Vikings Snap Counts vs. Bears: Plenty of Reps for Backups Like Nick Mullens, Jalen Nailor

The Vikings got a chance to evaluate a bunch of second-string players after halftime.

The Vikings came into Sunday's regular season finale against the Bears knowing they wanted to see their starters play for at least the majority of the first half. Coming off a tough loss in Green Bay, they felt it was important that their first units played some good football and went into the postseason with positive momentum.

For the most part, they achieved that. The Vikings moved the ball effectively on all five of their offensive possessions in the first half, scoring two touchdowns and turning a Patrick Peterson interception into a field goal. They could've been up by more than ten points at halftime, if not for a Dalvin Cook fumble and poor clock management at the end of the half, but it was a solid effort from Kirk Cousins and company.

Defensively, the Vikings' starters — sans Harrison Smith and Za'Darius Smith — forced two punts, a turnover on downs, and an interception before allowing a touchdown late in the half.

In the second half, most of the starters were pulled from the game. A few remained, including the right side of the offensive line and a few defensive backs. But the Vikings took the opportunity to evaluate a bunch of second-string and third-string players, which will be helpful as they eventually head into the offseason.

To their credit, the Vikings' backups had just as much success as the starters. Nick Mullens led three scoring drives and threw a pick. And after allowing a touchdown, the defense forced a punt, another turnover on downs, and got another interception late in the game.

Let's take a look at the snap counts from this game to see what we can learn.

Vikings offensive snap counts vs. the Bears (out of 71)

• RG Ed Ingram: 71
• RT Oli Udoh: 71
• C Chris Reed: 71
• WR K.J. Osborn: 55
• QB Kirk Cousins: 38
• LT Christian Darrisaw: 38
• LG Ezra Cleveland: 38
• WR Adam Thielen: 37
• WR Justin Jefferson: 36
• LG Kyle Hinton: 34
• WR Jalen Nailor: 33
• LT Vederian Lowe: 33
• QB Nick Mullens: 33
• TE T.J. Hockenson: 33
• TE Irv Smith Jr: 32
• TE Johnny Mundt: 26
• RB Alexander Mattison: 25
• RB Dalvin Cook: 24
• WR Jalen Reagor: 16
• FB C.J. Ham: 15
• RB Ty Chandler: 12
• RB Kene Nwangwu: 10

22 offensive players saw at least ten snaps in this game. The only offensive players on the active roster who didn't appear in the game were centers Garrett Bradbury and Greg Mancz, as Reed played every snap and was much more effective than he was in Green Bay. Ingram and Udoh, who are in line to start against the Giants in the wild card round, also played every snap and graded out well. Ingram is the Vikings' only offensive player who played every single snap this season.

Cousins, Cook, Jefferson, Thielen, and Hockenson were done at halftime. So were Darrisaw and Cleveland, who were replaced by Lowe and Hinton on the left side of the offensive line. Guys like Osborn, Smith, Mundt, Mattison, and Ham saw action in both halves.

This was a nice tune-up for Smith, who was playing in his first game since suffering a high-ankle sprain on October 30th. He didn't look rusty in his return to action, catching three passes.

"(Irv) fits in really really well with Johnny and T.J. as far as having those three guys up and available," Kevin O'Connell said. "Really helps our team and gives us a versatile option who is really good with the ball in his hands after the catch. Showed that again yesterday, making a great catch on a keeper. Great to get Irv back out there and the expectation is that he’s going to play a role for us here in however many opportunities we have left."

Interception aside, Mullens was sharp in the second half. Nailor had another impressive game. Both Chandler and Nwangwu saw six touches. This was a good opportunity for all of those players to put some good things on tape heading into the 2023 season, even though they're not going to see any offensive snaps in the playoffs barring injury.

Vikings defensive snap counts vs. the Packers (out of 51)

• S Camryn Bynum: 51
• CB Duke Shelley: 51
• S Josh Metellus: 49
• OLB D.J. Wonnum: 37
• OLB Patrick Jones II: 36
• DT Esezi Otomewo: 31
• SCB Chandon Sullivan: 28
• CB Kris Boyd: 28
• DT Khyiris Tonga: 26
• LB Troy Dye: 26
• OLB Danielle Hunter: 23
• LB Eric Kendricks: 23
• CB Patrick Peterson: 23
• DT Jonathan Bullard: 22
• LB Jordan Hicks: 19
• OLB Luiji Vilain: 17
• LB Ryan Connelly: 16
• DT Harrison Phillips: 16
• DT Dalvin Tomlinson: 16
• LB William Kwenkeu: 12
• S Theo Jackson: 11

It was a similar story on the defensive side of the ball. The Vikings got their starters some work in the first half, then put most of them on ice after the break. The notable exceptions were Bynum, Shelley, and Metellus, who was in for Harrison Smith. Bynum, like Ingram on offense, is the lone player on his unit who played every single snap all season.

Young pass rushers Wonnum, Jones, Otomewo, and Vilain got plenty of work after halftime. So did linebackers Dye, Connelly, and Kwenkeu, and defensive backs like Boyd and Jackson.

Meanwhile, veteran starters Hunter, Kendricks, Peterson, Hicks, Phillips, and Tomlinson were all held to 23 snaps or fewer, so they should be fresh for the postseason. Both Smiths, Harrison and Za'Darius, will be good to go as well after missing this game.

If Brian Asamoah, Cameron Dantzler, and James Lynch had been healthy, they would've seen plenty of time in this game, too. But as is, the Vikings got a useful look at numerous young players and backups, many of whom were essentially auditioning for roles or roster spots next season. In that sense, the second half felt quite like a preseason game.

Now the real thing begins on Sunday. The playoffs. This should be fun.

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