Dadrion Taylor-Demerson knew he was getting his first NFL start on Sunday with Jalen Thompson hurting, and that alone was a big deal. But in the end, the rookie safety they call Rabbit went all-in on his J.T. replacement service, playing every one of the Cardinals' 58 defensive snaps against the Jets -- a perfect day that only a few defenders usually reach.
"We feel really good about Rabbit," coach Jonathan Gannon said. "(He) stepped in and played good. I didn't see any miscommunication. I thought he made some plays out there and he played well."
The other notable part of the secondary snap distribution on Sunday was how the cornerbacks -- and safety Budda Baker, who had yet another excellent game -- were used. Baker played 100 percent of the snaps, but the Cardinals still managed to get a lot of snap work for cornerbacks Garrett WIlliams (50), Starling Thomas V (41), Sean Murphy-Bunting (a season-low 39 in games he was healthy) and Max Melton (36).
The group combined to hold Aaron Rodgers to just 151 yards passing, and Rodgers didn't even reach 100 yards until less than 10 minutes remained in the game.
New outside linebacker Baron Browning got in 18 snaps in his first game with the Cardinals. Zaven Collins (36) led that position, followed by Jesse Luketa (24), Victor Dimukeje (19), Browning, and Xavier Thomas (17) .
At inside linebacker, Kyzir White was at 100 percent. Mack WIlson Sr. had 46, with Owen Pappoe (7) and Krys Barnes (6) getting limited work.
On the defensive line, Dante Stills led the way with 38, with L.J. Collier (27), Naquan Jones (26), Roy Lopez (26) and Khyiris Tonga (8) part of the equation.
The offense did well enough to allow for some backups to get a handful of snaps at the end of the game, and giving center Hjalte Froholdt and left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (52 of 59 snaps) rare plays off. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (43) led his group, followed by Michael Wilson (39), Zay Jones (a season-high 23 snaps) and Greg Dortch (a season-low 15).
At running back, James Conner had 32 snaps, with Trey Benson having his best game in just 16 snaps (with touches on 12 of those plays). Emari Demercado (7) and DeeJay Dallas (4) had limited work.
At tight end, Trey McBride had 41 snaps, with Tip Reiman at 35 (and over 50 percent for the third time in four games) and Elijah Higgins at 29.
