Jaguars vs. Titans: Snap count 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 give insight into the team's strategy and outlook.

When looking at the snap counts for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) after their 20-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans (1-2) on Thursday Night Football, 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 (54 snaps)

OG Andrew Norwell: 54

C Brandon Linder: 54

OT Jawaan Taylor: 54

QB Gardner Minshew: 54

RB Leonard Fournette: 54

WR Dede Westbrook: 43

TE James O'Shaughnessy: 42

WR DJ Chark: 38

OG A.J. Cann: 27

OG Will Richardson: 27

OT Cam Robinson: 27

OT Cedric Ogbuehi: 27

TE Geoff Swaim: 21

WR Marqise Lee: 15

TE Seth DeValve: 12

WR Keelan Cole: 5

RB Tyler Ervin: 1

CB Jalen Ramsey: 1 (kneel down play)

After Leonard Fournette played all but two snaps against the Houston Texans in week 2, many thought the Jaguars needed to start using an actual running back rotation. But against the Titans, Fournette played for the entirety of the game, with backup running back Ryquell Armstead not seeing the field once. The issues with running the ball on Thursday were not all on Fournette, but when the run game is as bad as it was against the Titans, the Jaguars simply need to change something up.
The team's two left tackles (Cam Robinson/Cedric Ogbuehi) and right guards (A.J. Cann/Will Richardson) each played precisely half of the snaps, with the two different pairings rotating every few series. Robinson and Cann had a better performances than their counterparts, and it felt like the constant rotations never let the run blocking get into a real rhythm.
James O'Shaughnessy has been getting more and more reps each game and has set himself apart as the teams #1 tight end over Geoff Swaim until rookie Josh Oliver returns from injury. He isn't a great inline blocker but he is good at blocking in space and seems to have good chemistry with Gardner Minshew.

Defense (80 snaps)

FS Jarrod Wilson: 80

CB Jalen Ramsey: 80

SS Ronnie Harrison: 80

LB Quincy Williams: 79

CB A.J. Bouye: 79

DE Yannick Ngakoue: 64

DE Josh Allen: 54

DL Calais Campbell: 54

CB D.J. Hayden: 53

LB Najee Goode: 42

DE Dawuane Smoot: 42

DT Marcell Dareus: 39

LB Myles Jack: 38

DT Abry Jones: 35

LB Leon Jacobs: 27

DT Taven Bryan: 22

DE Lerentee McCray: 10

DB Cody Davis: 1

LB Austin Carlito: 1

Safety Jarrod Wilson has played every single defensive snap in 2019, the only player on the team to do so thus far. Considering this is Wilson's first season in more than a reserve role, that is very impressive and shows the trust the coaching staff has in him. He has played well in each of the last two games, also.
With the Jaguars defense playing 14 more snaps against the Titans than against the Texans, defensive end Dawuane Smoot also saw an uptick in snaps, playing 15 more snaps than in week 2. He recorded the first two sacks of his career and did a good job getting pressure from the interior throughout the game, making the large snap count warranted.

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