Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports Notes and thoughts on the Patriots’ snap counts from their 21-18 win over the Steelers. Snapping a five-game losing streak, the New England Patriots returned to the win column in Week 14. Their 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers saw some positive play on both sides of the ball, with the Bailey Zappe-led offense in particular showing some strides: the unit scored three first-half touchdowns before being held scoreless after intermission. Still, the offensive production was enough to beat the Steelers — and that was despite some starters not being able to suit up: with running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receivers Demario Douglas, DeVante Parker and Kayshon Boutte all out, New England relied on its depth options to step up. While not all of them did, some managed to play a major role in the win. The most prominent among them was running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is expected to be the top option at his position for the remainder of the season. Elliott was on the field for 52 of a possible 57 snaps (91%) and finished the game with 140 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 29 touches. He was responsible for almost half of New England’s 303 yards on the day, but not the only player taking on a bigger role than usual. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, for example, served as WR1 and in his 56 snaps (98%) caught four passes for 90 yards. Fellow wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who played 54 for a career-high playing time share of 95 percent, also chipped in three catches for 17 yards. With all that said, here is our weekly snap count report from the Patriots’ win over the Steelers. Offense Total snaps: 57 | Time on the field: 26:22 QB Bailey Zappe* (57; 100%), LG Cole Strange* (57; 100%), C David Andrews* (57; 100%), RG Sidy Sow* (57; 100%), RT Michael Onwenu* (57; 100%), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster* (56; 98%), WR Tyquan Thornton* (54; 95%), RB Ezekiel Elliott* (52; 91%), TE Hunter Henry* (50; 88%), LT Trent Brown (34; 60%), TE Pharaoh Brown* (28; 49%), LT Conor McDermott* (23; 40%), WR Jalen Reagor (20; 35%), TE Mike Gesicki (19; 33%), RB/WR Ty Montgomery II (6; 11%) *denotes starter Five players went wire-to-wire against Pittsburgh, with quarterback Bailey Zappe being joined by four fifths of the offensive line. The only exception, again, was left tackle Trent Brown, who remained in a rotation with Conor McDermott due to the ankle and hand issues he is dealing with. Brown played 34 snaps compared to McDermott’s 23. The top skill position group did not just feature the aforementioned JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and Ezekiel Elliott, but also tight end Hunter Henry. The team captain was on the field for 50 snaps and caught a pair of touchdowns; he was again the top player at his position with Pharaoh Brown serving as the No. 2 and Mike Gesicki in a limited role as No. 3; Brown has now out-snapped Gesicki in three straight games. Also not being heavily involved were WR3 Jalen Reagor, who played 20 snaps but did not register a catch, and running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery. The latter did add a 17-yard catch-and-run in his six snaps, but he also bobbled his second target and was responsible for a blocked punt on special teams while contributing little as a kickoff returner. All this added up has since led to Montgomery’s release. Defense Total snaps: 70 | Time on the field: 31:09 S Kyle Dugger* (70; 100%), S Jabrill Peppers* (70; 100%), LB Ja’Whaun Bentley* (70; 100%), CB Jonathan Jones* (65; 93%), CB J.C. Jackson* (58; 83%), CB Myles Bryant* (56; 80%), LB/ED Jahlani Tavai* (50; 71%), DT Davon Godchaux* (50; 71%), DT Christian Barmore (48; 69%), ED Anfernee Jennings* (45; 64%), DE Keion White (36; 51%), DE Deatrich Wise Jr.* (34; 49%), DT Lawrence Guy Sr.* (27; 39%), S/CB Jalen Mills (26; 37%), ED Josh Uche (25; 36%), LB/ED Mack Wilson Sr. (20; 29%), CB Alex Austin (13; 19%), S Adrian Phillips (4; 6%), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (2; 3%), S Marte Mapu (1; 1%) *denotes starter Business as usual for the Patriots on the defensive side of the ball. In the secondary, Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers continue to be workhorses and two of the team’s best players; both did not leave the field with Peppers registering an interception. The main cast surrounding them in the secondary were cornerbacks Jonathan Jones, J.C. Jackson and Myles Bryant. The latter in particular has saw an increase in playing time versus the Steelers and their heavy usage of three-receiver sets: his 80 percent playing time share was his highest since Week 4, when he was on the field for a full 100 percent. The linebacker position was more of the same as well. Ja’Whaun Bentley is the top guy, with Jahlani Tavai a reliable and versatile No. 2 and Mack Wilson a reliable third option alongside them. Third-round rookie Marte Mapu also theoretically factors into the mix at the position, but his lone defensive snaps on Thursday came aligned as a free safety rather than an in-the-box player. Speaking of young players, Keion White’s role remained large even with Deatrich Wise Jr. returning from an illness that had cost him the previous game. Meanwhile, rookie Alex Austin made his Patriots debut: the recent free agency pickup played 13 snaps, with a majority coming on the perimeter; he came close to registering an interception. Also worth noting is that Adrian Phillips returned to the defensive lineup after playing zero snaps on that side of the ball versus the Los Angeles Chargers four days earlier. He still only played four snaps while seemingly having gotten phased out of the defensive operation. Special teams Total snaps: 28 | Time on the field: 2:29 WR Matthew Slater (25; 89%), LB Chris Board (25; 89%), S Brenden Schooler (25; 89%), S Cody Davis (23; 82%), LB/ED Mack Wilson Sr. (23; 82%), LB Jahlani Tavai (22; 79%), RB/WR Ty Montgomery II (17; 61%), TE Pharaoh Brown (16; 57%), S Adrian Phillips (16; 57%), S Marte Mapu (13; 46%), P/H Bryce Baringer (12; 43%), LS Joe Cardona (12; 43%), CB Myles Bryant (8; 29%), ED Keion White (8; 29%), DT Lawrence Guy Sr. (8; 29%), K Chad Ryland (7; 25%), S Kyle Dugger (6; 21%), CB Jonathan Jones (6; 21%), ED Anfernee Jennings (6; 21%), DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (5; 18%), ED Josh Uche (4; 14%), OT Michael Onwenu (3; 11%), G Sidy Sow (3; 11%), OT Trent Brown (3; 11%), G Atonio Mafi (3; 11%), C Jake Andrews (3; 11%), S Jabrill Peppers (2; 7%), CB J.C. Jackson (2; 7%), CB Alex Austin (2; 7%) New England’s special teams group had another uneven outing, with the unit surrendering a blocked punt when Ty Montgomery failed to hold his block long enough. It was seemingly one error too many for the veteran, who as noted above has been let go since. The operation itself, meanwhile, was carried by the usual cast of characters — led by core special teamers Matthew Slater, Chris Board, Brenden Schooler, Cody Davis, Mack Wilson and Jahlani Tavai. How recent waiver wire claim Christian Elliss will fit into the mix remains to be seen; he did take Montgomery’s spot on the roster and likely will also help take over his 17 snaps in the game’s third phase. Montgomery played on the kickoff and punt return team and both coverage squads. Third-year man Elliss has extensive experience in those areas as well. Did not play QB Mac Jones, QB/WR Malik Cunningham, RB Kevin Harris, DE Sam Roberts With Bailey Zappe playing a full complement of snaps, the Patriots’ backup options at quarterback — former starter Mac Jones and practice squad elevatee Malik Cunningham — remained sidelined. The same is true for another practice squad member, running back Kevin Harris, and bottom-of-the-depth-chart defensive lineman Sam Roberts. Inactive WR DeVante Parker, CB Shaun Wade, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, RB JaMycal Hasty, OT Vederian Lowe, WR Kayshon Boutte, WR Demario Douglas As noted above, the Patriots missed some prominent members of their offense due to injury. Joining them on the inactives list was cornerback Shaun Wade, who was out due to an illness, as well as healthy scratches JaMycal Hasty and Vederian Lowe. Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/11/2 ... t-football
