Brock Purdy
After a stretch of rough waters, Purdy returned to elite form against the Jaguars. Purdy threw for 296 yards on 73% completions, while tacking on three touchdowns as well.
Purdy’s performance helped the 49ers break their three-game losing streak. After throwing for four touchdowns in a big win over the Cowboys, Purdy had a stretch of three games where he did not perform up to his standard. Although he was connecting with his receivers and putting up yards, turnovers were holding him back from getting wins.
With a perfect performance against the Jaguars, Purdy put the 49ers back into the top spot in the NFC West. Purdy finished the game with his highest passer rating of the season (148.9) and moved to first in the league in quarterback rating with 76.3.
David Montgomery
Montgomery is back from injury and did not take long before he got back into stride. With the emergence of Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions’ running back room has been electric even without Montgomery. However, the increased reps from Gibbs did not seem to cut into Montgomery’s production.
Montgomery exploded for 116 yards on 12 carries. That averaged out to nearly 10 yards per carry. Along with the yards, Montgomery ran in a 75-yard touchdown to help the Lions squeak out a win on the road against the Chargers.
With Montgomery back, the Lions have a good chance to make the playoffs, as they sit at 7-2. The only team in the NFC ahead of the Lions is the Eagles, who sit at 8-1.
Xavier Hutchinson
Hutchinson is starting to hit his stride through the season, as he saw more action against the Bengals.
Hutchinson has not filled into a big receiving role, as the Texans’ receiving room is stacked with talent. Fellow rookie Tank Dell has soaked a majority of the looks in C.J. Stroud’s breakout season. The depth at receiver has caused Hutchinson to not get looks on offense, as he was only targeted once against the Bengals.
However, despite the lack of presence in the passing attack, Hutchinson has settled into a unique role on the team. Hutchinson had a rush against the Bengals that went for 17 yards. His talents on the ground look to be his biggest strength, as the Texans have rushed Hutchinson four times in three of the last four games, for a total of 44 yards.
Hutchinson also saw an uptick in special teams snaps. He had 15 snaps, which rivaled his presence early in the season on special teams.
Breece Hall
Hall struggled again on the ground for the fourth straight week. Hall has been getting touches, as he saw 13 against the Raiders, but he has seen fewer breakout runs.
Hall ran for 28 yards on an average of 2.2 yards per carry. That marks the fourth-straight week where he averaged around three yards per carry or less.
Despite the lack of success on the ground, Hall was active in the passing game. He caught three balls for 47 yards. His longest was a 35-yard catch late in the game which led to a field goal. However, the Jets could not quite get it done against the Raiders.
Anthony Johnson Jr.
After a historic first start for Johnson, he settled down into his role with the Packers.
Johnson’s first start saw him grab one interception and defend two passes. He also picked up a solo tackle in the Packers’ 20-3 win over the Rams.
Although Johnson did not start against the Steelers, he still recorded a tackle in his six snaps on defense. He also saw action in nearly a quarter of the special teams snaps.
Kene Nwangwu
Nwangwu played his second game of the season against the Saints after dealing with injuries throughout the season. Although he came back in week seven against the 49ers, he did not play over the last two weeks.
Nwangwu saw a similar share of snaps on special teams, as he played in 45% of the snaps. However, he did not get the chance to return any kicks.
Instead of being a kick-return specialist, Nwangwu saw some action on offense. He carried the ball twice for nine total yards, as the Vikings continued building their winning streak.
Will McDonald IV
After coming off his most productive game of the season, McDonald took a step back as he did not play in the Jets’ loss to the Raiders.
McDonald hit the injury report following Friday’s practice after dealing with some ankle issues. Jets head coach Robert Saleh mentioned that he was having issues with his ankle but did not make it sound like it was anything too serious. McDonald even finished Friday’s practice before the injury cropped up Saturday morning.
