The third preseason game is often considered the closest to resembling the regular season NFL teams will come to until contests actually start in September.
With the starters playing into the second half in most cases, snap counts can also give an indication of who is still fighting for a roster spot, who has one wrapped up and who might have played their last game as a Lion against Jacksonville on Friday.
Here’s a peek and some analysis on special-teams snap counts. Only players who had more than 10 percent of special-teams snaps (and specialists) are noted:
Ashlee Palmer 14 snaps (70 percent); Travis Lewis 13 snaps (65 percent); Tahir Whitehead 11 snaps (55 percent); Isa Abdul-Quddus 9 snaps (45 percent); George Winn 9 snaps (45 percent); Theo Riddick 8 snaps (40 percent); Don Carey 8 snaps (40 percent); Eric Ebron 7 snaps (35 percent); George Johnson 7 snaps (35 percent); Joseph Fauria 6 snaps (30 percent); Jeremy Ross 6 snaps (30 percent); Bill Bentley 6 snaps (30 percent); Nevin Lawson 6 snaps (30 percent); Don Muhlbach 6 snaps (30 percent); Sam Martin 5 snaps (25 percent); Travis Swanson 5 snaps (25 percent); Darius Slay 5 snaps (25 percent); Cassius Vaughn 5 snaps (25 percent); Rodney Austin 4 snaps (20 percent); Kevin Ogletree 4 snaps (20 percent); Jed Collins 4 snaps (20 percent); Kris Durham 4 snaps (20 percent); Jerome Couplin 4 snaps (20 percent); Julian Stanford 4 snaps (20 percent); Montell Owens 4 snaps (20 percent); Brandon Hepburn 3 snaps (15 percent); Devin Taylor 3 snaps 15 percent); Chad Abram 3 snaps (15 percent); Jordan Thompson 2 snaps (10 percent); Jacob Maxwell 2 snaps (10 percent); Andrew Peacock 2 snaps (10 percent); DeAndre Levy 2 snaps (10 percent); Glover Quin 2 snaps (10 percent); Stephen Tulloch 2 snaps (10 percent); Rashean Mathis 2 snaps (10 percent); Ndamukong Suh 2 snaps (10 percent); Jason Jones 2 snaps (10 percent); C.J. Mosley 2 snaps (10 percent); Giorgio Tavecchio 2 snaps (10 percent); Drew Butler 2 snaps (10 percent); Steven Miller 2 snaps (10 percent); Nate Freese 2 snaps (10 percent).
Analysis: Massive amount of snaps for Palmer and Lewis, both of whom were reserve linebackers Friday night. They are both core special-teams players, so it might be how both end up on the roster. Good sign for Abdul-Quddus as well that he played nine snaps. Neither kicker got many opportunities -- Freese on an extra point and Tavecchio on a missed 51-yard field goal. That George Johnson can play special teams as well could really help his case to make the team. Same with George Winn over Mikel Leshoure if it is close. Right now, though, both Winn and Leshoure seem to be fighting for a roster spot that may not be there.
