Played 64 of 66 snaps in Week 17
Zach Zenner played 64 of a possible 66 snaps in Week 17 and was the only running back to see time on offense. He ran for a career-high 69 yards and had another 41 yards receiving.
“Zenner’s in phenomenal shape,” OC Jim Bob Cooter said. “As the game wore on, kind of felt like he could keep going and felt like it made sense for us to do that, hopefully kind of adjusting to a stance (that backs can’t play 70 snaps) I made earlier in the week. So obviously my lack of playing competitive NFL running back hurt me there from a knowledge base … who knows what could happen in the future. I’ll keep it open-ended.” (Detroit Free Press)
Nerdy Football Analysis: The absence of Ameer Abdullah for most of the season and Theo Riddick recently has forced the Lions’ hand somewhat, but it shouldn’t be all that surprising a back that rushed for over 2,000 yards three times at the FCS level may be able to handle the rigors of full-time duty. Zenner has a difficult matchup this weekend in Seattle, but he’s among the top five RB plays on the board.
