Minnesota Vikings Snap Counts for Week 7 vs. Detroit Lions

The Minnesota Vikings suffered their first loss of the 2024 season at the hands of their division rivals, the Detroit Lions.

The Week 7 matchup could only have one winner, but a back and forth battle proved that both teams have what it takes to compete in the NFC come January. With the game now in the rearview mirror, and the Vikings looking ahead to a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, here are the Vikings snap counts from last weekend.

Offense

1. LT Christian Darrisaw (60)
2. LG Blake Brandel (60)
3. C Garrett Bradbury (60)
4. RG Ed Ingram (60)
5. RT Brian O’Neill (60)
6. QB Sam Darnold (60)
7. WR Justin Jefferson (58)
8. WR Jordan Addison (51)
9. WR Jalen Nailor (44)
10. RB Aaron Jones (43)
11. TE Johnny Mundt (40)
12. TE Josh Oliver (35)
13. RB Ty Chandler (11)
14. FB C.J. Ham (10)
15. WR Trent Sherfield (4)
16. WR Brandon Powell (2)
17. TE Robert Tonyan (2)

The big storylines for the Vikings on offense revolved around injuries. RB Aaron Jones returned to the field with a vengeance after suffering an injury in Week 5 against the New York Jets, and he totaled 116 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches. As a result, Ty Chandler snaps went way down, totaling just 11 compared to Jones’ 43.

Meanwhile, T.J. Hockenson was unable to return for this game with the Vikings likely hoping to keep him fresh for a short week against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. In his stead, Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver continued to see a heavy workload with 40 and 35 snaps, respectively.

Defense

1. LB Ivan Pace (57)
2. CB Byron Murphy (57)
3. S Harrison Smith (57)
4. S Josh Metellus (56)
5. OLB Andrew Van Ginkel (55)
6. S Camryn Bynum (52)
7. DT Harrison Phillips (48)
8. OLB Jonathan Greenard (47)
9. CB Stephon Gillmore (47)
10. DT Jonathan Bullard (46)
11. DT Jerry Tillery (34)
12. OLB Pat Jones (26)
13. CB Shaq Griffin (17)
14. LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (10)
15. DT Jihad Ward (7)
16. DT Taki Taimani (6)
17. OLB Dallas Turner (5)
18. DT Jalen Redmond (2)
19. CB Fabian Moreau (2)
20. OLB Bo Richter (1)
21. S Jay Ward (1)
22. LB Brian Asamoah (1)
23. S Theo Jackson (1)

Again, injuries were a big story for the Vikings’ defense. LB Blake Cashman was unable to play in the matchup because of turf toe, and it led to Ivan Pace pacing Minnesota’s defensive unit in snaps. Interestingly, Brian Flores didn’t use another linebacker very much to replace those snaps, as Kamu Grugier-Hill got on the field for just 10 plays on Sunday.

Instead, it was a steady dose of the three safeties (Bynum, Metellus, Smith) who all finished near the top of the list in snaps played on Sunday. Also, it is worth noting that Dallas Turner played just five defensive snaps this week as his playing time continues to decrease.

Special Teams

1. S Jay Ward (25)
2. LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (25)
3. S Theo Jackson (24)
4. OLB Dallas Turner (19)
5. OLB Bo Richter (19)
6. LB Brian Asamoah (19)
7. WR Trent Sherfield (19)
8. S Josh Metellus (19)
9. FB C.J. Ham (19)
10. K Will Reichard (12)
11. TE Johnny Mundt (11)
12. CB Fabian Moreau (11)
13. P Ryan Wright (8)
14. LS Andrew DePaola (8)
15. WR Brandon Powell (7)
16. DT Taki Taimani (6)
17. RB Ty Chandler (6)
18. LB Ivan Pace (6)
19. DT Jerry Tillery (6)
20. TE Josh Oliver (6)
21. DT Jihad Ward (6)
22. LT Christian Darrisaw (5)
23. DT Jalen Redmond (5)
24. RG Ed Ingram (5)
25. RT Brian O’Neill (5)
26. LG Blake Brandel (5)
27. S Camryn Bynum (5)
28. TE Robert Tonyan (5)
29. IOL Dan Feeney (5)
30. OT David Quessenberry (5)
31. RB Cam Akers (3)
32. OLB Pat Jones (1)

Per usual, it was the youngsters leading the way for the Vikings in terms of snap counts on the special teams unit. Safety Jay Ward is quickly becoming the latest safety to begin his career as a special teams player with hopes that it will eventually translate to the defense.

Meanwhile. it is worth noting that the newest Viking, RB Cam Akers, got his first playing time in Minnesota this season with the special teams unit, playing three snaps.

Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus.