Utes in the NFL: Week Eight Update – 247Sports
Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears: The Bears got thrashed by the Cowboys 49-29, but despite a lackluster performance by the Chicago defense, Johnson played outstanding. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 21 of his 27 passes for 250 yards, but when targeting Johnson, he completed just two of four passes for 23 yards, and Johnson was credited with a pass breakup on one of the incompletions. After suffering an injury early in the season, it is fantastic to see Johnson playing at a high level against one of the more potent offenses in the NFL. On the season, Johnson has played 156 coverage snaps and has allowed just nine catches on sixteen targets for 120 yards. Quarterbacks have a passer rating of 80.2 when targeting Johnson and he also has two pass breakups to his name. While the Bears have had their fair share of struggles, Johnson has been one of the lone bright spots on their roster, and he is slowly emerging as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL.
Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars: Lloyd and the Jaguars traveled across the pond to take on the Denver Broncos early Sunday morning. Lloyd was by no means poor, but it was his worst game statistically, which says more about his prior performances than how he did on Sunday. He racked up five total tackles, with one going for a stop, and against the run, his average tackle was three yards past the line of scrimmage, which is right where NFL linebackers want to be. In coverage, Lloyd was targeted three times, and allowed 35 yards on three catches. While that is far from a bad performance, his coverage has tailed off over the past five weeks, as over that span Lloyd has allowed 33 catches on 34 targets, while failing to record an interception or pass breakup. However, despite that, Lloyd still leads NFL linebackers in pass breakups, and is tied for the lead in interceptions. Lloyd has played at least 50 snaps in every game thus far and look for that to continue as the NFL inches closer to the midpoint of the season.
Leki Fotu, Arizona Cardinals: While the Cardinals fell to the Vikings 34-26, Leki Fotu had his most productive game of the season. He played 32 snaps, which was the most out of the Cardinals defensive tackles, and the second most snaps Fotu has played in a game this season. He tallied five tackles, with three being stops, and this is a huge step forward for Fotu, as before this game, his season high was three tackles, and he had never recorded more than one stop. As a pass rusher, he was not as involved, but still got credited for a pressure, which rounded out a solid performance from the former fourth round pick. Per Pro Football Focus, Fotu’s performance against the Saints in week seven was his best game of the season, and now this week, he follows that up with the most productive performance of his young career.
Britain Covey, Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles cruised to a 35-13 victory over their in-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Covey returned just one punt for five yards, but was much more productive returning kickoffs, as he returned three for 67 yards, with his longest being a 26-yarder. Covey also got two reps at receiver, and while he was not targeted, it is awesome to see him getting playing time on offense, which had yet to happen until Sunday.
Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts: The Colts suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Commanders on Sunday, losing by a score of 17-16. Blackmon is still being eased back into the mix for Indianapolis, as he played just 21 snaps in week seven, followed up by 24 in Sunday’s loss. Blackmon recorded two tackles, and was sound in coverage, as he was not targeted a single time, and has not been targeted since week one. Expect Blackmon’s snap count to go up as the weeks go on, and he gets closer to 100%.
Mitch Wishnowky, San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers extended their regular season win streak over the Los Angeles Rams to eight games, and Wishnowky had himself another fantastic day at the office. He punted three times, and all three punts landed inside the 20-yard line, with two being fair caught and one being returned for zero yards. Returners have had issues against Wishnowksy, as on the year they have only garnered 54 yards on seven returns. He has also been one of the most consistent punters in the league, as sixteen of his 27 punts have been downed inside of the twenty-yard line, and as the season goes on, Wishnowsky keeps showing how vital he is to Kyle Shanahan’s squad.
Matt Gay, Los Angeles Rams: The Rams struggled to move the ball consistently, as they averaged less than six yards per pass, and less than three yards per run in their loss to the 49ers. These offensive struggles led to Gay not being able to attempt a field goal, and just two extra points. Unsurprisingly, Gay made both of his PAT attempts, and on the year, he has made all but one of his 23 kicks. Gay has been one of, if not the most consistent player on the Rams’ roster this season, as the defending champs are off to a cold 3-4 start, due to both their offense and defense.
Cody Barton, Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks picked up a huge win over the New York Giants, and Cody Barton had himself quite a day. Barton played just one pass rushing snap, but made the most of it, as he got to Giants quarterback Daniel Jones in the backfield and was able to record a sack. He was sound in coverage as well, as he was targeted four times, and allowed two receptions for 30 yards, while forcing his second incompletion of the season, which came on a crucial fourth down late in the game. Barton allowed a passer rating of 75.0 when targeted, his best mark of the season and a big step up from his previous season best, which was 100.0 back in the Seahawks season opener. On top of being impactful as a pass rusher and in coverage, Barton also added six tackles, with three being stops. Sunday’s game was arguably the biggest game of Seattle’s season, and Barton rose to the occasion, with a tremendous all-around performance.