Vikings Snap Counts: Thielen, Patterson break out

By foxsports
Published

Stefon Diggs, Andre Smith, MyCole Pruitt; the Minnesota Vikings' injury report keeps getting longer, but the list of players who have taken a step forward in their absence is growing as well

Receiver Adam Thielen started in relief of Diggs and had a career day, while Nick Easton and Zac Kerin stepped in to help plug up an ailing offensive line.

Dynamic offensive threat Cordarrelle Patterson scored his first receiving touchdown in nearly two years, while Andrew Sendejo nabbed a critical interception, as the Vikings rolled to a 31-13 win over the Houston Texans.

Check out the Vikings' offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 5, as well as some observations from their latest win:

GAME 5: TEXANS (OFFENSE)

PLAYER Plays (74) %
Berger 74 100
Boone 74 100
Sirles 74 100
Clemmings 74 100
Bradford 74 100
Rudolph 68 92
Thielen 68 92
Kerin 66 89
Patterson 45 61
Wright 44 59
McKinnon 41 55
Asiata 34 46
Line 27 36
Easton 13 18
Johnson 12 16
Pruitt 10 14
Treadwell 8 11
Fusco 8 11

GAME 5: TEXANS (DEFENSE)

PLAYER Plays (74) %
Sendejo 64 100
Kendricks 64 100
Barr 64 100
Smith 64 100
Griffen 62 97
Newman 56 88
Robison 55 86
Rhodes 55 86
Munnerlyn 48 75
Johnson 39 61
Joseph 38 59
Hunter 38 59
Stephen 22 34
Waynes 16 25
Alexander 12 19
Greenway 7 11

-- Thielen stepped into Diggs' role and thrived, playing on 92 percent of the Vikings' offensive snaps and registering career highs in receptions (6) and receiving yards (127).

-- Tight end Kyle Rudolph's involvement in the passing game dropped off after a big game last week. He was targeted just four times and had two catches for 15 yards.

-- First-round pick Laquon Treadwell saw a career-high eight offensive snaps, while Charles Johnson was on the field for 12 snaps.

-- Johnson was targeted just once, potentially opening the door for Treadwell once the Vikings return from their bye.

-- Patterson's usage has been on the rise every week, and he responded against the Texans, hauling in his first touchdown since Week 7 of the 2014 season.

-- T.J. Clemmings has been suspect since moving from right to left tackle in relief of the injured Matt Kalil, and was beaten soundly by Whitney Mercilus, who sacked quarterback Sam Bradford once, and assisted on another.

-- Sendejo came up with his first interception of the season, picking off Brock Osweiler in the third quarter. It was his third career interception, and second in his last seven regular-season games.

-- After playing on a career-low two snaps against the New York Giants, linebacker Chad Greenway was on the field for just seven plays against the Texans.

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