NFL Week 17: Bengals’ snap count distribution shows young players had one last shot to show they belong

The Bengals’ season is over, and they finished it by also finishing the Ravens’ season.

This was the last chance for a lot of these players to make an impact going into the offseason though. Plenty of young guys got playing time. Some of them showed they deserve an expanded role next year, and some of them will be fighting for roster spots.

Here are the snap count takeaways from the Bengals last game of the season.

Snap count takeaways:

• A key to the Bengals being successful this year is simple. They usually play close to or more snaps than there opponent on offense, and Sunday was no different for them. The Bengals finished with 79 offensive snaps compared to the Ravens 76. That seems like a bigger deal when you take into account Darqueze Dennard’s long interception return after a long Ravens’ drive. A turnover for a touchdown like that usually has a real effect on the perceived differences in amount of plays run for each team, but even with that the Bengals still ran more plays.
• Joe Mixon (25) was either held on a snap count after returning from injury, or he was punished for his fumble in the game. Mixon had a huge impact on this game. He had 96 rushing yards on the day. Still, Giovani Bernard (54) held a clear advantage in snaps played. Bernard played well with 70 yards on 16 touches, but you still have to wonder why Mixon wasn’t on the field more.
• William Jackson (76) played every single defensive snap, and he dominated again. Dre Kirkpatrick (73) and Dennard (37) also played fairly well even though the Ravens didn’t go into three wide receiver sets too often.
• Josh Shaw (30) replaced Shawn William (46) when the safety left the game with an injury. This is noteworthy because usually Clayton Fejedelem and Shaw would split those reps, but the Bengals had Fejedelem focus on special teams instead. He didn’t log a single defensive snap.
• Tyler Boyd (60) saved his best for last. The last two weeks he has 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. He was instrumental in the Bengals win. Not just only because he caught the game-winning touchdown, but he also helped convert several first downs. He was only the fourth most targeted receiver, but he was by far the most productive.
• Alex Redmond (32) and Christian Westerman (48) again split reps at left guard with Clint Boling (79) kicking out to left tackle. These young guys again showed they probably should’ve been playing at some point this season before injuries forced them into playing. Hopefully their success late in the season makes the team more comfortable with letting a player like Russell Bodine (79) walk in free agency.
• Young linebackers really got some run alongside Vincent Rey (67). Jordan Evans (23) suffered an injury early in the game. He was again a mixed bag, but that is what you expect out of a sixth round rookie. Brandon Bell (26) and Hardy Nickerson (67) didn’t do a whole lot to impress. The defense wasn’t great in the second half of the game again. All in all none of the young guys really stood out as a guy who could step up into a starting role next season.
• Quick observations: Andrew Billings returned to the lineup playing in 31 snaps. Also Alex Erickson didn’t play a single offensive snap again for the second straight game.