Snap Count Takeaways: Onwuzurike Reliable, Ready to Contribute

Reviewing how Lions distributed snaps in Sunday's loss.

Detroit Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurike (91). / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions had plenty of chances to knock off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. However, opportunities in the red zone were squandered time and time again.

The Lions came up empty on three separate trips to the red zone, and scored just one touchdown on seven total trips. Quarterback Jared Goff was also intercepted deep in Buccaneers territory. The end result was a devastating 20-16 loss in Week 2.

With key players injured, the Lions were forced to adjust their personnel particularly at the wide receiver and defensive end positions. This resulted in an interesting balance, as far as snap counts go.

Here are five takeaways from the Lions' snap counts in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers.

Snap counts from Lions' 20-16 loss to the Buccaneers. Derrick Barnes, Jameson Williams join the group of players playing 90 percent of snaps, Tim Patrick plays 33 snaps in debut. @DetroitPodcast pic.twitter.com/mA6VtFe27x

— Christian Booher (@CBooher_) September 16, 2024

Derrick Barnes is versatile chess piece

The Lions have clear confidence in Barnes to play a variety of roles within the defense. Be it as a stack linebacker in traditional 4-3 base defense or as a walked-up SAM linebacker, Barnes has shown he's capable of doing whatever is asked of him.

Barnes played 45 snaps Sunday, or 94 percent of Detroit's defensive action. He did so doing multiple things, including as a pass-rusher on the edge, as well as in his traditional linebacker duties. Detroit distributed its snaps at the linebacker position to five different players.

Alex Anzalone left the game with a brain injury in the third quarter after taking a hit to the head from Barnes, while trying to defend an eventual Baker Mayfield touchdown run. He had played 40 snaps leading up to that. Jack Campbell logged 35 snaps, while Malcolm Rodriguez had 19. Jalen Reeves-Maybin played two snaps defensively, in addition to his special teams workload.

Tim Patrick plays significant role

In his first game elevated from the practice squad, Tim Patrick played a significant role. Though he had modest production, with two catches for 12 yards, the veteran played 33 snaps, which accounted for 39 percent of Detroit's offensive reps.

Patrick played the third-most snaps at the wide receiver position, behind Amon-Ra St. Brown's 79 and Jameson Williams' 78. Kalif Raymond, meanwhile, played 31 snaps. When St. Brown left the game on the last drive, another practice squad call-up in Tom Kennedy entered the game and wound up playing five snaps.

The Lions' depth at the wide receiver position has been thin since the team elected to keep just four on the active roster. Patrick's role suggests he could be ready to be placed on the active roster soon, as the Lions displayed clear confidence in playing him for a significant amount of reps.

DJ Reader's modest workload

In his Lions debut, Reader played just over half of the available snaps. It was an expected workload for the defender, who spent a significant amount of time rehabbing a torn quadriceps injury suffered last season. He totaled 25 snaps, which was 52 percent of the defensive reps.

Reader had one tackle in his debut. When he was out, the Lions continued to mix up their looks on the defensive interior. Alim McNeill played 35 snaps, while rookie Mekhi Wingo had 13 snaps. On Tampa Bay's touchdown pass from Mayfield to Chris Godwin, Wingo nearly got to the passer on a pressure against offensive guard Cody Mauch.

Kyle Peko, who was signed to the active roster earlier in the week, played nine snaps.

Jahmyr Gibbs nearly doubles David Montgomery's reps

The bulk of the work in the backfield Sunday went to Gibbs, who played 53 snaps to Montgomery's 30. Detroit teased a combination of the two backs together, such as on the first play when Gibbs lined up wide and Montgomery in the backfield. However, many of the plays had just one of the two on the field.

Gibbs was utilized for a majority of the plays late, while Montgomery still got his fair share of carries. Montgomery had more receiving yards, with 35, than Gibbs' 22 on seven catches. However, Gibbs had 13 carries to Montgomery's 11.

The difference in workload is somewhat puzzling; however, it likely was dictated by momentum. Gibbs had just under 6.5 yards per carry, while Montgomery had 3.2. Additionally, Gibbs' threat as a receiver out of the backfield may have been the better fit late, as the Lions were trying to drive down the field for the go-ahead score.

Levi Onwuzurike gets bulk of defensive end snaps

With Marcus Davenport out with a groin injury, how the Lions distributed the snaps at his vacated position was an intriguing storyline. James Houston was made active and available, but he played just three snaps.

The Lions instead went with Levi Onwuzurike as the starter opposite of Aidan Hutchinson. Onwuzurike played 36 snaps, which was 75 percent of the team's action. Josh Paschal also logged 13 snaps.

"It feels good to put full games together, feels good," Onwuzurike said. "After the game, feel good, ready to go again. That's how I felt in college, that's how I felt before that. It's a blessing, 100 percent, I thank God, 100 percent of it. It feels good. I'm just happy to go into a game, and no matter what happens, I can be out there playing."

While some of Barnes' snaps were allocated on the edge, a large amount of the work went to the likes of Onwuzurike and Barnes. Houston had just three snaps, a sign that he still remains further down on the depth chart.