We’re going to get a lot of stuff wrong, but sifting through usage metrics can help us work through what matters and what doesn’t. That’s the goal of this article: to break down the most actionable takeaways from each week in a concise, numbers-filled format and work through what’s important. Note: From this point on, we will only focus on teams that are still alive for the Super Bowl. Let’s get right to it:
1. In Week 16, when Ricky Pearsall missed, Kendrick Bourne ran a route on 80.6% of dropbacks, while Demarcus Robinson was at 55.6%. On Saturday, without Pearsall, Robinson was the WR2 and out-routed Bourne 29-18. It sounded like Pearsall was close and should play in the Wild Card Round, but if not, Robinson seems to have the upper hand for the backup role at the moment, though it’s volatile.
2. George Kittle played 40 of 42 snaps in his return from injury and ran 29 routes on 32 Brock Purdy dropbacks. No concerns entering the playoffs.
3. Seattle was in positive game script, but it’s still worth mentioning that Rashid Shaheed only played 47.8% of snaps in Week 18. Shaheed was limited in practice on Tuesday with a concussion, but he was full the next two days and carried no designation after suffering a concussion in Week 17. Eric Saubert played 69.6% of snaps as the TE2, partly at Shaheed’s expense.
4. A.J. Barner played just 60.9% of snaps — fewer than Saubert — and ran 19 routes on 30 dropbacks. He carried no injury designation (but was listed on the report with elbow and hip injuries), so this is a pretty curious development given the importance of the game and how well Barner has played. Likely a minor blip, but something to watch in the Divisional Round post-bye.
5. Brian Thomas Jr. briefly left for a concussion check but was quickly cleared to return. Parker Washington out-routed him 29-25, the second straight week BTJ has finished third (Jakobi Meyers remains the WR1) in routes among Jaguars WRs. Jacksonville is subbing BTJ sometimes to get Tim Patrick (10 routes) in the game.
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