Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
David Dorey

Tunnel Vision

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Josh Allen 253-78 3
 Justin Herbert 274-38 3
 Kyler Murray 191-56 3
Trevor Lawrence 321-1 3
Jalen Hurts 153-157 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Josh Jacobs 33-229
6-74
2
Austin Ekeler 5-20
11-60
1
James Conner 25-120
3-20
1
JaMycal Hasty 12-28
5-67
1
Miles Sanders 21-143
3-17
2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Justin Jefferson 9-139 1
Chris Godwin 12-110 1
Amon-Ra St. Brown 9-122 1
Zay Jones 11-145 0
Garrett Wilson 5-95 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Dalton Schultz 4-31 2
Josh Oliver 4-76 1
Jordan Akins 5-61 1
Travis Kelce 4-57 1
T.H. Hockenson 5-43 1
Placekickers XP FG
Justin Tucker 1 4
Nick Folk 2 4
Harrison Butler 2 4
Jason Sanders 3 3
Eddy Pineiro 2 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Eagles 3-2 0
Dolphins 5-3 1
Chiefs 3-2 0
Bills 2-2 0
Vikings 3-0 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Aaron Rodgers (GB) – Oblique
RB Travis Etienne (JAX) – Foot
RB Elijah Mitchell (SF) – Knee
RB Michael Carter (NYJ) – Ankle
WR Chase Claypool (CHI) – Leg
WR Allen Robinson (LAR) – Foot
WR Darnell Mooney (CHI) – Ankle

Chasing Ambulances

RB Travis Etienne – Injured his foot and did not return to the game. HC Doug Pederson said that Etienne could have returned to the game but was held out just to play it safe. Etienne did not have crutches or a walking boot and appear to walk fine. He said he would be ready to go this week against the Lions.

RB Elijah Mitchell (SF) – Already missed most of the season with a sprained MCL and now he sprained the MCL in his other knee. He’ll get an MRI on Monday but the initial speculation is that he is not as bad as he was in Week 1. Notable too, Christian McCaffrey was dealing with “knee irritation” according to HC Kyle Shanahan.

RB Michael Carter – Injured his ankle in the win over the Bears and did not return.  He is due for an MRI on Monday to determine the severity but early speculation believes he will miss some time.

WR Chase Claypool – Had his leg buckle under him a bit during a catch and left the game. He’s a marginal fantasy player anyway, but he did lead the Bears receivers with two catches for 51 yards with Justin Fields out. More should be known after tests on Monday.

WR Allen Robinson – Injured his foot and will require season-ending surgery. It is an ending to a season even more disappointing than 2021.

WR Darnell Mooney – Injured his ankle in the loss to the Jets and it is believed to require season-ending surgery like Allen Robinson. It will be confirmed on Monday.

QB Aaron Rodgers – He was already playing with a fractured right thumb, and now Rodgers picked up an oblique injury. He underwent x-rays of his ribs that were inconclusive. He will have further testing on Monday.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Sam Darnold (CAR) – Had his first start of the season and while he only threw for 164 yards and one score, he connected with D.J. Moore for 103 yards and a score on four receptions. He didn’t need to throw more than 19 passes, but still connected with Moore.

RB JaMycal Hasty (JAC) – With Travis Etienne out for nearly the entire game, Hasty stepped up to be the primary back and finished with just 28 yards on 12 carries versus the Ravens defense, but he added five receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. Snoop Conner only ran three times for eleven yards. Etienne’s injury isn’t thought to be serious, but Hasty should be on the Etienne owner’s roster and if not, he’s worth stealing in case Etienne misses time.

WR Zay Jones (JAC) – Just set a career-high with 11 receptions for 145 yards in the win over the Ravens. Jones caught eight passes for 68 yards at the Chiefs in Week 11. He is trending up lately and is an option when the Jags must pass to stay in the game.

QB Kyle Allen (HOU) – He replaced Davis Mills but the results were similar. Allen passed for 215 yards and one score with two interceptions. Brandin Cooks (5-59) and Nico Collins (6-44) did see much improvement from the change in quarterback.

RB Dameon Pierce (HOU) – His production has trended downward badly in the last couple of games.  After Week 11 only produced 17 total yards, he was held to only 16 total yards at the Dolphins. The Commanders and Dolphins are not Top-5 defenses, but Pierce spent the last two weeks with anemic production.

Bears wideouts – Darnell Mooney is believed to have a serious and season-ending injury and Chase Claypool injured his leg in some undisclosed measure. Those are the two starting wideouts for the Bears who are currently missing Justin Fields as well. Dante Pettis (1-12) and Byron Pringle (2-12, TD) are the replacements and Pettis subs for Mooney who won’t be back. It is an offensive mess with all the injuries, but small opportunities exist.

RB Zonovan Knight (NYJ) – He was the practice squad player that they promoted up and then sat James Robinson on Sunday against the Bears. With Michael Carter leaving from an ankle injury, Knight went from just a name to be the primary running back for the Jets. He impressed. The ex-N.C. State running back was undrafted but did well enough in practices that HC Robert Saleh thought that the backfield could use a spark and gave him a shot that even Knight didn’t realize until Saturday. He set a Jets record when ran for 69 yards and caught three passes for 34 yards. Those 103 scrimmage yards are the most in a player’s debut in Jets history. To the waiver wire!

RB Ty Johnson (NYJ) – He only had nine carries over the first 11 weeks, but Johnson was pressed into duty with Michael Carter injured and James Robinson inactive. he ran for 62 yards on five carries that included a 32-yard rushing touchdown. He also caught a 16-yard pass.

QB Mike White (NYJ) – After slogging through the marginal play of Zach Wilson, the Jets opted for a change, finally, to White. All he did was throw for 315 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and just one sack. White connected well with Garrett Wilson (5-95, 2 TD) and Elijah Moore (2-64, TD). HC Robert Saleh said that Wilson would stay out until he gets his confidence back. Watching White probably did not help.

WR Elijah Moore (NYJ) – It bears repeating. Moore has been a non-factor this year but he caught two passes in his first game with Mike White – a 42-yard completion and a 22-yard touchdown. It was just one game, but it was also the best game of the season for Moore who showed talent last year that hasn’t been seen in 2022 until Sunday.

RB Brian Robinson (WAS) – He not only produced his first 100-yard game, he showed up as a receiver as well. The rookie ran for 105 yards on 18 rushes in the win over the Falcons and added two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown. He only had four catches over his first seven games, so it is a positive development.

RB James Conner (ARI) – He ran for 120 yards in the loss to the Chargers and it was his first 100-yard game of the year. He was consistent with about half of that yardage prior to Week 12. Conner also caught three passes for 20 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the year.

WR Marquise Brown (ARI) – After spending five weeks on injured reserve, Brown returned and caught six passes for 46 yards in the loss to the Chargers. He was thrown a team-high eight targets and also led with six receptions. The schedule is not kind and he goes onto his bye this week, But Brown was cranking out 80-yard games and scored three times before his Week 6 injury.

QB Bryce Perkins / WR TuTu Atwell (LAR) – Maybe it will get better? The notion that what exists as the Rams now, compared to what just won the Super Bowl is mind-blowing. Matt Stafford has his second concussion in three weeks and that handled very carefully. It even caused speculation that Stafford could retire. All we can be sure of for now is that Perkins is not the answer at quarterback. To be fair, he’s playing without Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson was just lost for the season. There could be opportunity for a receiver and Atwell is the direct replacement for Robinson. He caught a 62-yard touchdown in Week 11 but only managed two catches for 23 yards at the Chiefs on Sunday.

RB Jordan Mason (SF) – He hasn’t done much for the 49ers so far, but Elijah Mitchell injured his other MCL and may miss time. Christian McCaffrey was described as having a knee irritation by HC Kyle Shanahan who said that he “hoped it wasn’t anything.” Jeff Wilson is gone. Mason is next in line to play. Depending on Mitchell and potentially McCaffrey’s injuries, Mason could be a name to sneak back into the conversation. Mason ran for 25 yards on his five carries yesterday.

QB Jordan Love (GB) – Once Aaron Rodgers left in the third quarter with a painful oblique injury, Love entered the game and looked sharp completing 6-for-9 for 113 yards and one 62-yard touchdown to Christian Watson. Depending on how Rodgers’ scan goes on Monday, Love may be looking at more playing time.

Huddle player of the week

Josh Jacobs – To think how many times he was passed over in fantasy drafts. Jacobs has already been one of the best fantasy draft picks of 2022, and now his Week 12 production boosted him all the way up to be the No. 2 fantasy running back. Jacobs ran for an astounding 229 yards and two scores on 33 carries, plus caught six passes for 74 yards. That included the 86-yard run that ended overtime with a win for the visiting Raiders.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Mike White 317 3 QB Tua Tagovailoa 299 1
RB JaMycal Hasty 95 1 RB Travis Etienne 3 0
RB Ty Johnson 78 1 RB Christian McCaffrey 49 0
WR Zay Jones 145 0 WR Mike Evans 31 0
WR Isaiah McKenzie 96 1 WR Christian Kirk 41 0
WR DeAndre Carter 73 1 WR Deebo Samuel 43 0
TE Josh Oliver 76 1 TE George Kittle 26 0
PK Nick Fold   2 XP   4 FG PK Will Lutz   Nope
Huddle Fantasy Points = 110 Huddle Fantasy Points = 39

Now get back to work…

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.