MINNEAPOLIS — The Detroit Lions (3-5) dropped a second straight game Sunday, this one by a 24-9 measure against division rival Minnesota (5-3-1). Here is an analysis of how the snaps were distributed.
— There was a lot of speculation about how the Lions would replace Golden Tate, who, in case you live under a rock or haven’t had wifi in a week or whatever, was traded to Philadelphia. Theo Riddick wound up leading the way in the slot, earning the start there and playing 56 percent of the offensive snaps overall. He actually led the Lions in catches too. Problem is, his seven catches went for just 36 yards. His longest of the day was 12 — almost exactly what Golden Tate averages per catch for the season.
— TJ Jones’ role also grew after the trade, going from inactive last week to 36 snaps this week, double any other game this season. He caught two passes for 13 yards. Andy Jones, playing in his first game with the Lions, got two offensive snaps. But he also drew 18 snaps on special teams, which was just four off Miles Killebrew’s team lead, so he might be here to stay even if he doesn’t contribute much at receiver.
— The biggest surprise was receiver Brandon Powell. The rookie has been hyped by coaches and players alike, but he didn’t play any snaps of offense, even with Tate out of the picture. He did take over for Ameer Abdullah on kick return though, averaging 21.5 yards on two attempts, and maintained his place as the punt returner.
— Ezekiel Ansah returned for the first time since the opener, but did so as a role player off the bench. He played just 12 snaps, his lightest workload since he injured his ankle early in a Week 2 game against Tennessee in 2016. He had one sack and one penalty that nullified Teez Tabor’s best play of the day.
— The Lions did their best to get Teez Tabor off the field, playing DeShawn Shead for 61 percent of the defense’s snaps. That’s the most he’s played in a game since 2016. Tabor’s workload was slashed to just 14 plays — and he still managed to commit two more penalties, one of which was a pass interference where Kyle Rudolph caught the ball anyway. Tabor also allowed a fourth-down completion to an undrafted rookie who was making his NFL debut. Yikes.
— For the second straight week, Taylor Decker and T.J. Lang both came off the field because of injuries. Decker took five plays off because of cramps, although his overall play — which was bad — suggests he was ailing longer than that. Lang played just 31 of the 70 offensive snaps. He’s played a full game just once this season while battling a variety of injuries. Kenny Wiggins replaced him against Minnesota, and once again, struggled dearly. Detroit needs Lang — but Lang just isn’t holding up.
— Last week, the Lions played Snacks Harrison on 61.9 percent of the defensive snaps in his debut. This week, they ratcheted that up to 67.3 percent. That’s the most he’s played since Week 1. And he was excellent again, stuffing the run whenever it came at him. Detroit was excellent against the run most of the day, allowing just 58 yards on 22 of Minnesota’s carries. Of course, there was a 23rd carry, and Dalvin Cook took it right at A’Shawn Robinson for 70 yards.
OFFENSE
G Frank Ragnow 70 (100 percent)
C Graham Glasgow 70 (100 percent)
T Rick Wagner 70 (100 percent)
QB Matthew Stafford 70 (100 percent)
WR Kenny Golladay 68 (97 percent)
T Taylor Decker 65 (93 percent)
WR Marvin Jones 63 (90 percent)
G Kenny Wiggins 39 (56 percent)
RB Theo Riddick 39 (56 percent)
RB Kerryon Johnson 39 (56 percent)
TE Michael Roberts 36 (51 percent)
WR TJ Jones 36 (51 percent)
TE Luke Willson 34 (49 percent)
G T.J. Lang 31 (44 percent)
TE Levline Toilolo 16 (23 percent)
RB LeGarrette Blount 11 (16 percent)
RB Nick Bellore 6 (9 percent)
T Tyrell Crosby 5 (7 percent)
WR Andy Jones 2 (3 percent)
DEFENSE
LB Jarrad Davis 49 (100 percent)
LB Devon Kennard 49 (100 percent)
S Quandre Diggs 49 (100 percent)
CB Nevin Lawson 46 (94 percent)
CB Darius Slay 46 (94 percent)
DE Romeo Okwara 44 (90 percent)
S Glover Quin 39 (80 percent)
LB Christian Jones 37 (76 percent)
DT Snacks Harrison 33 (67 percent)
DT A’Shawn Robinson 30 (61 percent)
CB DeShawn Shead 30 (61 percent)
DE Da’Shawn Hand 24 (49 percent)
S Tavon Wilson 17 (35 percent)
CB Teez Tabor 14 (29 percent)
DT Ricky Jean Francois 13 (27 percent)
DE Ezekiel Ansah 12 (24 percent)
S Tracy Walker 5 (10 percent)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Miles Killebrew 22 (85 percent)
Nick Bellore 18 (69 percent)
Andy Jones 18 (69 percent)
Trevor Bates 18 (69 percent)
Charles Washington 18 (69 percent)
Eli Harold 17 (65 percent)
Teez Tabor 17 (65 percent)
Tracy Walker 14 (54 percent)
Sam Martin 13 (50 percent)
Christian Jones 11 (42 percent)
Brandon Powell 10 (38 percent)
Don Muhlbach 9 (35 percent)
Luke Willson 9 (35 percent)
Tavon Wilson 9 (35 percent)
Levine Toiolo 8 (31 percent)
A’Shawn Robinson 7 (27 percent)
Nevin Lawson 6 (23 percent)
Lenzy Pipkins 6 (23 percent)
Glover Quin 5 (19 percent)
DeShawn Shead 5 (19 percent)
Jarrad Davis 5 (19 percent)
Devon Kennard 5 (19 percent)
Da’Shawn Hand 5 (19 percent)
Snacks Harrison 4 (15 percent)
Ricky Jean Francois 4 (15 percent)
Frank Ragnow 3 (12 percent)
Graham Glasgow 3 (12 percent)
Rick Wagner 3 (12 percent)
Kenny Wiggins 3 (12 percent)
Tyrell Crosby 3 (12 percent)
Matt Prater 3 (12 percent)
Quandre Diggs 2 (8 percent)
Darius Slay 1 (4 percent)
Romeo Okwara 1 (4 percent)
Ezekiel Ansah 1 (4 percent)
