Notes and thoughts on the Patriots’ snap counts from their 30-13 loss to the 49ers.
The New England Patriots’ wide receiver carousel continued to spin in Week 4. In an effort to kickstart a struggling passing offense against a stout San Francisco 49ers defense, a new No. 1 option emerged: Ja’Lynn Polk.
The second-round rookie ended up leading the team in both targets (7) and snaps among skill position players (53; 83%). As with the entire passing game, the production was lacking — three catches for 30 yards — but Polk’s emergence as a serious starter-level player might be a sign of what lies ahead for the youngster.
With Tyquan Thornton (13 snaps), Kayshon Boutte (15 snaps) and Javon Baker (0 snaps) playing reduced roles, Polk appears to be taking over as the top guy on the perimeter. And with Kendrick Bourne set to come off the physically unable to perform list as early as this week, he projects as a top-three receiver alongside him and slot option DeMario Douglas.
With that said, here is our full snap count report from the Patriots’ 30-13 loss to the 49ers.
Offense
Total snaps: 64 | Time on the field: 27:35
QB Jacoby Brissett* (64; 100%), LT Demontrey Jacobs* (64; 100%), LG Sidy Sow* (64; 100%), RG Layden Robinson* (64; 100%), RT Michael Onwenu* (64; 100%), C Nick Leverett (55; 86%), WR Ja’Lynn Polk* (53; 83%), TE Hunter Henry* (50; 78%), WR K.J. Osborn* (42; 66%), TE Austin Hooper* (38; 59%), WR DeMario Douglas (38; 59%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (35; 55%), RB Antonio Gibson (22; 34%), WR Kayshon Boutte (15; 23%), WR Tyquan Thornton (13; 20%), RB JaMycal Hasty (10; 16%), C David Andrews* (9; 14%), OT/TE Caedan Wallace (3; 5%), OT/TE Zachary Thomas (1; 2%)
*denotes starter
Elsewhere at wide receiver, K.J. Osborn and DeMario Douglas continued to see regular action. Both were quiet, however: Osborn was effectively a non-factor, catching just one 3-yard pass, while Douglas is still underused and hauled in three passes for 13.
The tight ends, meanwhile, were a heavy part of the game plan; both Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper played more than half of New England’s offensive snaps. The two combined to catch four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown.
At running back, Rhamondre Stevenson was in and out of the lineup — in large part due to yet another fumble. He has now let go of the ball in four straight games, including two that ended up as takeaways.
Along their offensive line, the Patriots continued their game of musical chairs. Besides Demontrey Jacobs becoming the fourth starter at left tackle in four games and Sidy Sow making his season debut at left guard, the team also had to watch center David Andrews suffer a game-ending shoulder injury just one drive in. Nick Leverett brought on to replace the team captain, playing 55 snaps in the process — his highest output since the 2022 season.
Defense
Total snaps: 63 | Time on the field: 30:46
S Jabrill Peppers* (63; 100%), LB/ED Jahlani Tavai* (56; 89%), CB Christian Gonzalez* (56; 89%), DE/ED Keion White* (53; 84%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (49; 78%), LB Raekwon McMillan* (49; 78%), DT Daniel Ekuale* (46; 73%), DE/ED Deatrich Wise Jr. (44; 70%), DT Davon Godchaux* (40; 63%), ED Joshua Uche* (40; 63%), CB Marco Wilson (31; 49%), CB Marcus Jones* (30; 48%), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (28; 44%), CB Jonathan Jones* (24; 38%), DT Eric Johnson (22; 35%), S Kyle Dugger* (18; 29%), LB Christian Elliss (14; 22%), LB Curtis Jacobs (10; 16%), S Dell Pettus (7; 11%), CB Isaiah Bolden (7; 11%), DT Trysten Hill (7; 11%)
*denotes starter
With several starters missing time or the game entirely, the Patriots had some replacement work to do on the defensive side of the ball. Outside of filling the spots usually occupied by defensive tackle Christian Barmore and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who have now missed four and two games, respectively, the team also had to adjust on the edge and at safety.
Anfernee Jennings missed the game because of a shoulder injury, prompting New England to adapt. The team used several options in hopes of replacing his contributions: Keion White and Deatrich Wise Jr. both kicked out regularly, while Jahlani Tavai continued his regular practice of moving up to the line of scrimmage.
The biggest change came in regards to Joshua Uche. His 63 percent playing time share is the second highest of his career after a 64-percent outing in against Arizona in December 2022.
As for the safety spot, Kyle Dugger went down down with an ankle injury in the second quarter. Usually a 100-percenter, he played just 18 snaps on the day. Fellow safety Jabrill Peppers took over defensive signal-calling duties, while Jaylinn Hawkins was the next man up in terms of filling in for Dugger. Additionally, rookie Dell Pettus also saw a handful of snaps in an effort to fill a big void in the secondary.
Another defensive players worth mentioning is Marco Wilson. Returning to the No. 4 spot in the cornerback rotation after Alex Austin was sent to injured reserve, he actually out-snapped starters Jonathan and Marcus Jones on the day. The game getting out of hand in the second half seemed to contribute to this usage.
Special Teams
Total snaps: 26 | Time on the field: 1:39
S Brenden Schooler (23; 88%), CB Marcellas Dial Jr. (23; 88%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (17; 65%), LB Christian Elliss (17; 65%), S Dell Pettus (17; 65%), TE Mitchell Wilcox (17; 65%), LB Curtis Jacobs (15; 58%), RB/KR JaMycal Hasty (13; 50%), LB Raekwon McMillan (13; 50%), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (13; 50%), LB Jahlani Tavai (10; 38%), DE Keion White (9; 35%), CB Isaiah Bolden (9; 35%), WR Kayshon Boutte (7; 27%), LS Joe Cardona (7; 27%), P/H Bryce Baringer (7; 27%), RB Antonio Gibson (6; 23%), DT Daniel Ekuale (6; 23%), DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (6; 23%), CB Marco Wilson (6; 23%), K Joey Slye (6; 23%), DT Davon Godchaux (5; 19%), OT Demontrey Jacobs (3; 12%), G Layden Robinson (3; 12%), OT Michael Onwenu (3; 12%), G Sidy Sow (3; 12%), C Nick Leverett (3; 12%), TE Austin Hooper (3; 12%), OT Zachary Thomas (3; 12%), ED Joshua Uche (3; 12%), CB/PR Marcus Jones (3; 12%), S Kyle Dugger (3; 12%), S Jabrill Peppers (2; 8%), WR Ja’Lynn Polk (1; 4%), DT Trysten Hill (1; 4%)
There were few surprises in the kicking game, but two developments still worth noting. The first was several core members such as Jaylinn Hawkins, Christian Elliss and Raekwon McMillan seeing their special teams snaps modified in light of increased defensive action — an unsurprising development in an effort to keep everyone as fresh as possible.
The other is the fact that Kayshon Boutte is listed above. The second-year wide receiver played the first seven special teams snaps of his career on Sunday, all of them on the kickoff return squad.
Did not play
WR Javon Baker, QB Drake Maye
Two rookies rode the bench throughout Sunday afternoon, and none really came as a surprise. Whereas Drake Maye continues to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett, Baker is the sixth member of the wide receiver depth chart at the moment — a position that is unlikely to change in light of Kayshon Boutte’s increased kicking game role.
Inactive
QB Joe Milton III, ED Anfernee Jennings, DE Jamree Kromah, OT Vederian Lowe, G Michael Jordan, TE Jaheim Bell
As noted above, the Patriots were without starting edge Anfernee Jennings against San Francisco. Alongside him, offensive tackle Vederian Lowe and interior lineman Michael Jordan also missed the game due to injury.