Anthony Johnson Jr.
In the first start of his NFL career, Johnson was an impact player for the Packers’ defense in their 20-3 win at home over the Rams. His most notable play came on a tipped pass from Rams’ backup quarterback Brett Rypien early in the fourth quarter, which landed right into his arms for the 2023 seventh-round pick’s first career interception.
That snag by Johnson led to a Green Bay field goal, which put them up by 10 with nine minutes left in the game–against a Rams team that had been struggling all day on offense.
The rookie safety and the rest of the Green Bay secondary locked up the skies against Rypien and held him to under 140 passing yards and 190 total yards.
Johnson finished the game with a late second-half interception, a solo tackle and a pair of passes defended.
Will McDonald IV
After continuing to struggle to get consistent snaps on the defensive line, McDonald’s relentless athleticism helped him get into the backfield late in the third quarter to record the first split sack of his NFL career.
McDonald rushed the right side and spun out of his blocker when quarterback Justin Herbert stepped up in the pocket and hit him from behind, forcing the ball out before Herbert fell back on it.
The Jets’ 2023 first-round pick for the second game in a row saw less than 10 snaps on defense for the third game in a row but got home on one of those snaps in the Jets’ Monday Night Football affair against the Chargers.
Outside of the sack that he shared with another former first-round pick Solomon Thomas, McDonald also played 13 of the Jets’ special team snaps in their 27-6 loss against the Chargers.
Breece Hall
For the seventh game of the season, Hall finished with fewer than 20 carries as the Jets fell behind early and could not find success on the ground against the Chargers. Hall rushed for 50 yards on his 16 attempts and 10 receiving yards on four receptions.
Near the mid-way point of the season, Hall has been given 117 touches and has averaged over five yards per touch and three total touchdowns in eight games.
In what should be his first full season in the NFL after his first season was cut short due to injury, he has been a playmaker for the Jets when the ball is in his hands but hasn’t received much attention lately.
Allen Lazard
Lazard had his second straight game with six targets but failed to make the most of his opportunities against the Chargers secondary. He caught two passes for 18 yards, his fourth game this season with two or fewer catches and second in three games with less than 20 yards.
The former Packer, in his first year with the Jets, has been held to 19 catches on 35 targets this season and has one touchdown on the season, which came in week four against the Chiefs. He has 273 yards through eight games and is on pace for his worst statistical season since 2020 after having a solid last two seasons in Green Bay.
Lazard, along with many others in the Jets offense, has failed to live up to preseason expectations and has now dropped to 4-4 on the season after their loss at home to the Chargers.
Xavier Hutchinson
Despite fellow rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud breaking multiple records, including the most passing yards by a rookie in a single game (470), Hutchinson was not involved in the passing game.
The 2023 seventh-round pick for the Texans had his second game with a rushing attempt and tied his longest rush of the season for 12 yards. His end-around run to the left side was good for a first down, Hutchinsons’ second first-down conversion of the season.
Hutchinson also played eight snaps on special teams and has taken 41% of the snaps on the special teams unit through eight games of his rookie season.
