The San Francisco 49ers beat the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, and the snap count helps to confirm some things, and reveal some other things. I've posted the full snap count at the bottom. You can view the full gamebook PDF here.
Kenneth Acker ended up getting the start opposite Tramaine Brock, with both players playing every snap. The 49ers went with their base defense a sizable chunk of the game. The team shut down Adrian Peterson, and were able to contain Teddy Bridgewater. That being said, we did see them use a lot of combinations, particularly along the defensive line.
At the height of the Justin Smith-Ray McDonald era, those two played a bulk of the snaps. That slowly declined, but early on, those two were workhorses. This year, we are going to see a lot more rotation. On Monday, Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey each played in 64 percent of the snaps, while Quinton Dial played in 50 percent. Other defensive linemen to see action included Tank Carradine (30 percent), Tony Jerod-Eddie and Arik Armstead (each with 21 percent). The 49ers will use Ian Williams less against heavier pass teams, which would mean more work for Tank and Armstead.
At cornerback, Dontae Johnson was the nickel, while Keith Reaser did not even come on with the defense. Jimmie Ward got 13 snaps as the extra defensive back after Johnson. Jaquiski Tartt finished with 20 snaps on the night, but got significant work as more of the nickel/dime linebacker role we saw in the preseason. Tartt's role is one reason Wilhoite has that many fewer snaps than NaVorro Bowman.
In case you're wondering, Bowman sat one snap because he took a shot below the belt and had to leave the game briefly. Shayne Skov came on in his place.
On offense, we saw a whole lot of tight end looks. Garrett Celek got a lot more work than I would have anticipated, getting in on 70 percent of the snaps. He had a very effective day. When healthy he has been a solid, albeit not spectacular tight end. He missed most of last year with injuries, and having him back healthy could quietly be a big return. Blake Bell saw little action, but given the extra tight end usage, it is not surprising he was active.
Jarryd Hayne ended up with 10 offensive snaps. Had Reggie Bush remained healthy through the game, I wonder how much we would have seen Hayne. After the game, Jim Tomsula said Bush dealt with a calf injury, but did not think it was serious. The 49ers are on a short week, so look for Mike Davis to potentially be active in Week 2.
Player | Offense | Defense | ST |
Erik Pears | 73 | 5 | |
Jordan Devey | 73 | 5 | |
Marcus Martin | 73 | 5 | |
Joe Staley | 73 | ||
Colin Kaepernick | 73 | ||
Alex Boone | 73 | ||
Vernon Davis | 72 | ||
Anquan Boldin | 59 | ||
Carlos Hyde | 55 | ||
Garrett Celek | 51 | 7 | |
Torrey Smith | 44 | ||
Vance McDonald | 37 | 13 | |
Quinton Patton | 14 | 12 | |
Bruce Miller | 11 | 15 | |
Jarryd Hayne | 10 | 3 | |
Reggie Bush | 8 | ||
Bruce Ellington | 3 | 4 | |
Blake Bell | 1 | ||
Kenneth Acker | 56 | 8 | |
Eric Reid | 56 | 5 | |
Tramaine Brock | 56 | 3 | |
Antoine Bethea | 56 | 2 | |
NaVorro Bowman | 55 | 2 | |
Ahmad Brooks | 49 | 2 | |
Aaron Lynch | 47 | 2 | |
Michael Wilhoite | 41 | 5 | |
Ian Williams | 36 | 2 | |
Glenn Dorsey | 36 | 2 | |
Quinton Dial | 28 | 7 | |
Dontae Johnson | 20 | 15 | |
Jaquiski Tartt | 20 | 15 | |
Tank Carradine | 17 | ||
Jimmie Ward | 13 | 7 | |
Tony Jerod-Eddie | 12 | 2 | |
Arik Armstead | 12 | ||
Eli Harold | 5 | 10 | |
Shayne Skov | 1 | 15 | |
L.J. McCray | 15 | ||
Nick Bellore | 15 | ||
Bradley Pinion | 13 | ||
Kyle Nelson | 8 | ||
Phil Dawson | 5 | ||
Ian Silberman | 5 | ||
Trenton Brown | 5 | ||
Keith Reaser | 3 |