Arizona Cardinals Week 2 Snap Count Evaluation
The Arizona Cardinals emerged victorious for the first time on Sunday, climbing their way back from a 20-0 deficit to ultimately win 29-23 in overtime.
It was the classic tale of two halves from Arizona, who looked very much like the same team who got dog walked the previous week by Kansas City. Through two quarters in Las Vegas, the Cardinals appeared to be destined for an 0-2 stumbling start out of the gates.
Yet players across the board stepped up, and that was the case when evaluating the team's snap counts during their first victory of the season:
Offensive Snap Counts (via PFR)
D.J. Humphries was the lone offensive linemen who didn't play each snap, as he exited for just one play with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.
The likes of A.J. Green and Zach Ertz were more involved in Vegas, as both played over 84% of offensive snaps. Ertz paced the team in targets (11), receptions (8) and receiving yards (75).
The main story of the offense was the health of running back James Conner, who played just 18 snaps before exiting the game with an ankle injury. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported today the injury isn't serious or thought to be long-term.
In his place, Darrel Williams looked strong. HE rushed for 59 yards and one score while Eno Benjamin carried the rock eight times and also caught three passes.
Defensive Snap Counts (Per PFR)
For the first time in his career, linebacker Zaven Collins logged 100% of the snaps. Budda Baker also matched him as the only defensive player to be on the field for every play.
The main story surrounding Arizona's defense was the lack of involvement from Isaiah Simmons, who rarely touched the field in the first half and played an eye-opening 15 snaps during the win. Both Nick Vigil (26) and Tanner Vallejo (20) played more.
His presence was felt on the field following halftime, as the most important play of the game was his forced fumble on Hunter Renfrow to knock the ball loose in overtime, leading to Byron Murphy's touchdown return to seal the game.
In J.J. Watt's first return to action, he was able to play 42 snaps despite being on a pitch count. It appears no dust needed to be shaken off, as the second play of the game resulted in a sack on Derek Carr.
Jace Whittaker, elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, held the third-most snaps for a CB behind Murphy and Marco Wilson with 45 (67%). No other corner played besides the trio.
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