Vikings Snap Counts vs. Lions: Injuries Test Minnesota's Depth

Unfortunately, it's impossible to ignore that injuries have been one of the biggest stories of 2023 for the Vikings. Kirk Cousins' Achilles tear in Week 8 was a massive, season-changing loss. Justin Jefferson missed seven full games and parts of two others. Marcus Davenport has been out all year. Now T.J. Hockenson and D.J. Wonnum and Jordan Addison all got hurt in Sunday's loss agains the Lions — and it sounds like Hockenson and Wonnum's seasons are over.

Thus, if the Vikings are going to rally and win their final two games to sneak into the playoffs, they're going to need to rely on their depth to do it.

Let's take a look at the offensive and defensive snap counts from the Detroit game to see what we can learn.

Vikings offensive snap counts vs. Lions (out of 54)

QB Nick Mullens: 54
LT Christian Darrisaw: 54
C Garrett Bradbury: 54
RG Ed Ingram: 54
LG Dalton Risner: 54
RT David Quessenberry: 54
WR Justin Jefferson: 53
WR K.J. Osborn: 46
RB Ty Chandler: 35
WR Brandon Powell: 27
TE T.J. Hockenson: 24
TE Johnny Mundt: 22
WR Jordan Addison: 21
TE Josh Oliver: 19
FB C.J. Ham: 17
RB Alexander Mattison: 5
WR Lucky Jackson: 1

For most of the second half of Sunday's game, Hockenson and Addison were in the locker room and the Vikings were leaning on guys like Mundt and Powell in the passing game. Those two and Oliver all had at least one big chunk reception on a day where Mullens threw for 411 yards.

Mattison was back from an ankle injury, but he only saw five snaps and two carries (for a loss of a yard) while Chandler led the way in the backfield. The Vikings couldn't get much of anything going on the ground in this game.

Quessenberry got another start at right tackle in place of the injured Brian O'Neill.

Vikings defensive snap counts vs. Lions (out of 79)

S Camryn Bynum: 79
S Harrison Smith: 79
S Josh Metellus: 79
LB Jordan Hicks: 79
OLB Danielle Hunter: 74
CB Akayleb Evans: 65
OLB D.J. Wonnum: 60
DT Jonathan Bullard: 59
DT Harrison Phillips: 58
OLB Pat Jones II: 54
CB Mekhi Blackmon: 39
CB Andrew Booth Jr: 38
LB Ivan Pace Jr: 30
DT Sheldon Day: 25
S Theo Jackson: 15
CB Jaylin Williams: 13
DT Khyiris Tonga: 12
DT Jaquelin Roy: 4
S Jay Ward: 4
OLB Andre Carter II: 1

20 different defensive players saw the field for the Vikings against the Lions. Unfortunately, Wonnum suffered a quad injury late in the game that will end his season. That means Jones, who had a huge game against Detroit, will step into the starting lineup the rest of the way. Blackmon also hurt his shoulder, which led to a season-high in snaps for Booth.

Hicks made his return from injured reserve and immediately stepped back into his every-down green dot role, which Pace had held over the previous four games. Pace still saw the field in a rotational role and had a fumble recovery.

Interestingly, it sounds like Evans got benched late in the game. The Vikings chose to turn to Williams, an undrafted rookie making his NFL debut. With Byron Murphy Jr. and Blackmon out, that meant the Vikings were using their No. 4 and 5 cornerbacks down the stretch. Jackson and Ward also saw some snaps in the secondary.

Top 10 in special team snaps

Troy Dye: 22
Andre Carter II: 20
Jay Ward: 19
Ivan Pace Jr: 19
Theo Jackson: 18
Brian Asamoah II: 16
C.J. Ham: 15
NaJee Thompson: 12
Lucky Jackson: 12
Johnny Mundt: 12

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all season long.

Subscribe to the Inside the Vikings newsletter

Follow Will Ragatz on Twitter