Let's try to find some meaning in the snap counts from the Vikings' 17-3 loss to the Lions on Sunday …

OFFENSIVE SNAPS: 68.

QUARTERBACK:Teddy Bridgewater 68.

Thoughts: Pulling Bridgewater for his own physical safety would have risked doing damage to his development mentally. So the coaching staff had no choice but to let the kid take the medicine that rookies not named Luck or Wilson or Roethlisberger are force fed.

OFFENSIVE LINE: LT Matt Kalil 68, LG Charlie Johnson 68, C John Sullivan 68, RG Vladimir Ducasse 68, RT Phil Loadholt 68.

Thoughts: The initial thought is, wow, Atlanta's defensive line has to be the worst in the league. Two weeks ago, the Vikings manhandled the Falcons up front. Sunday, the Lions looked like they had four fathers playing against their children in the backyard. Minus the fathers letting the children win, of course. Not having Brandon Fusco at right guard hurts. But the consistent breakdowns throughout the line has been a recurring issue for two years now.

RUNNING BACKS: Jerick McKinnon 46, Matt Asiata 16, Joe Banyard 7, FB Jerome Felton 5.

Thoughts: It was good to finally see McKinnon move ahead of Asiata as the starter and primary back. We'll see if it's a permanent deal, but one has to assume it is. Asiata is a hard worker and gets the most out of what he has, but McKinnon is the guy who gives the team the best chance at those explosive runs of 12 yards or more that are sitting on the exempt list next to Adrian Peterson. Felton hasn't played much this season, but getting only five snaps tells us the Vikings knew they couldn't just line up and run straight at the best defensive front in football.

RECEIVERS, TIGHT ENDS: WR Greg Jennings 64, TE Chase Ford 53, WR Cordarrelle Patterson 52, WR Jarius Wright 44, TE Rhett Ellison 29, WR Charles Johnson 14, WR Adam Thielen 9, TE MarQuies Gray 1.

Thoughts: Well, we hate to open up another line of questioning that goes "Why aren't the Vikings using [FILL IN THE BLANK] more!?" But Wright sure seems to be more visible when he's on the field than Jennings is when he's on the field. Jennings typically plays the most snaps. And, granted, he's hamstrung by quarterbacks who aren't very good or aren't experienced. But he played 20 more snaps than Wright and saw the same number of balls thrown to him (four). Wright caught four of them. Jennings caught three. Something strange is going on there. Patterson played a little fewer snaps than usual, possibly because of that hip injury that's nagging him. Johnson got 14 snaps in part because of Patterson's slight reduction in snaps. Patterson caught only two of the eight balls thrown his way. Bridgewater's red-zone interception — in which the safety baited him into throwing the ball to Patterson — is a prime example of how bad an idea it is to force the ball to a particular receiver, no matter how good he is. It is surprising, however, that we don't see more of those Percy Harvin-type bubble screens for Patterson. Ford is overlooked, but is becoming a player to watch. That's why he played 53 snaps and caught four of the five balls thrown to him.

DEFENSIVE SNAPS: 70.

SECONDARY: CB Captain Munnerlyn 70, CB Xavier Rhodes 70, FS Harrison Smith 70, SS Robert Blanton 70, CB Josh Robinson 39.

Thoughts: Right off the bat, the first thought is Vikings fans should be thrilled that they have Smith at a key position on defense. Not only is he capable of becoming a Pro Bowl and even an All-Pro performer one day, he's also one tough dude. He played 100 percent of the snaps even though he entered the game with a 50 percent chance of playing because of an ankle sprain. He wasn't at his best, but he and the rest of the secondary did some decent work. For the final 56 minutes, Lions QB Matthew Stafford was held to 15 for 29 passing for 116 yards and no touchdowns. Blanton hasn't missed a defensive snap this season. He's the only defender to play every snap. He's erasing his rap as an injury-prone player. But one has to think his playing time also is a sign that safety will be a priority in the draft next season.

LINEBACKERS: Anthony Barr 70, Gerald Hodges 66, Jasper Brinkley 31, Audie Cole 3, Michael Mauti 1.

Thoughts: This was Brinkley's best game. He played less than half the snaps, but tied for the team lead in solo tackles with six, had a sack and two tackles for loss. Hodges missed only four snaps after tweaking his hamstring. He said it wasn't a big deal, but that's an injury to keep an eye on as Chad Greenway gets closer to returning from a broken hand and broken ribs.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Everson Griffen 65, Brian Robison 65, Linval Joseph 45, Sharrif Floyd 39, Shamar Stephen 34, Tom Johnson 21, Corey Wootton 10.

Thoughts: Johnson was by far the most efficient with the number of snaps he had. A sack and a QB hurry in which he blasted Stafford with a helmet to the chest showed a continuation of Johnson's comfort with his role as a nickel pass rusher. Perhaps he should be getting more reps or even starting. Griffen had six tackles and was credited with a sack that he didn't do much on as Stafford fell to the ground. It's a different defense, so the sack totals aren't going to be as high as in past seasons. So Griffen and Robison are being taught to rush more responsibly. That means they can't abandon containment or the running game while striving for double digit sack totals.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Four players played a team-high 21 snaps on special teams: Thielen, Mauti, S Andrew Sendejo and S Antone Exum.

Team high snap total: Blanton, 78 (70 defense, 8 special teams).