Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images A look at how the Detroit Lions deployed their snaps against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. As the Detroit Lions headed into their season finale with the Minnesota Vikings, one of the biggest talking points was the possible return of captain Alex Anzalone. After missing six weeks with a broken forearm, Anzalone weighed the risks of playing and eventually elected to give it a go. In the end, not only did he have a massive impact on the Lions' 31-9 win, but he did so playing nearly every defensive snap. Let’s take a look at the Lions' Week 18 snap counts. Offense Quarterbacks Jared Goff: 68 (100%)Hendon Hooker: 0 (0%)Teddy Bridgewater: INACTIVE With the No. 1 seed and NFC North title on the line, Goff played every snap, despite the Lions going up three scores. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs: 45 (66%)Craig Reynolds: 23 (34%) — 6 special teams snaps (26%)Sione Vaki: 0 (0%) — 18 (78%)David Montgomery: INJURED — INACTIVE A career game for Gibbs, who appeared to be on the field on every snap, but actually gave way to Reynolds who toughed his way through a back injury. Vaki didn’t get any snaps on offense but he continues to shine on special teams. Tight ends Sam LaPorta: 68 (100%)Brock Wright: 28 (41%) — 6 (26%)Shane Zylstra: 9 (13%) — 19 (83%) Over the first nine weeks of the season, LaPorta never saw less than 60% of offensive snaps but only exceeded 90% of snaps once. Since Week 11, he’s played on at least 90% of snaps every game, with this week’s 100% being the first time he’s played the maximum. Wright and Zylstra continue to maintain their level of snaps, despite LaPorta’s high frequency of late. Wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown: 55 (81%)Jameson Williams: 55 (81%)Tim Patrick: 40 (59%)Kalif Raymond: 4 (6%) — 7 (30%)Allen Robinson: 0 (0%) St. Brown and Williams continue to match snap counts and produce at high levels, while Patrick is consistently seeing over half the team’s offensive snaps. Meanwhile, Raymond returned from injury and stepped back into his WR4 and returner role, producing one catch for 11 yards and a critical first down. Offensive line Penei Sewell: 68 (100%) — 5 (22%)Graham Glasgow: 68 (100%) — 5 (22%)Taylor Decker: 68 (100%)Frank Ragnow: 68 (100%)Kevin Zeitler: 63 (93%) — 5 (22%)Dan Skipper: 13 (19%) — 5 (22%)Christian Mahogany: 5 (7%) — 5 (22%)Michael Niese: 0 (0%) — 5 (22%)Kayode Awosika: INACTIVEColby Sorsdal: INACTIVEGiovanni Manu: INACTIVE Zeitler tweaked a hamstring late in the game and was replaced by Mahogany to close things out. Zeitler didn’t look worse for wear on the sidelines or in the locker room, so his removal was most likely for precautionary reasons and he’ll have two weeks to heal up before the Lions' next game. If he can’t go, Mahogany has proven to be a steady replacement with starter-level talent. Skipper saw the field 13 times in big sets for the Lions and he continues to draw cheers every time he “reports” in as an eligible. You may have noticed Skipper doing his best to quiet the cheers from the crowd, because as nice of a gesture as it is to cheer for him, Ford Field can get very loud and it’s occurring when the Lions offense is in the huddle. In the locker room after the game, I asked Skipper about the cheers, and he acknowledged that while he is super appreciative of the fans' reactions, he does wish they would be quieter when the offense is in the huddle, calling it a “blessing and a curse.” Defense EDGE Levi Onwuzurike: 48 (74%) — 4 (17%)Josh Paschal: 46 (71%) — 4 (17%)Za’Darius Smith: 38 (58%)Al-Quadin Muhammad: 31 (48%) — 2 (9%)Mitchell Agude: 17 (26%) — 11 (48%)Jonah Williams: INACTIVE The Lions leaned on their edge players a lot in this game, utilizing five guys through several roles. Onwuzurike continues to split snaps on the edge (25) and inside (23) and produced his highest pressure count of the season, with nine, per PFF. Paschal (43 on edge, 3 inside) and Smith (37, edge, 1 inside) saw a few reps inside, while Muhammad and Agude were edge-only players. DT DJ Reader: 33 (51%)Pat O’Connor: 19 (29%) — 7 (30%)Myles Adams: 15 (23%)Chris Smith: 8 (12%)Brodric Martin: INACTIVE With an increase in snaps from their edge players, the interior defenders saw their snaps reduced. This was surely part of the game plan coming into the game, but an injury to O’Connor and the Vikings backing away from their rushing attack also likely factored into the final snap counts here. Linebackers Jack Campbell: 65 (100%)Alex Anzalone: 64 (98%)Trevor Nowaske: 15 (23%) — 14 (61%)Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 8 (12%) — 18 (78%)Anthony Pittman: 0 (0%) — 18 (78%)Ben Niemann: 0 (0%) — 15 (65%)Ezekiel Turner: 0 (0%) — 12 (52%) Anzalone’s return to the field was massive, and, incredibly, he played on all but one defensive snap. While Anzalone was a huge upgrade in coverage and run defense, his presence on the field appeared to give confidence to the rest of the unit surrounding him. His instincts and reliable tackling allowed other defenders to stay in their assignments, and as a result, we saw one of the Lions' best defensive performances of the season. While Anzalone’s return didn’t impact Campbell’s snap count, we did see a reduction in Nowaske and Reeves-Maybin’s opportunities, while Pittman, Niemann, and Turner were no longer needed as defensive contributors and were special teams-only players. Cornerbacks Amik Robertson: 65 (100%)Terrion Arnold: 41 (63%)Kindle Vildor: 24 (37%) — 14 (61%) Stantley Thomas-Oliver: 0 (0%) — 5 (22%) Robertson welcomed the challenge of facing off with Justin Jefferson and gave his best performance of the year, earning a game ball following the victory. A foot injury to Arnold opened the door for Vildor to get more playing time, and he quietly had also one of the best games of his season. Thomas-Oliver was an emergency option, and despite Arnold’s injury, he was still only needed on special teams. Safety Kerby Joseph: 65 (100%) — 4 (17%)Brian Branch: 64 (98%)Ifeatu Melifonwu: 48 (74%) — 3 (13%)Morice Norris: 1 (2%) — 12 (52%) In addition to the return of Anzalone reducing the other linebacker roles (save Campbell), Melifonwu’s increased usage was also another factor. The Lions typically split time between base and nickel sets, but the Lions increased their subpackage use in this game and it’s hard to argue with the results. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Lions lean into this level of splits moving forward. Special teams Jake Bates: 10 (43%)Jack Fox: 7 (30%)Hogan Hatten: 7 (30%) Fox punted twice in this game, which was one more than he had done in the previous two games combined, Bates nailed all five of his kicks (one field goal and four extra points), while Hatten recorded an impressive two tackles—an above-average mark for a long snapper.