Packers Snap Counts: Week Two vs. The Colts

 

 

The Packers elevated Sean Clifford from the practice squad.  They did not elevate RB Ellis Merriweather because Marshawn Lloyd was active.  However, Lloyd left the game with an injury.  The inactive players were Jordan Love (due to injury), S Olapado, OLB Brenton Cox, OTs Dillard and Glover (making Telfort the swing tackle), and DL Colby Wooden.  Wooden did not miss practice during the week.  Malik Heath was on the active list after being a healthy scratch last week.  Jordan Morgan left the game with an injury and he was ruled out.  

 

OFFENSIVE LINE:

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Tom	70	100	5/23%
Jenkins	70	100	3/14%
Walker	70	100	5/23%
Myers	70	100
Rhyan	50	71	5/23%
Morgan	20	29	2/9%
Monk			5/23%
Telfort			5/23%

 

The Packers ran for 261 yards on 53 carries, a 4.9-yard average.  However, after gaining 237 yards on 34 carries in the first half, the Packers run game came unglued.  They gained just 24 yards on 19 carries in the second half, including a loss of 8 by Bo Melton and two carries for negative two yards by Lloyd in the second half.  Josh Myers had some issues, including vomiting on the football just prior to a snap in the 85-degree weather, which led Willis to throw the ball away.  Still, Myers gutted out every snap, which was important after Jordan Morgan left the game with an injury and did not return.  The line did not allow a quarterback hit or a sack, though Willis had to escape the pocket due to pressure a handful of times.  The dominance on the ground in the first half (TOP of 23:05 for the Packers to 6:55 for the Colts) led to the Packers having a time of possession for the game of 40:11.  The Packers caught a bit of a break when DeForest Buckner could only play 10 snaps for the Colts and by slot receiver Josh Downs being ruled out with an injury.  Those are good players. 

 

QUARTERBACKS:

 

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Willis	70	100
Clifford	DNP

 

Willis completed 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards, good for an 8.71-yards per attempt average.  He had what I would call a big-time throw to Wicks that went for a touchdown.  He had no turnovers and a 126.8 passer rating.  He also gained 41 yards on 6 carries, good for 6.8-yards per carry.  Matt LaFleur was very cautious with Willis.  His decision not to try to score when the Packers got the ball back with 1:42 left in the second half drew some scattered boos from the crowd.  Willis completed 4 of 5 passes in the first half for just 25 yards.  Even when the run game disappeared in the second half, Willis was still able to complete 8 of 9 passes for 97 yards, including a nice pass to Doubs for 39 yards.  Most of the plays had easy passes built into them, and the Packers did not ask Willis to do much on third and long situations.  

 

RUNNING BACKS:

 

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Jacobs	47	67	1/5%
Wilson	13	19
Lloyd	10	14

 

Josh Jacobs looked good.  He gained 151 yards on a whopping 32 carries for a 5.1-yard average.  Jacobs broke tackles and showed burst, good speed, and balance.  A huge fumble just as he was about to score a touchdown marred his day, and helped keep the game close.  Lloyd gained 15 yards on 6 carries for a 2.5-yard average before leaving the game.  Wilson gained 9 yards on 5 carries for a 1.8-yard average.  Jacobs and Wilson picked up blitzes well.  i have been pulling for Emanuel Wilson but Lloyd looks exciting, too.  On an 85 degree day the Packers decide to give the lead back 32 carries; Wilson just can’t (or the Packers don’t think that he deserves to) catch a break.  The Packers should just let Lloyd heal instead of pushing him into games.  I often read that the Packers are notoriously conservative about clearing banged up players but I think that is more reputation than reality. 

 

TIGHT ENDS:

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Kraft	56	80	11/50%
Musgrave	31	44	1/5%
Sims	6	9

 

Kraft caught both of his targets for 16 yards.  The Packers clearly prefer a dual-threat tight end, one who can block in-line and leak out for passes.  Kraft is fast enough to run more sophisticated routes, of course.  Musgrave still gets his snaps, and it may be that he will be more featured against certain teams as a move tight end.  Musgrave got his only target for 6 yards.  Sims had no targets.  I am surprised the Packers used 1.33 TEs on average per snaps since using two tight ends usually means removing Jayden Reed from the game. 

 

WIDE RECEIVERS:

 

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Doubs	55	79	1/5%
Watson	41	59
Reed	39	56	4/18%
Wicks	36	51
Melton	16	23	7/32%
Heath			1/5%

 

With only 14 pass attempts, the receivers’ stats were bound to be unimpressive.  Doubs let the team with 62 yards on 3 receptions and Wicks caught 3 or his 4 targets for 26 yards and a touchdown.  Reed managed just 9 yards on 2 receptions, but he had carries for 22 yards and 15 yards.  If playing two tight ends means that Reed comes off the field, then Musgrave is not going to get many snaps.  The Packers lined up Reed in the backfield mutliple times with good results.  Watson and Heath did not have any targets.  

 

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN:

Player	Snap	%	ST
Clark	35	62
Wyatt	25	45
Brooks	23	41	3/14%
Slaton	19	34	8/36%

 

The Packers only used four defensive linemen.  Wyatt had a good day with 2 tackles for loss, a sack and 2 quarterback hits.  He got into the backfield quite a bit and had perhaps 5 pressures altogether.  Clark had 3 tackles (2 solo).  Slaton had 1 assisted tackle and Brooks did not have any statistics.  Wooden was not active.  The Colts gained 140 yards on just 18 carries, good for a whopping 7.8-yard average per carry.  Despite that terrible number, the Colts only scored 10 points (and missed a 50-yard field goal).  It would be nice if instead of using averages there was a statistic for the median carry.  Off the top of my head I can think of Richardson’s 29-yard run, and Jonathan Taylor’s 21 and 18 yard carries.  Some of those long runs are on the linebackers rather than the defensive line.  

Wooden’s absence is interesting.  He was not on the injury lists during the week.  Slaton’s demotion not just behind Wyatt but also behind Brooks seems like it was due to the match-ups rather than being indicative of a long-term trend, but time will tell.

 

EDGE:

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Gary	37	66
Enagbare	31	55	11/50%
Smith	28	50
Van Ness	20	36	9/41%
Mosby			8/36%

 

Van Ness and Smith each had 1 solo tackle and Enagbare had 1 assisted tackle.  Gary had no statistics.  That sounds worse than it is, even if I think it should be better.  For context, the Colts ran the ball 18 time and only had 17 receptions.  Consequently, the Packers only made 30 solo tackles as a team (and 40 solo and assisted tackles combined).  The Colts made 56 solo tackles and had 87 combined tackles.  Just because a player had a lot of tackles does not mean that the player played well.  That said, one can hope that the low statistical numbers being produced by the Edge players in the first two games are not a trend of things to come.  No Edge player had a sack, but Gary and Van Ness had some pressures.  Van Ness had a pressure wiped out by his own roughing the passer penalty, which was probably correctly called if not the most egregious example of roughing.  Once again, Mosby got the nod as the #5 Edge over Brenton Cox, who was inactive.  Enagbare, Smith and Van Ness are a competent group, if not electrifying so far.  It is surprising to see Enagbare with more snaps than Preston Smith, who better get it into gear if he wants to earn any of his incentives for sacks.   

The Packers did play a defensive line of Smith, Gary, Van Ness and Enagbare on a third down and long situation.

 

LINEBACKER:

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Walker	56	100	3/14%
McDuffie	50	89	6/27%
Wilson	8	14	17/77%
Cooper	7	12	5/23%
Hopper	0	0	10/45%

 

Quay Walker led the team with 6 solo tackles and in being in the wrong place and doing the wrong thing.  Several runs ruptured for huge gains when Walker decided to take on an offensive lineman who was not even up on him instead of meeting the ball carrier in the hole.  Click here to see a video clip from Andy Herman of a Jonathan Taylor run that should have been 10 to 12 yards shorter than it was.  McDuffie had 4 tackles (3 solo) and a quarterback hit.  McDuffie is a nice player to have on one’s team, but in a more ideal world he would be getting 7 snaps, not 56.  He plays hard and with good physicality.  Eric Wilson had a good day in just 8 snaps.  He diagnosed an option play on a third down to force a 50-yard field goal, which the Colts missed.  He made an interception and forced a fumble.  Wilson is another nice player to have.  His film is pretty good in the limited snaps he gets.  Wilson is 30 though, so fans will have to hope Cooper and Hopper learn the playbook quickly and turn out to be gems.      

 

SECONDARY:

Player	Snaps	%	ST
Alexander	56	100	3/14%
Nixon	47	84	7/32%
Valentine	32	57	9/41%
Stokes	24	43
Ballentine			13/59%
McKinney	56	100	9/41%
Bullard	42	75	12/55%
Ev Williams	20	36	11/50%
Anderson			14/64%

The Colts top receiver had just 56 yards and next best was 30 yards.  No one gave the Packers’ secondary much trouble and the opposing quarterback completed only 50% of his attempts for a 41.8 passer rating.  The Colts’ receivers dropped at least 2 or 3 passes, some in important situations, including on third downs, but the Packers also dropped at least two passes, including one by Quay Walker that would have sealed the game.  Evan Wilson and McKinney each had one interception, though they were both really just an errant passes, they caught them.  Alexander, Valentine, and Bullard each had one pass defensed.    

Valentine getting more snaps than Stokes, who appeared to be perfectly healthy on sidelines, is interesting. 

 

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Narveson made his extra point only extra point and 3 of his 4 field goals, missing wide right from 45 yards out.  Whelan had a fine day, averaging 46.9 yards net on his 3 punts, all of which were downed inside the 20.

 

RB: 1.00

TE:  1.33

WR: 2.67

DL: 1.82

Olb: 2.07

ILB: 2.16

DB: 4.95

 

Photo courtesy of Tork Mason,USA Today Network.