Falcons snap counts from an impressive win over the Browns

The Falcons just won their second straight game and that’s great and all, but I know what you’re thinking. Where are my snap counts, you cry mournfully.

Shh, shhh, they’re here. Don’t fret.

Offense

Marcus Mariota: 55

Jake Matthews: 55

Elijah Wilkinson: 55

Drew Dalman: 55

Chris Lindstrom: 55

Kaleb McGary: 55

Parker Hesse: 48

Drake London: 44

Kyle Pitts: 34

Olamide Zaccheaus: 31

Tyler Allgeier: 24

KhaDarel Hodge: 18

Cordarrelle Patterson: 16

Keith Smith: 15

Caleb Huntley: 12

Damiere Byrd: 11

Anthony Firkser: 10

Avery Williams: 7

Feleipe Franks: 5

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The running back rotation was one of the most interesting notes yesterday. With Patterson clearly a bit limited—or at least limited by the coaching staff—Allgeier got the most run on the day, picking up a lot of work as a blocker, some as a receiving option, and 10 extremely productive carries. Allgeier is proving in the early going he can do a little bit of everything well, which bodes well for his future role. It won’t be the last time he outsnaps Patterson, whose workload will likely be managed at times this year.

Huntley, meanwhile, came in and stole the show for a bit. He had carries on 10 of his 12 snaps, and the Falcons effectively telegraphed that they were going to run the ball down Cleveland’s throat every time Huntley was in the backfield and it still worked really well. As Arthur Smith said after the game, that’s a point of pride, and Huntley did more than enough to merit consideration for a permanent elevation to the roster. Things may get crowded here soon with Damien Williams eligible to come back after Week 5, however.

Hesse is wildly underrated at this point. He outsnapped every other tight end and receiving option on the roster, was third on the team in receiving yardage (with 22, albeit on a lousy day for the passing game) and consistently comes up with one big catch per week, and is a stellar blocker who is helping to fuel the success of this ground game. Given how heavily the Falcons are having to—and frankly wanting to—lean on the run of late, Hesse will retain a major role going forward.

Finally, continue to give props to Olamide Zaccheaus. He led the team in receiving on Sunday and has locked down the #2 receiver role in Atlanta, at least for this season, and is a productive and useful piece of this offense every single week. Quite the journey over the past few seasons for the former undrafted free agent.

Oh, one more thing: Feleipe Franks is going to be here forever, quietly playing a handful of snaps and maybe making one or two plays per game. You’ve been warned.

Defense

Richie Grant: 73

Jaylinn Hawkins: 73

A.J. Terrell: 73

Rashaan Evans: 73

Mykal Walker: 73

Lorenzo Carter: 71

Grady Jarrett: 60

Ta’Quon Graham: 58

Casey Hayward: 58

Adetokunbo Ogundeji: 38

Arnold Ebiketie: 31

Anthony Rush: 28

Abdullah Anderson: 17

Dee Alford: 17

Darren Hall: 15

Troy Andersen: 11

Mike Ford: 9

DeAngelo Malone: 4

Nate Landman: 2

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I didn’t give Ta’Quon Graham his due in my recap, which is my bad, but it’s clear he’s become a vital piece of this defensive line. He was active and disruptive throughout Week 4, and he and Grady Jarrett are the two players this team will continue to count on to soak up snaps and play effectively on a weekly basis.

One of the big stories of the week isn’t just that Alford had the game-sealing interception—though he obviously did—but that he also out-snapped Mike Ford this week. There was quite a bit of talk of Alford not seeing the field a lot against teams with physical running games because of concerns of how he’d hold up in run support, but Cleveland is one of those teams and Alford was certainly out there, which has to be a positive sign for him going forward.

Andersen also continues to get limited but impactful work along with fellow rookie DeAngelo Malone, and each of them had a big tackle in this game. We may not see either in a larger role until 2023, but it’s great to see them out there making plays and getting opportunities, even if they’re relatively limited ones.

We saw Darren Hall again in this one, this time rotating in and out with Hayward. If appears Dean Pees will be making use of the second year pro whenever he thinks Hayward or Terrell needs a breather, or when he sees something in the matchup that calls for bringing him in. It’s nice to know he’ll have a role.

Special Teams

Troy Andersen: 21

Mike Ford: 21

Avery Williams: 21

Dean Marlowe: 21

Erik Harris: 21

Keith Smith: 17

Bradley Pinion: 14

DeAngelo Malone: 13

Parker Hesse: 13

Nate Landman: 11

KhaDarel Hodge: 11

Liam McCullough: 8

Richie Grant: 7

Ade Ogundeji: 7

Darren Hall: 6

Jake Matthews: 5

Elijah Wilkinson: 5

Chris Lindstrom: 5

Kaleb McGary: 5

Olamide Zaccheaus: 5

Tyler Allgeier: 5

Younghoe Koo: 5

Germain Ifedi: 5

Matt Hennessy: 5

Colby Gossett: 5

Ta’Quon Graham: 4

Abdullah Anderson: 4

Timothy Horne: 4

Jaylinn Hawkins: 3

Lorenzo Carter: 3

Dee Alford: 3

Feleipe Franks: 3

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Just an impressive group, one where everyone seems to have settled into their roles effectively. Koo is hitting field goals, Pinion has been both good on kickoffs and punts, Avery Williams is a capable punt returner who is about to pick up Cordarrelle Patterson’s kickoff work, and the coverage teams have done a great job. Richie Grant is still crashing around looking to block field goal tries, and an athletic bunch has come awfully close to making more big plays like Troy Andersen’s blocked punt and Lorenzo Carter’s touchdown return.

Zero complaints here, in other words, and can’t complain about how playing time is being divvied up.