49ers snap count vs. Saints: Aaron Lynch gets all the snaps

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-24, and it required some extra time to take care of business. The game went deep into overtime, and very well might have finished as a tie, if not for Ahmad Brooks's huge strip sack. We've got the snap count below, and you can read more in the game book.

The 49ers defense spent a ton of time on the field, finishing the game with 81 total snaps. You could sense the defense was gassed on the Saints final scoring drive, and I'm not sure how much longer they could have held in overtime. Six players took part in 80 or 81 snaps, with rookie Aaron Lynch among the 81 snap players. This is all the more impressive considering it was his first start. Dan Skuta was inactive due to an ankle injury, and Lynch got all the work. OLBs Chase Thomas and Corey Lemonier were both active as well, but Lemonier only got two defensive snaps, while Thomas got none.

Quinton Dial ended up with a big chunk of snaps, finishing the game with 29. He took over at nose tackle when Ian Williams went down, and sacked Drew Brees in overtime. Additionally, Tank Carradine got his first five career defensive snaps, and grabbed a hurry and a tackle.

Anquan Boldin led wide receivers with 62 of a possible 69 snaps, while Vernon Davis was up there with 68. Davis has struggled this season, but the team will likely continue to roll him out in hopes he breaks out of his funk. Michael Crabtree finished the game with 44 snaps. After the game, Crabtree had this to say:

"I'm a third-down receiver," Crabtree told reporters afterward. "I mean, I'm like the third option. So I come in and do my job. . . . Fourth down, I guess when they need me. I guess that's when I play. When you count stats, look that up."

People have been asking what he means with these comments. It is possible he is just complaining about playing time, or he is pissed at his own struggles. I think a lot of people are assuming it is the former, but without having more context, I'm not prepared to judge his comments one way or the other. Either way, he made a huge catch on Sunday, and hopefully he can used that to propel himself to a strong final seven games.