Vikings Snap Count Analysis, Week 4: Gladney and Dantzler Lead the Way at CB
At long last, I get the chance to break down the Vikings' snap counts and what they mean after a victory instead of a loss.
The Vikings traveled to Houston this weekend in search of their first win of the season, and they were able to get it done with another efficient performance on offense and a few key plays made on defense and special teams.
Last week against the Titans, the big takeaway from Minnesota's snap counts was that Justin Jefferson was finally unleashed as the clear No. 2 receiver. The rookie's breakout continued this week as the offense appears to have found a formula that works. There were more changes worth analyzing on the defensive side of the ball.
Let's take a look at the snap counts for every Vikings player on offense and defense against the Texans and see what we can learn from that information. I'll also highlight the biggest risers and fallers from last week to this week.
Offense (66 snaps)
Last week: 65 snaps
QB Kirk Cousins: 66
LG Dakota Dozier: 66
C Garrett Bradbury: 66
RG Dru Samia: 66
LT Riley Reiff: 66
RT Brian O'Neill: 66
WR Adam Thielen: 58
WR Justin Jefferson: 51
RB Dalvin Cook: 49
TE Kyle Rudolph: 48
TE Irv Smith Jr: 41
FB CJ Ham: 32
WR Chad Beebe: 16
RB Alexander Mattison: 15
WR Bisi Johnson: 11
TE Tyler Conklin: 8
OT Rashod Hill: 1
Played this week but not last week: N/A
Played last week but not this week: N/A
Biggest risers: Johnson (+6), Smith (+5), Ham (+5),
Biggest fallers: Beebe (-6), Thielen (-3)
Analysis: After three weeks of notable changes – Cook's playing time fluctuated early on due to game script, Pat Elflein got hurt and was replaced by Samia, Jefferson and Johnson split snaps for two weeks before the rookie was unleashed against the Titans – the Vikings had no major differences in their offensive snap counts from Week 3 to Week 4. As you can see in the risers and fallers data, only a handful of players saw slight changes in their playing time.
What does that mean? It means that four games into the season, the Vikings seem to have settled on everyone's roles. Barring injury, Cousins and the five offensive linemen will play every snap. Thielen plays a near full-time role as the No. 1 receiver, with breakout star Jefferson not far behind him as the No. 2. At running back, Cook and Mattison have roughly a 75-25 split. Whereas most teams play a third receiver a lot, the Vikings give most of those snaps to Rudolph, Smith, and Ham – in that order. And when a third WR is needed on passing downs, Beebe is ahead of Johnson because of his ability to separate out of the slot. Johnson and Conklin only come in when the situation calls for a four-wide set or an extremely heavy look, respectively.
The one change that could happen going forward is at guard. Elflein (thumb) is eligible to return from IR in Week 5. He would be a big-time upgrade over Samia, who was slightly better in his third career start but has still been literally the worst offensive player in the NFL this season. Rick Spielman also mentioned recently that second-round rookie Ezra Cleveland could get an opportunity to play pretty soon, although Dozier has been adequate so far.
The Vikings' top five offensive players in Week 4, per PFF, were Jefferson, Cook, Bradbury, Thielen, and Cousins. Jefferson was the NFL's highest-graded receiver for the second consecutive week. Samia was the offense's lowest-graded player for a third straight week.
Defense (65 snaps)
Last week: 75 snaps
LB Eric Kendricks: 65
S Anthony Harris: 65
LB Eric Wilson: 65
CB Jeff Gladney: 65
CB Cameron Dantzler: 63
DE Yannick Ngakoue: 54
CB Holton Hill: 51
DE Ifeadi Odenigbo: 44
S George Iloka: 43
DE Jalyn Holmes: 43
DT Shamar Stephen: 37
DT Jaleel Johnson: 33
S Harrison Smith: 25
DT Armon Watts: 20
DE D.J. Wonnum: 18
LB Hardy Nickerson Jr: 9
LB Todd Davis: 8
DT Hercules Mata'afa: 6
Played this week but not last week: Iloka, Dantzler
Played last week but not this week: Kris Boyd
Biggest risers (defense was -10 as a unit): Holmes (+9), Davis (+7), Mata'afa (+4)
Biggest fallers (defense was -10 as a unit): Smith (-50, ejection), Nickerson (-27), Johnson (-25), Hill (-24)
Analysis: While the offense experience minimal changes from Week 3 to Week 4, the Vikings' defense continued to be shuffled around due to injuries, performance, and a rare ejection. Smith getting tossed late in the second quarter – which Mike Zimmer didn't agree with – meant Iloka had to fill in on the fly after just being called up from the practice squad.
Dantzler returning from injury and replacing Boyd gave the Vikings their fourth different cornerback trio in as many games. If and when Mike Hughes returns from his neck injury, it'll be interesting to see who he displaces. Gladney was the odd man out in Week 1 with everyone healthy, but he played well on Sunday and has likely earned a starting role going forward, especially considering his status as a first-round pick. I think Hill probably winds up losing his spot to Hughes eventually. Dantzler's return pushed Hill out of a full-time role, as he was the No. 3 corner behind the two rookies.
On the defensive line, Holmes saw an expanded role at the expense of Johnson. Outside of Ngakoue and Stephen, the snap counts on the D-line have varied from week to week. Odenigbo had his second consecutive game with a team-high five pressures and should record his first sack soon with the way he's playing.
Davis saw roughly a 50-50 split with Nickerson at the No. 3 linebacker spot and recorded two tackles on just eight snaps. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he takes over that job entirely in Week 5 and beyond.
The Vikings' top defensive PFF grades were earned by Harris, Gladney, Stephen, and Odenigbo. It's been a strong start to the season for the Vikings' nose tackle, who was the subject of plenty of criticism this offseason.
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