Patriots-Panthers OFFENSE Snap Counts: Who Played Most?

Patriots Country breaks down the numbers and possible meanings behind the Pats’ playing time on offense in New England’s preseason matchup with the Carolina Panthers.

FOXBORO — Following their 20-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Friday at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots continue to take stock into their performance on both sides of the ball.

Heading into a week in which the Pats will participate in joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders (culminating with their preseason matchup at Allegiant Stadium on Fri. Aug. 26), there are plenty of areas in which they will seek improvement. While game-film analysis will be the main focus, a look at playing time may assist the Pats in helping devise effective strategies moving forward.

Here is a look at the Patriots offensive snap counts, along with some possible insight on New England’s future game-planning.

Offensive Snaps

On offense, the Pats overall snap count was 69 versus the Panthers.

Despite making his preseason debut, Pats starting quarterback Mac Jones led the Pats; offense for just over one quarter (16 snaps) on Friday evening. Following a handful of snaps from veteran Brian Hoyer, rookie Bailey Zappe saw the field for 68 percent of New England’s offensive playing time. The Western Kentucky product finished the night going 16 of 25 for 173 yards and one costly pick-six. While he continues to demonstrate solid arm strength, Zappe is still in need of some work with fundamentals and field awareness at the pro-level.

With starter Hunter Henry out of action, and fellow starter Jonnu Smith playing on a limited count , the majority of snaps at tight end were taken by Devin Asiasi. The UCLA product caught all three of the passes thrown his way for a total of 32 yards, his longest reception coming on a 19-yard connection with Zappe late in the second quarter. Reserve Matt Sokol took 25 offensive snaps, while third-year tight end Dalton Keene did not log any snaps.

In the aftermath of James White’s retirement earlier in the week, New England is in search of their next dual-threat third-down back. While reserve rusher J.J. Taylor led all at the position in taking 18 offensive snaps on Friday, the Patriots primary rotation appears to include Damien Harris as the feature (nine snaps), Rhamondre Stevenson (six snaps) and hybrid runner/receiver Ty Montgomery (15 snaps). Based on their usage, Stevenson seems likely to be New England’s choice to run the ball on third-down, while Montgomery is the top option to receive out of the backfield.

Due to the absence of starters Trent Brown (left tackle) and Isaiah Wynn (right tackle), the Pats’ offensive line was shuffled quite a bit. New England opted for a starting lineup of Yodny Cajuste at left tackle, Cole Strange at left guard, David Andrews at center, James Ferentz at right guard and Michael Onwenu at right tackle. While Cajuste continues to make his case for the team’s top reserve tackle spot, backups William Sherman, Arlington Hambright and Drew Desjarlais each took 31 snaps while rotating at the guard position. Undrafted rookie Kody Russey led all offensive lineman, logging 53 snaps at center in relief of Andrews.

Perhaps the most interesting positional battle on offense may surround the wide receiver position. With rookie Tyquan Thornton set to miss notable time with a collarbone injury, the Pats will look to its reserves to find its proverbial ‘next man up.’ Receivers Tre Nixon and Lil’Jordan Humphrey each saw the field for 47 offensive snaps, gaining equal opportunity to make their case for a spot on the Pats’ 53-man roster. Humphrey won the battle on Friday evening, finishing the night with five catches for 71 yards on six targets.