Baltimore Beatdown
Unsurprisingly, the Ravens’ offensive line went the distance against the Bills with all five starters playing 100% of snaps. Quarterback Lamar Jackson did as well.
After that, the leading snap-getters were the team’s top three pass-catchers. Zay Flowers was on the field for all but five offensive snaps, en route to catching seven passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Rashad Bateman (37 snaps) and Mark Andrews (38 snaps) each played nearly 75% of snaps but had just three combined catches.
Backup tight end Charlie Kolar played 31 snaps with no targets. Zaire Mitchell-Paden, who was activated from the practice squad, played 15 snaps as a blocker in-place of Patrick Ricard. Newcomer Deandre Hopkins saw only 18 snaps in the No. 3 wide receiver role but had a highlight one-handed touchdown catch for 29 yards.
Derrick Henry ate up just over half of snaps at running back, playing 29 total. He rushed 18 times for 169 yards with two touchdowns. Henry ceded 23 snaps to Justice Hill in hurry-up offense and passing down situations. Rasheen Ali, who usurped Keaton Mitchell (healthy scratch) for the No. 3 running back role, played one offensive snap — which was a rushing attempt he gained five yards on.
The Ravens’ defense was on the field for a whopping 85 snaps and wore down late. They were forced back onto the field often late in the fourth quarter when the Ravens’ offense quickly sputtered three consecutive drives. The usual suspects played nearly the entire game, including Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, and Kyle Hamilton. The latter two briefly missed a couple snaps due to injury before quickly returning.
Nate Wiggins and Malaki Starks each played 84/85 defensive snaps as well in the secondary. Chidobe Awuzie served as the No. 3 cornerback in the rotation, playing a healthy 67 snaps (79%). Fellow newcomer Jaire Alexander, who was nursing an injury for the past several weeks, had a smaller role with 33 total snaps in his debut.
Up front, Travis Jones dominated defensive tackle snaps (67/85) in a now full-time starting role. Nnamdi Madubuike played 59 snaps and Broderick Washington played 34. Veteran John Jenkins and rookie Aeanas Peebles played limited snaps but each reached double digits.
The biggest notable development was at inside linebacker opposite Smith. Trenton Simpson played three less snaps (29 vs. 26) than rookie Teddye Buchanan. They traded off drives and Simpson’s hold on the starting position is evidently not as strong as some perceived.
Odafe Owen surprisingly played 10 less snaps than Tavius Robinson with a 48-to-38 split. Neither made a significant impact in the box score. Oweh was third in snaps at edge rusher in total behind Kyle Van Noy as well, who crossed the 50-snap threshold. Rookie Mike Green saw 26 snaps (31%) in his first regular season game.
