Miami Dolphins Week 11 Snap Counts ... And What They Mean
The first thing that jumps out when we look at the Miami Dolphins snap counts from their 20-13 loss against the Denver Broncos is, of course, the quarterback position.
Tua Tagovailoa ended up playing 68 percent of the offensive snaps (44 of 65) before being replaced by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter. Fitzpatrick played 21 snaps, the first coming with 10:44 left in regulation.
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It wasn't the only significant switch the Dolphins made on offense.
The other was on the offensive line and it came about as a result of rookie guard Solomon Kindley aggravating a foot injury in the second quarter.
Kindley, who had been listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week, played 31 snaps and fellow rookie Robert Hunt played the final 34 snaps at right tackle with veteran Jesse Davis moving from right tackle to right guard.
In terms of the impact of the switch, the truth is the offensive line didn't play particularly well with either lineup.
At wide receiver, DeVante Parker played all but two of the team's 65 snaps, even though he didn't start. But it's interesting to note that Jakeem Grant continues to play an increasingly big role on offense.
Grant played 55 offensive snaps against the Broncos, his highest total since the Thursday night game at Houston in 2018 when he played 63 snaps in a 42-23 loss. Grant, however, had only two receptions against Denver on six targets.
Rookie Malcolm Perry also had a big role against Denver, playing 51 offensive snaps. That was almost as many as he had played in his first three NFL games combined (53).
As expected, Salvon Ahmed again handled the bulk of the work at running back with 43 snaps, but it was surprising to see Matt Breida play only seven snaps in his return from a two-game absence because of a hamstring injury.
Something else that stood out on offense was wide receiver Antonio Callaway playing only eight snaps after being signed to the active roster during the week. Callaway did have his first catch with the Dolphins, but one would expect (hope) to see his role increase in future games.
Callaway actually started for the Dolphins opposite Grant when the Dolphins opened with two wide receivers and two tight ends (Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe).
What stood out on defense in terms of the snap counts is the heavy usage of interior linemen and linebackers, evidence of Denver's focus on its running game.
Linebacker Elandon Roberts tied his season high with 50 defensive snaps (though his percentage was his highest of the season).
Defensive lineman Zach Sieler also set a season high in defensive snap percentage by playing 83.1 percent of the team's 65 snaps. Same for rookie nose tackle Raekwon Davis, who played 75.4 percent of the defensive snaps, topping his previous highest percentage of 57.1.
On the flip side, Nik Needham played 30 snaps, his lowest amount since he took over as the slot corner in Week 4 against Seattle.
Rookie first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene got his first snaps on defense in three games, though it was only two and he was flagged for defensive pass interference on one of them.
Finally, Andrew Van Ginkel got major double duty again, playing 45 snaps on defense and 21 on special teams, where he tied with Clayton Fejedelem for most on the team.
