Bengals Week 17 Snap Counts: Veteran defender sees his role dramatically decrease out of nowhere

The Bengals emptied their bench once again in a blowout win over the Cardinals.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor walks the sideline in the second quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals at Paycor Stadium in Downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. The Bengals led 23-7 at halftime.
© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals notched another blowout victory with a 37-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. Cincinnati expanded its 16-point lead at the half to a 30-point lead entering the fourth quarter, so for the second week in a row, the reserves on both sides of the ball helped closed out the game.

Let’s see what the snap counts had to say about the Bengals’ win over the Cardinals.

Cody Ford did more than catch a pass

Amarius Mims (52) missed some time during the game with a shin injury, which put Cody Ford (32) in at right tackle for a drive during the second quarter while Mims was treated for his injury. He didn’t come back into the game on offense until late in the third quarter when he reported as an eligible player for a Tahj Brooks (11) four-yard run. His next snap caused Joe Burrow’s jaw to drop.

Ford then finished off the day with 13 more snaps at RT with fellow second-stringer Jalen Rivers (13) at right guard when the backups came in on offense. Joe Flacco (13), Ke’Shawn Williams (8), and others closed out the game like they did last week against the Miami Dolphins.

Stock down for Oren Burks

Linebacker Oren Burks (5) was averaging 29.2 snaps per game since the Bengals’ Week 10 bye, which is why his five snaps from Sunday stands out. Burks has been rotating in and out with rookie Demetrius Knight Jr. (31) while Barrett Carter (41) never leaves the field as the MIKE backer. Knight played his usual number of snaps, so Burks staying on the sideline more often signals a growth in trust for the rookie and the 30-year old veteran falling out of favor.

Burks has quietly been a problem for Cincinnati’s defense. His season-long missed tackle rate of 25.6% is nearly twice as worse than Knight’s (14.4%) and Carter’s (13.8%). The rookies are the future of the position in Al Golden’s improving defense, and Burks has one year left on his contract once the new league year begins in March.

Expert analysis on Bengals Week 17 snap counts vs. Cardinals

  • Tee Higgins (44) was taken out of the game following the final touchdown drive at the end of the third quarter, but also played fewer snaps than both Ja’Marr Chase (59) and Andrei Iosivas (54). Mitchell Tinsley (22) remains as the wide receiver who subs in the game for Higgins.
  • Shemar Stewart (40), who recorded his first-career sack, also played the most snaps for Cincinnati defensive linemen.
  • Tycen Anderson, Joe Giles-Harris, Shaka Heyward, Daijahn Anthony, Isaiah Foskey, and Bralyn Lux all played 16 snaps to close the game out on defense.

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