Bengals vs. Browns snap count takeaways: D-line rotation sees more change

There was no Joe Mixon, no William Jackson III, and at some point in the game, over half of the starting offensive line was out.

It proved to be too much for the Cincinnati Bengals as they blew yet another lead, this time to the Cleveland Browns, who also had their fair share of injuries to deal with. Nobody wants to hear the injury excuses when a 1-5-1 record is staring at them, but they do provide us some context for this week’s snap counts.

Let’s take a look at them from the Bengals’ 37-34 defeat to the Browns.

• The Bengals out-snapped the Browns 75 to 52. For three quarters, the Browns completed every legitimate pass they attempted and their starting running back averaged over four yards per carry, so even if they didn’t take very many snaps, they were making the absolute most of their possessions. The time of possession was also in Cincinnati’s favor (32:55) because they had longer drives than the Browns. As you witnessed with your own eyes, allowing 37 points on 52 plays is a pretty damning indictment on the defense.
• For those that hoped for a sign of Trayveon Williams on offense, Samaje Perine (19) was there to crush your dreams. Perine was the one and only sub for Giovani Bernard (57) at running back with Joe Mixon out. Williams only saw two snaps on special teams as well. Like last week, Perine only received one carry on offense as Bernard handled something similar to Mixon’s usual workload percentage. Bernard also had 11 flawless snaps in pass protection.
• Behind the starting three receivers, Mike Thomas (16) was the clear fourth receiver in the game plan. Auden Tate (6) didn’t see much of the field after missing last week with a shoulder injury, and Alex Erickson didn’t play with the offense at all.
• With Cethan Carter a surprise inactive, Mason Schreck (15) got in on the action on National Tight Ends Day, including the first snap of the game. Schreck also played the sixth-most special teams snaps with 15.
• Both Jonah Williams (30) and Trey Hopkins (30) left the game early with injuries, so Fred Johnson (46) and Billy Price (45) stepped in for them and played pretty well. Johnson had some hiccups in pass protection, but he was coming in off the bench against a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Myles Garrett. Price had perhaps his best game ever at center, which helped keep the offense afloat. Hakeem Adeniji (4) made his tackle debut after Bobby Hart also left the game with a concerning leg injury, so we might see Adeniji next week as well. Interestingly enough, Johnson was moved to right tackle to play for Hart and Adeniji took over at left tackle.
• The duo of Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins hit a new low as each received just 12 snaps. As Dunlap pointed out on Instagram, Margus Hunt was indeed listed over him for their subpackage rotation, and Hunt, who just re-joined the Bengals less than a week ago, played 21 snaps, mostly at defensive end. Dunlap’s descent has been examined enough, but Atkins should be getting more snaps. He’s now three weeks removed from being healthy enough to play, and they desperately need him out there.
• In his first game back, Mike Daniels (25) got the start next to Christian Covington (30). However, it was Xavier Williams (29) who got the most snaps at the 3-technique spot, not Daniels. This makes sense considering the rust Daniels had to shake off. Amani Bledsoe (28) got the start again at defensive end opposite of Carl Lawson (33).
• LeShaun Sims (52) did get the start for the injured William Jackson III and kept both Tony Brown and Winston Rose on the bench. Sims and Darius Phillips (50) each had their struggles but the coaching staff stayed true to their plan throughout the game. Shawn Williams (7) didn’t see much of the field after being limited in practice all last week with a hamstring injury.