Miami Dolphins Week 16 Snap Counts ... And What They Mean

Breaking down who played how many snaps for the Miami Dolphins in the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium and what it means in the big picture

Rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. had a very limited impact for the Miami Dolphins against the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, but it certainly wasn't because he wasn't given a lot of playing time.

With DeVante Parker missing the game with a hamstring injury and Jakeem Grant leaving with an ankle injury in the third quarter, Bowden ended up playing all but five of the Dolphins' 63 offensive snaps in the 26-25 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. He finished with two catches for 8 yards and one rushing attempt for 8 yards.

The other snap count that stood out for the Dolphins on offense against Las Vegas was that of running back Myles Gaskin, who had a big game after missing action while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Fellow University of Washington alum Salvon Ahmed got the start at running back, but he struggled and ended up playing only 15 snaps, compared to 48 for Gaskin, who scored two touchdowns, including a 59-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

Because of Gaskin's effectiveness, Matt Breida and Patrick Laird both were limited to playing time on special teams against the Raiders.

Rookie first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene also was limited to special teams against the Raiders.

In his return after missing the New England game with a shoulder injury, tight end Mike Gesicki played 45 of the 63 offensive snaps (71 percent), while Adam Shaheen played only 15 snaps after he appeared to get shaken up.

For record-keeping purposes, Ryan Fitzpatrick ended up playing 17 snaps after taking over at quarterback for rookie Tua Tagovailoa, who played the first 46.

On defense, the absence of Shaq Lawson because of a shoulder injury created additional playing time for linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and he took advantage with a strong outing that included two sacks.

Van Ginkel played a season-high 56 snaps out of the 64 for the Dolphins defense.

Also at linebacker, Jerome Baker continued his strong play and again got a lot of playing time — 62 of the 64 snaps. It was the third straight game he played 97 percent or more of the defensive snaps, a number justified by his performance.

At defensive end, Emmanuel Ogbah had his second-highest snap count with 59, but the 92 percent of the team's defensive snaps represented a season high for him. Ogbah, though, had a pretty quiet game with two tackles and no quarterback hits.

Finally, we normally don't worry about the other team's snap counts, but it's worth noting that former Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan played all 63 defensive snaps for the Raiders — after playing 77 snaps in the first 14 games combined and never more than 28. McMillan finished with nine tackles, including one for loss.