Bengals snap counts vs. Titans: Trayveon Williams cracks RB rotation

Grit, guts, and glory. The Cincinnati Bengals needed the first two to achieve the third against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Now winners of three straight against the two-toned blue, the Bengals once more established they can emulate different styles of football to win in any environment. Here’s how the snaps went during victory no. 7 on the year.

Total Snaps

Game control is how the Titans win. The Bengals, despite keeping the score close throughout the afternoon, never let them take command. Cincinnati out-snapped Tennessee 70 to 57 with the help of their last three drives accounting for 32 plays. All three of them would’ve resulted in points had Kevin Strong’s personal foul penalty not happened.

Grinding out yards

With 56 snaps, Samaje Perine took on the biggest workload he’s ever had since coming into the NFL. It was his first start in nearly two years, and he provided the Bengals the pop they needed in the run game despite not eclipsing more than nine yards on any of his 17 carries. Perine churn out tough yardage isn’t anything new, but witnessing Trayveon Williams (14) do the same against a stout Titans defense was a pleasant surprise. Williams touched the ball three times and gained 42 yards.

We’ve had the running back conversation earlier this season. Joe Mixon will likely remain the featured back when returns from the concussion protocol, and there won’t be any shakeups to how the team splits snaps in the backfield. It’s simply interesting that Williams created so much out of his newfound opportunities.

Returns and a debut

Williams’ emergence should tell you everything you need to know about Chris Evans (4), who caught an ill-advised flag on his first snap back from injury. He’s a receiver listed as a running back—the guy just doesn’t carry the ball. He’s taken 16 snaps this season, and three featured him in the backfield on passing plays.

Dax Hill (6) had a more promising return to action as he helped force a punt with a pressure on Ryan Tannehill. His usage has experienced very little variance in frequency.

Back on offense, Cincinnati used all six of its active receivers including rookie Kwamie Lassiter II (8) in his debut performance. Lassiter will revert back to the practice squad as the team prepares for Ja’Marr Chase’s return.

Dominating defensive line

Once more, the Bengals built a wall that Derrick Henry couldn’t run through (not counting the screen play, of course). DJ Reader (42) looked much more like himself in his second game back from injury, B.J. Hill (45) had arguably his best game right beside him, and even Zach Carter (22) and Trey Hendrickson (41) answered the bell against Tennessee’s rushing attack.

Jay Tufele (11) and Joseph Ossai (8) didn’t see much action as Cincinnati prevented long drives for most of the game, and therefore the need for a deep rotation up front.