Breaking down Vikings snap counts: Blanton plays team-high 77 snaps; all 67 on defense

Hey, remember when counting points was satisfying enough when watching and reviewing NFL games? Well, not anymore, old man.

Welcome to the Monday morning snap count breakdown. We'll take a look at each position and offer up some thoughts, analysis and what we consider surprises from Sunday's 34-6 win at St. Louis.

Here goes …

OFFENSIVE LINE: All five starters played 100 percent of the 58 snaps. Not a surprise considering these guys have been together going on three years. They played very well considering it was a road game and the Rams have the best front four in the game. LT Matt Kalil had two false starts and Phil Loadholt had a holding penalty. Rookie guard David Yankey was inactive.

QUARTERBACK: Matt Cassel played all 58 snaps. The score might suggest the Vikings should have used this opportunity to get rookie Teddy Bridgewater some experience. The way the game played out late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, the only time that made sense for Bridegewater to come in was with 1:31 left in the game. But the Vikings led by 28 and Teddy B already knows how to hand off. So no sense bringing a cold guy in off the bench. And putting him in when the Vikings took possession with 8 seconds left in the third quarter or 11:50 left in the game would have been too soon, even with the Vikings up by three scores (20-3). Christian Ponder was inactive.

RUNNING BACKS: Adrian Peterson played 74 percent of the snaps (43), while Matt Asiata played 24 percent (14) and rookie Jerick McKinnon played 5 percent (3). Peterson probably could have been rested earlier, but that's a tough call since once you pull him, you can't put him back in cold. So 74 percent and 23 touches is pretty good wear-and-tear management. It was a bit of a surprise that McKinnon, the exciting change-of-pace scatback, played only three snaps. We would expect his role to grow since he offers some unique talent.

FULLBACK: Jerome Felton was the only fullback to play. He played only 29 percent of the snaps (17). Zach Line was injured and inactive. The surprise would be the team keeping two fullbacks on the roster. Of course, special teams also weighs into keeping guys like Line.

TIGHT ENDS: Kyle Rudolph played 95 percent of the snaps (55), while Rhett Ellison played 53 percent (31). MarQuies Gray was inactive. Considering there were only 58 offensive snaps and Ellison and Rudolph played a combined 86, it's pretty safe to say that offensive coordinator Norv Turner likes him some two-tight end sets. He lined both of his tight ends up on the right edge on Patterson's 67-yard touchdown run, which was a toss sweep to the right. Both tight ends nailed their blocks perfectly to seal the inside defenders in the gaping hole.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Strong safety Robert Blanton was the only defender to play 100 percent of the 67 snaps. Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn played 99 percent (66), while free safety Harrison Smith played 88 percent (59), cornerback Xavier Rhodes 54 percent (36), No. 3 cornerback Josh Robinson 52 percent (35), rookie backup cornerback Jabari Price 42 percent (28) and rookie backup safety Antone Exum 12 percent (8). The concern here is Rhodes once again having to leave a game because of injury (groin). Perhaps he could have returned had the Vikings not been completely in control of the game. But it's not a good sign for a guy who is immensely talented but is always leaving the game with lower-body injuries. In a close game, you don't want Price, a rookie seventh-rounder, playing 42 percent of the snaps. Robinson had the best game of his career and his interception right before the half was a great play and the turning point in the game. Exum picked up the eight snaps that Smith didn't take. The more experience Andrew Sendejo, who started 10 games a year ago while Smith was out, played only special teams. Cornerback Shaun Prater was inactive.

LINEBACKERS: Rookie Anthony Barr and veteran Chad Greenway both played 88 percent of the snaps (59). Middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley played less than half of the snaps, 42 percent (28). Gerald Hodges, who sometimes is brought in to play linebacker in the nickel when Barr rushes as a down lineman, played 21 percent (14). Audie Cole saw 12 percent (8). Michael Mauti and Brandon Watts were inactive.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Eight defensive linemen played, including six that saw at least 43 percent of the snaps. So, yeah, Zimmer is pretty committed to a steady rotation up front. Brian Robison played the most, 73 percent (49), while Everson Griffen, who was questionable because of an illness that cost him two practices, played 70 percent (47). Sharrif Floyd followed with 63 percent (42), while Linval Joseph had 55 percent (33), Corey Wootton 43 percent (29), rookie Shamar Stephen 25 percent (17) and rookie Scott Crichton 12 percent (8). Joseph played over half the snaps and getting five tackles and a sack was encouraging after he missed three weeks because he was shot in the calf.