Brock Purdy:
Purdy opened up the third week of the 2023 NFL season with another near-perfect game behind center. He completed 25 of his 37 passing attempts for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 49er’s 30-12 win against the Giants.
His best throw of the night came on a 27-yard touchdown connection to Deebo Samuel, which brought him to four passing touchdowns on the year through three games.
Purdy finished with a passer rating of 111.3, which brought his passer rating on the season up to 106.3.
Prior to Monday’s slate of games, Purdy remained second in the league in quarterback rating (77.3) and ninth in passing yards (736).
That win at home extended Purdys’ undefeated regular season record to 8-0, which he and the 49ers will look to keep going as they face the Cardinals at home on Sunday.
Allen Lazard:
Lazard has yet to have a breakout game since joining the Jets this offseason. He added a trio of catches for 39 yards in the team’s 15-10 loss against the Patriots, bringing him to seven snags for 107 yards through three games which is the second most on the team.
The Jets as a whole have struggled offensively since having to roll with Zach Wilson as the signal caller and having to go up against a Bill Belichick-coached defense is not an easy task.
The skies do not get much brighter for Lazard and his fellow Jets as they will host the Chiefs Sunday night, who have allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards per game (178).
Breece Hall:
Despite showing off his big play ability in the Jets’ first game of the season against the Bills, Hall has seen a limited amount of touches which continued in their matchup against the Patriots.
Hall carried the ball a dozen times for 18 yards and had one catch for nine yards. The Jets struggled all day on the ground and averaged less than two yards on their 22 carries.
Hall and the rest of the running back room likely will not find much success against the Chiefs defense on Sunday, as they have allowed just over 100 yards on the ground per game and just one rushing touchdown.
Will McDonald IV:
McDonald was active against the Patriots after being a healthy scratch in week two against the Cowboys but did not record any stats in his second career game.
The Jets coaches and coordinators have praised McDonald for his efforts in practice the past couple of weeks, which should help him get some more playing time as his rookie season continues.
Xavier Hutchinson:
While rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has had a solid start to his NFL career, averaging over 300 passing yards per game, Hutchinson has not worked his way into the Texans’ emerging offense.
Hutchinson was active in the Texan’s 31-17 win over the Jaguars but received no targets from Storud. What could be halting his progression on the field is the rise of fellow rookie receiver Tank Dell who now has 15 catches for over 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns through three games.
The Texans also have a lot of talented veteran ball catchers which could also be holding back Hutchinson’s opportunities to get on the field.
Hutchinson has the potential to see the field more in next week’s matchup against the Steelers, who have allowed over 230 yards per game through the air so far this season.
