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Utes in the NFL: Week Fifteen Update – 247Sports

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(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)

Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears: While the Bears were unable to defeat the Eagles, Jaylon Johnson earned his stripes, as he put together a great performance against A.J. Brown, one of the toughest wide receivers to match up against in the NFL. Johnson v Brown was an absolute dogfight and the most entertaining, physical matchup I have seen this season, as both made fantastic plays, and neither were giving an inch. Johnson was targeted 13 times throughout the game, and allowed seven receptions for 133 yards, while breaking up three passes and allowing a passer rating of 89.6, the fourth game in a row he has allowed a passer rating less than 95. Following the game, A.J. Brown praised Johnson stating that he is a “great corner,” and he’s “got a lot of respect for him.” Johnson has elevated his play in a big way down the stretch of this campaign, as over the last four weeks he has broken up four passes, has allowed 11 receptions on 21 targets, and has not allowed a touchdown. The third year cornerback has been one of the best players on a struggling Bears team, and it is fair to expect a contract extension coming his way following the end of this season.

Mitch Wishnowsky, San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers picked up a huge road win over the Seattle Seahawks, a win that improved their record to 10-4 and won Kyle Shanahan’s squad the NFC West title. Wishnowsky punted six times, and had himself a solid day, as three of his punts were downed inside the twenty yard line, with one being downed at the four, and none being returned. Wishnowsky is having a stellar year, and has been a vital piece for the 49ers, making life easier for their defense as 27 of his 52 punts have been downed inside the 20 yard line. With each week, Wishnowsky’s value becomes greater, as the 49ers are one of the best teams in the NFL and will be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl come playoff time.

Cody Barton, Seattle Seahawks: While the Seahawks lost to the 49ers, Cody Barton had another strong performance, and was one of the bright spots for Seattle’s defense. He played 56 total snaps, with 33 coming against the run and 23 in coverage. Against the run, Barton racked up seven total tackles, with four being solo, while also recording three stops and an average depth per tackle of 3.0 yards in the process. Barton has been on an absolute tear as of late in coverage, and stayed hot on Thursday Night, as he allowed just one reception for 11 yards on two targets. He did miss a tackle that led to a 49ers touchdown, however he was not the closest defender when tight end George Kittle caught the ball, and tackling Kittle in open space is one of the toughest tasks for any player in the NFL. This is now Barton’s seventh straight game allowing less than 40 yards and a passer rating less than 85 when targeted. With each week, Barton is becoming more comfortable as a starter for Pete Carroll’s squad, and it is evident on the field and on the stat sheet.

Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts: This season has been odd for Blackmon, as he has dealt with injuries, and had only been targeted seven times through the first fourteen weeks of the season. That all changed on Saturday, as Blackmon was targeted eight times and played 91 snaps, a season high. Blackmon made a huge impact in the first half, as he recorded his first NFL pick six and first pick six since 2019, when he sealed Utah’s ninth straight win over BYU in Provo. While the stat sheet says Blackmon allowed six catches for 123 yards and a touchdown, it is worth noting that over half of those yards came from Dalvin Cook’s 64-yard catch and run touchdown on a screen pass, where Blackmon was not the one to blame. Despite the Colts blowing the biggest lead in the history of the NFL, Blackmon is the last one to attribute that collapse to, as he put six points on the board for Indianapolis and did well covering tight end T.J. Hockenson, one of the most explosive players at his position in the league.

Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts: An early injury to Jonathan Taylor thrusted Moss into the spotlight, as he carried the ball 24 times in the Colts 39-36 loss on Saturday. He totaled 81 rushing yards, with his longest carry going for 11 yards, while forcing four missed tackles and averaging 2.13 yards after contact per carry. This was a tough matchup for the Colts, as their offensive line has been underwhelming this season, and the Vikings boast one of the more talented front seven’s in the NFL. While the performance was not extremely efficient, it is great to see Moss getting a heavy workload, as before this game, he carried the ball just 24 times all season. According to reports, Jonathan Taylor is “highly unlikely” to return for the rest of this year, so expect Moss to get the majority of carries for the Colts in their final three regular season games.

Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens were unable to keep their division lead on Saturday, as they fell to the Browns 13-3. Huntley had his poorest performance of the year, as he threw for 138 yards on 30 attempts, while also tossing an interception and no touchdowns. To fully blame Huntley would be ridiculous though, as the Ravens were all out of sorts. Fullback Patrick Ricard was stuffed on a fourth and inches carry inside the Browns’ ten yard line, Justin Tucker uncharacteristically missed a 48-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter after Huntley put together a great drive to get them in field goal range, and he had a kick blocked in the second half as well. It simply was not the Ravens day, but they have a great chance to bounce back next week against the Atlanta Falcons, and are still in line to make the playoffs. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson’s status is still in question, and if he is unable to go, Huntley will have a chance to redeem himself and show why he was regarded as one of the league’s top backups heading into the season.

Marcus Williams, Baltimore Ravens: Williams continued his fantastic debut season with the Ravens on Saturday, as he allowed just one catch for four yards on two targets, while also adding five tackles. Teams are avoiding Williams, and rightfully so, as he was targeted eight times through the first two weeks of the season, and since, has only been targeted five times, and has allowed a mere twelve yards. Despite missing over two months of action, Williams is putting up pro bowl numbers, as he has recorded four interceptions, is allowing under eight yards per reception and a passer rating of 32.4 when targeted on 289 coverage snaps. Williams has been arguably the most efficient player on one of the most talented defenses in the NFL, and with each week, he is proving he was worthy of the massive contract the Ravens offered him over the 2022 offseason.

Britain Covey, Philadelphia Eagles: Unlike the prior two weeks, where Covey was able to return a total of ten punts, week fifteen’s matchup against the Bears only brought two opportunities with it. Covey fair caught one of those opportunities and returned the other for seven yards in the 25-20 win. Covey has gotten better as the season has progressed, and now has 271 punt return yards on 30 attempts, and 206 kick return yards on ten attempts. With starting quarterback Jalen Hurts likely missing some time down the stretch due to injury, there will be more pressure on Covey to make an impact in the return game, in order to take stress off Gardner Minshew and Philadelphia’s offense.

Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars erased a 17-point second half deficit and upset the Dallas Cowboys 40-34 in one of the most thrilling games of the season. Lloyd saw a lot of action in the win, playing 68 snaps, the most he has played since week seven. Lloyd tallied six tackles against the run, with five being solo tackles and one being credited as a stop. In coverage, Lloyd allowed six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, allowing a passer rating of 139.6, making this the fifth week in a row Lloyd has allowed a passer rating better than 100. He also made an impact as a pass rusher, as he recorded one pressure, his eleventh of the season on eleven pass rushing snaps. The Jaguars are suddenly back in the mix for a playoff berth, and their next two games are against the Jets and Texans. Both of those opponents pose great opportunities for Lloyd to find his groove in coverage, as neither of those teams possess explosive offenses and are favorable matchups for the Jaguars defense.

Leki Fotu, Arizona Cardinals: Fotu played a season high 49 snaps in the Cardinals loss to the Broncos, recording one tackle which was a stop, keeping the Broncos offense behind the sticks. Fotu’s role within the Cardinals defense has varied with each week, as he has started in about half of their games, and has served as more of a rotational piece in the others. He has recorded 23 tackles on the year, with 16 being solo tackles and ten being stops. While his pass rushing volume is not as immense as his run stopping, he has made an impact in that department as well, recording four pressures and two quarterback hits. While the Cardinals are now officially eliminated from playoff contention, as they sit at 4-10, Fotu and Arizona’s defense have a favorable matchup on Christmas Day, as they face the struggling Buccaneers at home.

Matt Gay, Los Angeles Rams: Gay had an up and down performance in the Rams’ 24-12 loss to the Packers, a game that took place in conditions that were everything but favorable for a kicker. Gay made both of his field goal attempts, with the first being a 33-yarder and the second a 55-yarder. This was Gay’s third straight week making a field goal of at least 54 yards, and his 55 yard make on Monday night now makes him 5/7 on 50+ yard field goals this year. While Gay was perfect on field goals, he unfortunately missed his first extra point of the season, making him 23/24 on extra points throughout this campaign. Aside from kicking, Gay also made his presence felt as he recorded a tackle on Packers’ kick returner Keisean Nixon, a tackle that arguably saved a touchdown. Gay is having a truly fantastic year, and has done more than enough to solidify himself as one of the NFL’s elite kickers.