Move over Russell Wilson; there’s another Pack Pro headlining the week. While the Seahawks, especially Wilson, continue to impress this season, Bradley Chubb was the headliner of Pack Pros this week. The Colts and quarterback Phillip Rivers pulled out a win in which Nyheim Hines saw a lot of action. Here is how Wilson, Chubb, Hines and other Pack Pros fared in week four.
Bradley Chubb, Linebacker, Denver Broncos
Chubb was “hungry” in the pass rush this week, collecting 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. This was the first time we’ve seen the full potential of Chubb since he tore his ACL early last season. His head coach in Denver, Vic Fangio, thinks this is just the start of the comeback for the young pass rusher.
“I don’t think he’s back to where he was prior to the injury, but we can’t forget that this guy is 11 months removed from his ACL surgery,” Fangio said. “If you talk to anybody who’s had that, it takes a little longer before you feel 100%. Bradley is fighting through that, some of it is mental. This guy is a warrior and he’s going to continue to get better and better.”
Whatever this performance leads to, it was exciting to see Chubb chasing down the quarterback just like he did for four years at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Russell Wilson, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
If anyone is going to make 360 passing yards and two touchdowns look pedestrian, it’s Wilson. Throughout the first three games of the season, he set the record for passing touchdowns. This week, he tied the record for most touchdown passes through the first four games of the season with 16. That might be why his performance felt like it left something to be desired.
Going into a game against the porous defense of the Miami Dolphins, everyone was expecting Wilson to keep “cooking,” and he did, as the Seahawks coasted to a 31-23 victory against the Dolphins.
Philip Rivers, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
Rivers is what he is, a reliable veteran quarterback. He won’t win you many football games, but he certainly won’t lose you any. Rivers threw for 190 yards and a touchdown against the tough defense of the Chicago Bears. The Colts struggled in the red zone, with only one of the four trips to the red zone ending in a touchdown, and they were forced to settle for field goals on the other possessions. However, the Colts defense held strong and carried them to a 19-11 victory.
Nyheim Hines, Running Back, Indianapolis Colts
Hines didn’t light up the statsheet, but he reached a season-high nine carries against the Bears. He couldn’t get in a rhythm as this only led to 24 yards, but he should continue to see a solid workload as long as Marlon Mack is out. He also got involved in the passing game, hauling in three catches for eight yards.
Josh Jones, Safety, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jones continued his successful campaign with 11 tackles, seven of which were solo tackles. This brought Jones all the way to 10th in the league in tackles, as well as second on his team. The Jaguars ultimately fell 33-25 to the Cincinnati Bengals, but Jones was all over the field racking up tackles.
Germain Pratt, Linebacker, Cincinnati Bengals
On the other side of the field, Pratt’s team was able to come away with the 33-25 win. Pratt had four tackles, two of which were solo tackles. This brought his season total to 24 tackles, which is fourth highest on the Bengals.
AJ Cole, Punter, Las Vegas Raiders
Cole didn’t see much action as the Raiders turned the ball over twice in their 23-30 loss to the Buffalo Bills. However, he made good use of his one punt as he booted a season long, 57-yard punt.
Dontae Johnson, Cornerback, San Francisco 49ers
Johnson played tough in the San Francisco 49ers’ surprising loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. He came away with three tackles and one pass defended in the 25-20 loss.
