Ben Goessling, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Vikings' Week 7 playing time breakdown

An analysis of the snap counts from the Minnesota Vikings' 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday:

Offense (64 total plays)

Quarterback: Teddy Bridgewater 64

Offensive line: Charlie Johnson 64, Matt Kalil 64, Phil Loadholt 64, Joe Berger 51, Mike Harris 51, John Sullivan 13, Vladimir Ducasse">Vlad Ducasse 13.

Receivers: Greg Jennings 50, Cordarrelle Patterson 50, Jarius Wright 36, Adam Thielen 13, Charles Johnson 1.

Running backs: Jerick McKinnon 38, Matt Asiata 26, Jerome Felton 14

Tight ends: Rhett Ellison 51, Chase Ford 41

Noteworthy: The Vikings opened the game in '22' personnel (two running backs, two tight ends, one receiver) and got Felton more involved in the offense than he's arguably been all season. He saw his second-highest snap total of the season, was in on five plays (counting a penalty) during the Vikings' opening 15 plays, and got his first two carries in a Vikings uniform, rumbling for 21 yards on the first one. Felton wanted to be more involved this week, and he got his wish Sunday. ... Asiata was also more involved in the game plan than he was a week ago against Detroit, but McKinnon remained the featured running back, as Asiata saw much of his work in passing situations. ... The Vikings had to use Berger at center and Harris at right guard for a large chunk of the game after Sullivan left with a concussion and Ducasse injured his knee on the same play late in the first quarter. ... Jennings had his best day of the season, posting a season-high 77 yards on six catches and hauling in a 38-yard pass from Bridgewater on a third-and-7.

Defense (70 total plays)

Defensive line: Everson Griffen 67, Brian Robison 65, Linval Joseph 47, Sharrif Floyd 42, Tom Johnson 30, Shamar Stephen 21, Scott Crichton 8.

Linebackers: Anthony Barr 70, Chad Greenway 65, Jasper Brinkley 33.

Defensive backs: Harrison Smith 70, Robert Blanton 70, Captain Munnerlyn 70, Xavier Rhodes 69, Josh Robinson 42, Jabari Price 1.

Noteworthy: Barr might be building a strong case for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, as he continues to show signs of being an absolute terror on defense. He finished with 10 combined tackles, blew up a screen (which is becoming one of his specialties) for a one-yard loss in the first quarter, recovered two fumbles and made a nice play to break up a pass. He was flagged for a 15-yard penalty after drilling quarterback Kyle Orton a split-second after Brian Robison hit him in the first quarter, and he still needs to improve in pass coverage; Orton targeted him 13 times, completing 11 passes, according to Pro Football Focus, and Barr let receivers cross his face a couple times. Overall, though, the rookie looks like a force. ... Griffen had three sacks, matching his career high, and forced a fumble. He also had two more tackles for loss, and registered a pair of quarterback hits. ... The Vikings eased Greenway back into his full role after he missed three games with broken ribs, rotating him with Jasper Brinkley on nickel snaps early in the game, but Greenway would stay on the field most of the day, recording a combined 15 tackles and forcing a fumble. ... Blanton looked like a worthy complement for Smith on Sunday, recovering a fumble and picking off Orton once.

Top special-teams contributors: Michael Mauti (19 snaps), Antone Exum (19), Andrew Sendejo (19), Marcus Sherels (18), MarQueis Gray (17), Thielen (15), Audie Cole (15), Shaun Prater (13), Price (11), Ellison (11), Robinson (10).

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