A look at the snaps played by Patriots defenders in Monday's win over the Bills, and how the team adjusted after linebacker Jerod Mayo left the game with a right knee injury (snaps are not official tallies, as they are charted independently in the press box, so there is a small margin for error):

LB Adalius Thomas -- 54 of 54 snaps
CB Leigh Bodden -- 53 of 54
LB Gary Guyton -- 52 of 54
S Brandon Meriweather -- 52 of 54
DL Vince Wilfork -- 43 of 54
DL Ty Warren -- 42 of 54
DL Jarvis Green -- 39 of 54
DE Derrick Burgess -- 38 of 54
S James Sanders -- 38 of 54
CB Shawn Springs -- 38 of 54
DE/OLB Tully Banta-Cain -- 31 of 54
CB Jonathan Wilhite -- 25 of 54
CB Darius Butler -- 18 of 54
S Brandon McGowan -- 18 of 54
DL Mike Wright -- 18 of 54
OLB Pierre Woods -- 15 of 54
LB Jerod Mayo -- 9 of 54
LB Rob Ninkovich -- 5 of 54

(Note: The Bills ran 48 official plays. Penalties which were not official plays were added to the snaps to account for the 54-snap total.)

ANALYSIS: The Patriots opened the game playing the 3-4 alignment on seven of the first nine snaps. When starting inside linebacker Jerod Mayo left with injury, the team switched exclusively to a four-man line the rest of the game. ... Second-year linebacker Gary Guyton had his role most dramatically altered by Mayo's injury. Guyton initially was subbed out in the team's sub package, but became a full-time player after Mayo left the game. ... Rookies Pat Chung (safety) and Ron Brace (defensive line) dressed but did not see action on defense, while rookie Darius Butler was fourth on the cornerback depth chart, seeing time in both sub packages and the base defense. Butler was on the field late in the fourth quarter, which is a strong reflection of how he is viewed by the coaching staff. ... Brandon McGowan trumped Chung as the third safety. ... OLB/DE Tully Banta-Cain has been a surprise contributor, leaping over Pierre Woods on the depth chart.

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