CB Byron Murphy (77)
T-1: S Camryn Bynum (77)
T-1: S Harrison Smith (77)
4: CB Akayleb Evans (73)
T-5: OLB Danielle Hunter (72)
T-5: LB Jordan Hicks (72)
7: LB Ivan Pace (61)
8: DL Harrison Phillips (60)
9: S Josh Metellus (56)
10: OLB D.J. Wonnum (52)
11: DL Dean Lowry (39)
12: OLB Pat Jones (38)
13: DL Jonathan Bullard (28)
14: S Theo Jackson (21)
T-15: CB Mekhi Blackmon (14)
T-15: LB Brian Asamoah (14)
17: DL Khyiris Tonga (12)
18: OLB Marcus Davenport (4)
Despite suffering an injury during the game, LB Jordan Hicks once again got heavy usage with the defense this week. He and Ivan Pace continue to be the linebackers that Brian Flores relies on the most, but it was good to see more run from Brian Asamoah. After playing just two snaps in Week 1, the second-year LB jumped up to 14 against the Eagles. Theo Jackson also got substantial playing time, surpassing 20 snaps with the defense.
Of course, though, we have to talk about the fact that neither Andrew Booth nor Lewis Cine were able to break into the defensive lineup once again. It’s not a great sign for the top two picks in the Vikings 2022 draft class. Marcus Davenport only got four snaps as well before leaving his Vikings debut with a re-aggravated ankle injury.
Special Teams
1: LB Ivan Pace (19)
T-2: LB Brian Asamoah (18)
T-2: S Theo Jackson (18)
T-2: LB Troy Dye (18)
5: WR Jalen Nailor (17)
6: S Jay Ward (16)
7: S Josh Metellus (15)
8: FB C.J. Ham (14)
T-9: S Lewis Cine (13)
T-9: TE Johnny Mundt (13)
11: OLB D.J. Wonnum (12)
T-12: CB NaJee Thompson (11)
T-12: OLB Pat Jones (11)
T-14: CB Andrew Booth (10)
T-14: TE Josh Oliver (10)
16: K Greg Joseph (9)
T-17: P Ryan Wright (7)
T-17: RB Ty Chandler (7)
T-17: DL Khyiris Tonga (7)
T-17: CB Byron Murphy (7)
T-17: S Cam Bynum (7)
T-17: DL Dean Lowry (7)
T-17: DL Jonathan Bullard (7)
T-17: LS Andrew DePaola (7)
25: LB Jordan Hicks (6)
26: WR Brandon Powell (5)
T-27: RG Ed Ingram (4)
T-27: RT Brian O’Neill (4)
T-27: G Blake Brandel (4)
T-27: LG Ezra Cleveland (4)
T-27: LT David Quessenberry (4)
T-32: RB Myles Gaskin (2)
T-32: C Austin Schlottmann (2)
T-32: LT Oli Udoh (2)
T-35: WR Justin Jefferson (1)
T-35: WR K.J. Osborn (1)
Once again, both Pace and Metellus got heavy usage both on defense and special teams. Pace led the way with 19 snaps with the group, and Metellus wasn’t far behind with 15. Brian Asamoah’s special teams role increased as well, jumping from 11 snaps last weekend all the way to 18. Hopefully, this is an indication that his limited role across the board last week was simply due to his injury that he suffered during training camp.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.