Snap counts takeaways from Bengals’ tie against Eagles

The Bengals and Eagles played one of the strangest games I’m sure many in the fan base have ever gotten the chance to see. While we didn’t get to finally see Joe Burrow walk away with his first win as a Bengal, we did get to see some trends with the snap counts change. There is still plenty to be done, though.

Here are Week 3’s snap count takeaways:

• The Bengals ran 72 plays to the Eagles’ 91. The Eagles even had a couple of turnovers during the game, but it really came down to overtime. Cincinnati couldn’t sustain a drive in the extra period while Philadelphia had a few drawn out drives. Again, this game came down to the Bengals having to settle for field goals too often instead of being able to put the game away. After scoring a touchdown to take the lead, Cincinnati had two more opportunities in the red zone, but ended up settling for a field goal each time, leaving the door open for the Eagles.
• The biggest takeaway this week was safety Shawn Williams returning from injury and not playing a single defensive snap. Instead he played exclusively on special teams. One has to wonder if this will be the norm going forward or if they are easing him back in. Meanwhile Vonn Bell (91) and Jessie Bates (91) played the entire game at both safety spots.
• Rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins got his second start of the season. He ended up playing 57 snaps, which was the most of any wide receiver. Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green played 54 and 55 plays respectively. Higgins also played a huge part in the win as he teamed up with Joe Burrow for the team’s two touchdowns on the day.
• The rest of the receiving bunch did not have as good of a day. John Ross was a healthy scratch, which we will have to see if that becomes a reoccurring thing. Auden Tate (25) returned after being a healthy scratch last week. He was targeted a few times in the end zone, but he was never able to real in the pass over the smaller defenders. He did have a couple of drive extending plays, though. Mike Thomas (16) saw his playing time drop a little, and he only had two catches for nine yards on the day after catching a touchdown last week.
• The splits for the linebacker position may need some work soon. It is becoming very clear that Germaine Pratt (52) and Logan Wilson (29) are probably the two most impactful players at the position. Pratt has shown he may be the best tackler on the team. You will rarely, if ever, see the ball handler fall forward when he meets them. Wilson also came up with an early interception as well as a few plays where he closed quickly on ball handlers in open space. That isn’t to say Josh Bynes (66) or Akeem Davis-Gaither (25) shouldn’t be involved. It just may be time to start investing these snaps into what may be the future at this position.
• After having the fewest snaps among the big three at defensive end last week, Carlos Dunlap led all defensive linemen with 75 snaps. Sam Hubbard (69) wasn’t far behind, and Carl Lawson (47) made the most of his plays by absolutely abusing Jason Peters at left tackle. Amani Bledsoe (25) also saw a pretty substantial amount of playing time in the defensive line rotation this week, and he even popped a few times.
• Another surprising scratch for this week was Andrew Brown. Many expected him to play a bigger role, especially with Geno Atkins missing the first three games, but this was a new low. Meanwhile, D.J. Reader (68) and Christian Covington (35) led the interior line in snaps. The Bengals got Mike Daniels (28) back as well, which really helped make a difference with the rotation.
• In case there was any doubt, Drew Sample will probably be getting a vast majority of the tight end snaps after C.J. Uzomah went down for the season last week. He played 64 snaps to Cethan Carter’s nine on the day. He may not have done much in the receiving game, but he will be playing a crucial role helping protect Burrow.