Falcons snap counts from a loss to the Bengals

Atlanta was forced to turn to deep reserves against the Bengals as injuries piled up, but they also found a way to get Troy Andersen in the lineup with Mykal Walker back, effectively worked Damiere Byrd into the game as the team’s third receiver, and more.

Let’s get into the snap counts, which as always come to us courtesy of Pro Football Reference.

Offense

Marcus Mariota: 47

Jake Matthews: 47

Elijah Wilkinson: 47

Drew Dalman: 47

Chris Lindstrom: 47

Kaleb McGary: 47

Drake London: 40

Kyle Pitts: 37

Parker Hesse: 32

Olamide Zaccheaus: 29

Tyler Allgeier: 29

Damiere Byrd: 16

Keith Smith: 14

MyCole Pruitt: 12

Caleb Huntley: 11

Avery Williams: 7

Bryan Edwards: 5

KhaDarel Hodge: 2

Feleipe Franks: 1

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An odd week. This is the first time I can remember London and Pitts out-snapping Zaccheaus and Hesse in quite some time, and it did not result in either player pulling in more targets on a day when the Falcons barely threw the ball. Those four are still the team’s weapons through the air.

Well, except for Byrd. The veteran has gone from weekly inactive to de facto third receiver over the past couple of weeks, and his first catch of the season was a doozy of a 75 yard touchdown. His speed should keep him in the mix for Atlanta, but obviously you’re talking about one or two targets a game for whoever that third guy is. It does not appear to be Hodge, who has seen his playing time decrease, or Edwards, who has yet to get any significant time on the field or targets. Until the quarterback, the gameplan, or both change significantly, you’ll be looking at OZ, Pitts, and London bringing in most of this team’s receptions.

The running back split will be interesting to monitor once Cordarrelle Patterson and/or Damien Williams have gotten back, but for now you more or less know what you’re going to get. Huntley gets about half to a third of Allgeier’s snaps and is primarily in to run the ball, while Allgeier’s value as a blocker keeps him on the field more frequently. Allgeier is the guy who figures to have a prominent role once the backfield’s healthy, but this duo has filled in really admirably, and I hope they both stick around.

Finally, Franks. This team clearly wants Franks to be a thing, but they can’t seem to hit on a way to get him effectively involved, even in very limited snaps. He ran one route on the opening play of the game and Mariota did not look his way, and we’re still waiting for the impact and the playing time his continued spot on the roster would suggest Franks is due for. Maybe the Panthers will present an opportunity.the fact

Defense

Richie Grant: 68

Darren Hall: 68

Mykal Walker: 68

Rashaan Evans: 68

Cornell Armstrong; 59

Jaylinn Hawkins: 53

Grady Jarrett: 50

Lorenzo Carter: 49

Ta’Quon Graham: 41

Isaiah Oliver: 38

Arnold Ebiketie: 36

Adetokunbo Ogundeji: 32

Troy Andersen: 28

Abdullah Anderson: 27

Timothy Horne: 21

DeAngelo Malone: 18

Dean Marlowe: 15

A.J. Terrell: 8

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I’d like to give a shotout to Darren Hall and Cornell Armstrong, who didn’t play particularly well but were being asked to do something effectively impossible. That’s particularly true of Armstrong, who got the call-up from the practice squad and had to go out there and cover Ja’Marr Chase. Considering the circumstances and the matchup, it’s hard to fault either one, though neither player will lack for teaching moments in this week’s film review. It’s likely Hall in particular and perhaps even Armstrong will retain major roles this week, and I like their chances of bouncing back in a major way against a less intimidating Carolina passing attack.

It’ll be interesting to see if Ebiketie continues to out-snap Ogundeji, and if Malone starts to eat into the latter’s snaps as well. This coaching staff is very fond of the second-year Ogundeji, who they’re still hoping will be a long-term force against the run, but he’s having a quieter season to this point and Malone has looked really good at times in his limited opportunities. Regardless, Atlanta’s four man group at outside linebacker is pretty well settled, with Quinton Bell chipping in some weeks as needed.

With Walker back and playing every snap, the team still found a way to get Andersen on the field quite a bit, and that’s likely to be the norm going forward. The Falcons want as much playing time as possible for their intriguing rookie, who figures to step into a starting spot next year, and he’s playing well enough to justify the snaps.

Finally, expect to see Dean Marlowe starting this Sunday with Jaylinn Hawkins out, as he’s been the fill-in every time Hawkins is banged up or the team just wants someone else on the field. Hopefully Marlowe can do quality work against Carolina.

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Special Teams

Dean Marlowe: 22

Erik Harris: 22

Mike Ford: 20

Avery Williams: 17

Troy Andersen: 17

Parker Hesse: 15

Keith Smith: 15

KhaDarel Hodge: 15

Bradley Pinion: 12

Feleipe Franks: 11

Nate Landman: 11

DeAngelo Malone: 10

Liam McCullough: 9

Nick Kwiatkoski: 9

Richie Grant: 8

Olamide Zaccheaus: 6

Cornell Armstrong: 5

Jaylinn Hawkins: 5

Ta’Quon Graham: 5

Adetokunbo Ogundeji: 5

Abdullah Anderson: 5

Timothy Horne: 3

Jake Matthews: 3

Elijah Wilkinson: 3

Chris Lindstrom: 3

Kaleb McGary: 3

Germain Ifedi: 3

Matt Hennessy: 3

Colby Gossett: 3

Younghoe Koo: 3

Lorenzo Carter: 2

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This was a really solid week for Atlanta’s special teams again, as they gave Avery Williams a little daylight with effective blocking and he responded with perhaps his best day as a punt returner.

It will be interesting to see how snaps are divvied up this week with Mike Ford potentially dealing with an injury after Sunday’s game and Marlowe pressed into starting action. Chances are Atlanta will ask their Sunday flexes from the practice squad to take on larger roles there if Ford is limited and Marlowe has to focus on his duties on defense, but regardless, this should continue to be one of the team’s strengths.