Here are the key snap counts from the Patriots 16-0 loss against the Bills
10 players played 100% of the snaps on Sunday
The entire offensive line- LT Nate Solder, LG Joe Thuney, C David Andrews, RG Shaq Mason, and RT Marcus Cannon- and QB Jacoby Brissett played all 56 offensive snaps.
On defense, S Devin McCourty, S Patrick Chung, LB Jamie Collins, and CB Malcolm Butler played all 76 defensive snaps.
Rob Gronkowski plays heavy snaps, while Chris Hogan leads the wide receivers
The Patriots showed how they’ll play both tight ends as Gronkowski (39, 70%) and Martellus Bennett (44, 79%) saw heavy snaps. FB James Develin (5, 9%) and TE AJ Derby (1, 2%) saw limited time, while Clay Harbor did not see the field on offense.
Hogan (52, 93%) edged out Julian Edelman (50, 89%) at wider receiver, but it’s clear the Patriots will be playing a lot of two-tight end packages this year. Malcom Mitchell (20, 36%) and Danny Amendola (13, 23%) were limited in their snaps.
LeGarrette Blount led the running backs
Blount (30, 54%) and James White (21, 38%) split snaps, while Brandon Bolden (5, 9%) came on as a reserve. Bolden saw three targets on his five snaps.
Malcom Brown played a shockingly high number of snaps
Brown (63, 83%) played an incredibly high number of snaps for a defensive tackle, as did Alan Branch (57, 75%). Vincent Valentin (23, 30%) was dealing with a back injury so he couldn’t really help for much of the game. John Hughes would have helped.
Jabaal Sheard (58, 76%) and Chris Long (58, 76%) rotated with Trey Flowers (42, 55%) on the edge. The Patriots used a heavy front for a lot of the game.
Dont’a Hightower played a lot in his first game back
While he didn’t look healthy, Hightower (69, 91%) played a lot against the Bills. Collins was 100%, while Shea McClellin (25, 33%) and Jonathan Freeny (15, 20%) were not very involved in the plans.
Logan Ryan was benched for Cyrus Jones
Butler played 100%, but Ryan (68, 89%) needed some time off. Cyrus Jones (9, 12%) came on, while Justin Coleman (29, 38%) had a small role in the secondary. While McCourty and Chung were also 100% players, Duron Harmon (16, 21%) did not see much time on the field at all.
The following players had 10+ special teams snaps:
Nate Ebner (21), Barkevious Mingo (21), Jonathan Jones (21), Brandon King (16), Matthew Slater (16), Brandon Bolden (15), Duron Harmon (10), Jonathan Freeny (10), Jordan Richards (10)