Jaguars vs. Patriots: Week 17 Snap Analysis

While watching a game live can give you one impression of a player's usage, looking at the actual amount of snaps they played compared to their teammates can also provide insight into the team's strategy and outlook.

When looking at the snap counts for the Jacksonville Jaguars' 50-10 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 17, it is clear to see what kind of plan the Jaguars went into the game with, and what limitations they had from a personnel standpoint.

Who played a lot, and why? Did the snaps mean anything or nothing? We examine below.

Offense (47 snaps)

LT Walker Little: 47 (100%)
LG Andrew Norwell: 47 (100%)
C Tyler Shatley: 47 (100%)
RT Jawaan Taylor: 47 (100%)
QB Trevor Lawrence: 47 (100%)
WR Marvin Jones: 45 (96%)
WR Laquon Treadwell: 38 (81%)
TE Luke Farrell: 34 (72%)
WR Tavon Austin: 31 (66%)
RB Dare Ogunbowale: 31 (66%)
RG K.C. McDermott: 30 (64%)
RG Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms: 17 (36%)
TE Chris Manhertz: 16 (34%)
RB Ryquell Armstead: 14 (30%)
WR Laviska Shenault: 13 (28%)
TE Kahale Warring: 12 (26%)
WR Jeff Cotton: 1 (2%)

The Jaguars had to start a few reserve linemen vs. the Patriots due to injuries and COVID-19 protocols. No. 45 overall pick Walker Little got his second start of the season at left tackle, allowing zero pressures in 31 pass-protection snaps. Little finished the game as the Jaguars' top offensive lineman and he more than held his own while filling in for starting left tackle Cam Robinson, a continuation of his strong play when given reps.

The Jaguars also had a bit of a rotation at right guard, with K.C. McDermott and Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms each getting their first amount of playing time this season due to injuries to A.J. Cann and Will Richardson and Ben Bartch's place on the COVID-19 list.

"It was a tough job. At the beginning of the week I thought we were only going to have one guy out there from our starting line-up, but we were able to – like Andrew Norwell is one of those guys that fought back hard to be able to play for us, and he just barely got a small workout in yesterday, and he came out ready to play today," interim head coach Darrell Bevell said after the game.

"It is what it is. It's a situation that we had. I thought the guys battled. I thought we did a really fair job of protecting him for the most part of the day. The problem was the turnovers. You could see that we had some continuity in our drives. We were moving the football, but when one ball goes through our hands and we throw them another one, it makes for a tough day.

Laviska Shenault did little for the Jaguars against the Patriots. Shenault ran only eight routes against the Patriots per TruMedia/PFF and played fewer snaps Tavon Austin. Shenault did catch two passes for 13 yards on three targets but he was hardly on the field for the Jaguars and when he was, he wasn't a factor in the passing game.

The Chris Manhertz signing continues to look like a miss by the Jaguars. Manhertz only ran six routes, blocking for his other 10 snaps, but was again placed a peg down on the depth chart in favor of fifth-round rookie tight end Luke Farrell. Manhertz is a very niche player, but his niche simply doesn't allow for him to be on the field very often.

Ryquell Armstead made his return to the field for the Jaguars, rushing six times for 28 yards and catching one pass for six yards. It is a great story for Armstead who was drafted by the Jaguars in 2019 before having to miss all of 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. Armstead was the cause of Lawrence's first interception, however, which likely led to a minimal role.

Defense (72 snaps)

CB Tyson Campbell: 72 (100%)
SS Andre Cisco: 65 (90%)
CB Chris Claybrooks: 63 (88%)
FS Daniel Thomas: 63 (88%)
LB Myles Jack: 62 (86%)
DE/OLB Jihad Ward: 51 (71%)
LB Damien Wilson: 48 (67%)
DE/OLB Josh Allen: 47 (65%)
CB Tre Herndon: 46 (64%)
DL Roy Robertson-Harris: 45 (62%)
DL Malcom Brown: 43 (60%)
DL Adam Gotsis: 31 (43%)
DL DaVon Hamilton: 31 (43%)
LB Jamir Jones: 25 (35%)
LB Shaquille Quarterman: 23 (32%)
DE/OLB Jordan Smith: 20 (28%)
DL Taven Bryan: 16 (22%)
DB Bradley McDougald: 16 (22%)
DL Doug Costin: 15 (21%)
LB Chapelle Russell: 9 (12%)
DB Brandon Rusnak: 1 (1%)

Jordan Smith made his first appearance of his rookie season, logging 20 snaps behind Josh Allen and Jihad Ward. Most of Smith's reps came early in the game, with the rookie pass-rusher struggling mightily in terms of run defense and setting the edge. Smith did get 10 pass-rush snaps under his belt, but the rookie wasn't able to record a pressure.

The Jaguars had to use several backups and even new players on defense due to absences that were a result of COVID-19 protocols. Brandon Rusnak, Bradley McDougald, Doug Costin, and Jamir Jones are all players who have not gotten snaps for the Jaguars this season but the Jaguars were forced to rely upon them as depth players on Sunday.

Jacksonville's cornerback room looked much different on Sunday after three cornerbacks (Shaquill Griffin, Rudy Ford, Nevin Lawson) were ruled out. Tyson Campbell got the nod as the team's No. 1 cornerback, with Chris Claybrooks earning a start across from him and Tre Herndon getting the start as the team's nickel cornerback. The Jaguars failed to challenge many passes, but we did get a glimpse of the Jaguars' young cornerback depth.

Andre Cisco played a career-high in snaps on Sunday, recording six tackles in his first-career start. Cisco got a start due to an injury to Rayshawn Jenkins and Andrew Wingard's place on the COVID-19 list, with the two veterans serving as the roadblocks to Cisco's playing time all season long.

“Just waiting my turn. It was one of those situations where we had two vets that understood what it took to play at this level right away and that’s what the coaches were more comfortable with at the time and my role was mainly special teams," Cisco said on Thursday.

"That’s how the lineup panned out. For me, my knee was fine and my knee has been good throughout camp and the season which has been really good for me. A lot of people experience some problems that first year back, but it has been pretty smooth with the rehab and everything. I am just excited to have my opportunity now.”

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