CINCINNATI -- Injuries affected much of what the Cincinnati Bengals could accomplish in 2014.

Still, they had to play around those who were hurt. As a result, several backups, even a couple of rookies, saw more playing time than they probably were expected to have. As we continue reviewing the season, we're spending the next few days briefly analyzing the snap-count percentages for individual players at specific positions.

Click here for analysis of other positions. We continue with the linebackers.

Of all the position groups that took hits during the season, few of them were struck as badly as the linebackers. Only two of the nine players were on the field more than 40 percent of the time. (The ninth "linebacker" not listed was safety Taylor Mays. He made a few appearances at nickel linebacker; far fewer than 40 percent of the overall defensive snaps).

Vincent Rey, the linebacker who spent the most time on the field (888 plays), definitely was not expected to be the Bengals' most productive player at the position. Before 2014, the most snaps he had played was 332, a number he hit in 2013 as a backup. This past season, playing nearly all of it in relief of Vontaze Burfict, Rey nearly tripled the amount of time he was on the field. He also finished the season leading the Bengals in tackles with 121. That was the 12th-highest total in the league.

It's actually rather surprising that Emmanuel Lamur was part of such a high percentage of plays considering his injury issues. In his first true season as a starter -- he missed all of 2013 after suffering a shoulder injury in the final preseason game -- Lamur was in and out of the lineup dealing with shoulder and hamstring issues. Still, he was out there for 842 plays.

With veteran Rey Maualuga eligible to become a free agent, the Bengals certainly wanted more production from him this past season. But when Maualuga was healthy, he made his mark as a run-stopper. What had been an area of concern for the middle part of the season that Maualuga missed because of a hamstring injury, suddenly cleared up in the final weeks of the regular season when he returned. In all four games Maualuga missed, the Bengals allowed more than 100 yards rushing. In the final seven regular-season games after his return, only once did a team top 100 yards.

Burfict's early season head and neck issues, and the knee injury that sidelined him the last eight games, robbed defensive coordinator Paul Guenther of his "quarterback." In the preseason, Guenther lauded his relationship with Burfict. He felt the defense flowed perfectly with Burfict, who knew it inside and out.

Next season, the obvious hope is for a healthier linebacker corps; one that will have at least three players with 80 percent or more of the overall snaps.