David Montgomery:
Montgomery exploded onto the field in his first game back from injury.
Montgomery helped the Lions take down the Packers 34-20 by scoring three touchdowns. He finished the game rushing for 121 yards on 32 carries. Montgomery’s dominant game against the Packers pushed his season totals up to 262 yards and five touchdowns.
Montgomery also scored a touchdown for the third-straight week he has played. Although he has been consistent in finding the end zone, Montgomery has also been waiting for a big breakout game since he joined the Lions. His three-touchdown effort helped the Lions take down a division rival in an important road game.
Brock Purdy:
Brocktober started early as Purdy continued the historic start to his NFL career. Purdy led the 49ers to a 35-16 win over the Cardinals.
Not only did that win extend Purdy’s perfect regular season record, it was a record-breaking night for him. Purdy finished the game passing for 283 yards on 20-for-21 passing.
His final completion percentage of 95.2% broke the 49ers record for highest in a single game. Purdy beat out other 49er quarterbacks like Steve Young, Joe Montana and Alex Smith for the honor.
Adding onto his nearly perfect passing game, Purdy also rushed for a touchdown on the ground for his second of the year. Purdy finished with nearly a perfect quarterback rating as well. He still leads the league in quarterback rating with 84.5.
Purdy will have his work cut out for him Sunday as he takes on the Cowboys, who are sporting a 3-1 record and one of the top defenses in the league.
Allen Lazard:
Lazard had the game he was looking forward to all season against the Chiefs. After being a big playmaker on the Packers, it was only a matter of time before he found the end zone as a Jet.
Lazard has been slowly getting used to his new role in the Jets’ offense as his receptions have steadily improved. He caught three balls for 61 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs; his first game over 50 yards.
Lazard also caught all three balls that were thrown his way. The Jets’ offense came to life against the Chiefs, which bodes well for Lazard’s future, as he looks to be a main playmaker on the team.
Breece Hall:
Hall had his second-best game of the season in the Jets’ 23-20 loss to the Chiefs. Hall rushed six times for 56 yards, averaging almost 10 yards per carry.
Hall broke out a long run early in the game to move the ball 43 yards down the field. He was one block away from breaking away to the end zone.
Along with his success on the ground, Hall also caught three passes for 13 yards. Hall was calling for more touches and got them in the last two weeks, nearing 50% of the offensive snaps in each of the last two games. If Hall continues his current pace, he could get back to his dominant form from last season.
Will McDonald IV:
McDonald saw the field for the second game in a row following his week two absence. He also took the second most defensive snaps he’s taken all season with 12.
Although McDonald recorded no stats, getting on the field is a positive for his development. The Jets have a loaded defensive end room, and are flush with talent on defense. As McDonald gets more used to the pace of the NFL, the snap counts will continue to rise.
Along with his 12 snaps on defense, McDonald also recorded eight on special teams. Although that was a downtick from the previous game, he was still a part of a third of the Jets’ special teams plays. McDonald could see more action on special teams as the Jets find out what spot he works best in.
Xavier Hutchinson:
Hutchinson was again absent on the offensive side of the ball in the Texans’ 30-6 win over the Steelers. That was the second week in a row that Hutchinson recorded no offensive snaps.
It appears that other wide receivers have separated themselves as quarterback C.J. Stroud’s main options. The main guys at the top of the receiving room are rookie Tank Dell, veteran Robert Woods and Nico Collins, who had seven catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers.
Although Hutchinson has not seen the field on offense in the last two games, he has made his presence known on special teams. He played 60% of the special teams snaps and recorded a tackle. It is clear that if the Texans do not use Hutchinson’s talents in the passing game, he can still be useful in some capacity.
