NFL Week 1 Snap Counts Reveal Player Roles, Performance Trends

The New Orleans Saints face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, with the Saints aiming to avoid an 0-2 start after a loss to the Cardinals. Historically, the 49ers have dominated the Saints, especially during their time together in the NFC West, including a dominant run from 1981 to 1994. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions lost their season opener to the Green Bay Packers, with quarterback Goff showing inconsistency and a notable workload imbalance among running backs Gibbs and Montgomery. The New England Patriots also fell in their opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, struggling with their running game, as Rhamondre Stevenson out-snapped rookie TreVeyon Henderson, but neither could generate enough yards, leading to an abandoned run game in the second half. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels favored a pass-heavy approach, with wide receiver Kayshon Boutte standing out, but the team must find ways to better utilize their backs, especially Henderson, who showed promise and could be used more in critical situations. The Patriots' coach emphasized that successful offense requires coordinated efforts across play-calling, blocking, and running, highlighting the need for improvement to open up the offense more effectively.