Vikings Snap Counts: Andrew Sendejo, Dalvin Cook See Roles Expanded
The Vikings got contributions from up and down the roster in their upset victory over the Saints on Sunday. Veterans and young players alike stepped up and played some of their best football of the season when it was needed most. Players returning from injuries announced their presence, and some were forced into different roles as a result of injuries.
Let's run through the snap counts on offense and defense, with analysis of each side of the ball and what these numbers could mean going forward.
Offense (79 snaps):
QB Kirk Cousins: 79
RG Josh Kline: 79
C Garrett Bradbury: 79
LG Pat Elflein: 79
LT Riley Reiff: 79
RT Brian O'Neill: 78
TE Kyle Rudolph: 73
WR Stefon Diggs: 66
WR Adam Thielen 66
RB Dalvin Cook: 62
TE Irv Smith Jr: 44
WR Bisi Johnson: 27
FB CJ Ham: 22
TE Tyler Conklin: 16
RB Alexander Mattison: 14
RB Ameer Abdullah: 3
RT Rashod Hill: 1
WR Alexander Hollins: 1
G Dakota Dozier 1
Analysis: Facing elimination, the Vikings leaned on two of their veteran stars at the expense of their impressive rookie counterparts. Both Cook and Rudolph saw significant increases in their playing time relative to the regular season. Cook played on 78 percent of the Vikings' snaps, which was his fourth-highest snap share of the year. He turned 31 touches – just the third 30-touch game of his career – into 130 yards and two touchdowns. 17 of those touches came in the first half, as the Vikings unleashed their Pro Bowl running back early and often. As a result, Mattison played less than usual, with just 18 percent of the snaps.
Due to the emergence of Smith, Rudolph hadn't exceeded 90 percent of snaps since Week 6. He was on the field for 92 percent against the Saints, with four catches for 31 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Smith's 56 percent snap share was his lowest since Week 7.
Also, has any one snap ever been as eventful as Hollins' lone snap on Sunday? With the Vikings leading 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter, Cousins took a shot over the middle to Hollins, of all people, on third and eight. The undrafted rookie nearly came up with an incredible catch for a 32-yard gain, but couldn't hold onto the ball as he hit the ground. With Laquon Treadwell inactive, it was Hollins getting an opportunity in a huge moment. He'll have a great chance to make the team next fall.
Defense (56 snaps):
LB Anthony Barr: 56
LB Eric Kendricks: 56
S Harrison Smith: 56
S Anthony Harris: 56
CB Trae Waynes: 53
DE Danielle Hunter: 50
DE Everson Griffen: 48
CB Xavier Rhodes: 48
DT Linval Joseph: 37
S Andrew Sendejo: 35
DT Shamar Stephen: 33
DL Stephen Weatherly: 22
DL Ifeadi Odenigbo: 20
LB Eric Wilson: 17
CB Holton Hill: 14
DT Jaleel Johnson: 8
DT Jalyn Holmes: 6
CB Kris Boyd: 1
Analysis: The most surprising contributor in an outstanding performance by Mike Zimmer's defense was Sendejo. With no Mike Hughes or Mackensie Alexander, I thought it would be Holton Hill or Jayron Kearse taking over at slot corner. Instead, Zimmer went with Sendejo. Despite dealing with an illness during the week and never having played the position, Sendejo was excellent. Matching up with a variety of Saints pass-catchers, including Michael Thomas, Sendejo looked like a natural.
The other impact of Hughes' absence was that Rhodes went back to being a full-time outside corner after spending much of the second half of the season in a rotation with Hughes. Rhodes was burned on a double-move by speedster Deonte Harris for a big gain, but rebounded to have a great second half. He was a big reason why Thomas was held to 70 receiving yards.
On the defensive line, none of the snap counts were particularly unusual. Everson Griffen played arguably his best game of the season; he finished with 1.5 sacks after having just one in his last four games. The Vikings' deep, talented stable of defensive linemen applied plenty of pressure on Brees and played well against the run.
