The Rams came out of their Week 7 bye healthier than they have been, giving the coaching staff more options when it came to deploying their players against the 49ers on Sunday. Troy Hill, David Long Jr., Cobie Durant all returned, as did Brian Allen, but their roles were mixed.
Looking at the snap counts from Week 8, there were some interesting trends. Tutu Atwell didn’t play at all, the running back committee is impossible to sort out and Ernest Jones was on the field a lot.
Here’s a look at how much each guy played.
Offense
The Rams were able to keep the entire offensive line together for every snap this week, which doesn’t often happen for them. Ty Nsekhe played two snaps but that was as an extra lineman.
Cooper Kupp played all but three snaps, two of which came at the end of the game after he injured his ankle. Allen Robinson remained the No. 2 receiver despite Van Jefferson’s return, out-snapping Jefferson 54 to 31. Ben Skowronek was the No. 3 receiver, playing 36 snaps. Brandon Powell only played three snaps, potentially because he was dealing with an ankle injury late in the week.
Tutu Atwell was noticeably absent, playing zero snaps on offense or special teams despite being active. He hasn’t played more than nine snaps all season, but it was surprising that he didn’t get at least one jet sweep or screen.
The running back group is a jumbled mess. Ronnie Rivers got the start because Darrell Henderson Jr. was still feeling the effects of the flu, but Henderson still managed to play more snaps (24) than Rivers. Malcolm Brown played 13 snaps as the No. 3 back, too.
Tyler Higbee played 69% of the snaps but missed some time with a neck injury. Brycen Hopkins played 10 snaps in his place and shockingly, Michael Hoecht even got one snap at tight end.
Defense
The Rams leaned heavily on six of their 11 starters on defense. Surprisingly, Derion Kendrick was in that group of six players who were on the field for every snap. Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott were, too, as were Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald.
Ernest Jones played a season-high 91% of the snaps, likely in response to the 49ers’ run-heavy attack with Christian McCaffrey.
Leonard Floyd played his usual role as the top edge rusher but Justin Hollins got more time than Terrell Lewis after the two had typically been splitting reps.
David Long Jr. played just three snaps as the No. 4 cornerback in his return from injury. That was behind Troy Hill, who played 22 snaps in his return, as well. Cobie Durant also came back from injury but didn’t play a single snap.
A’Shawn Robinson played 77% of the snaps after previously having his role limited a few times before the bye, and Greg Gaines was out there for 58% of the snaps. That’s down from his usual snap share. That was only 10 more snaps than Marquise Copeland.
