It was a mixed bag of performances for Pack Pros in Week 15 of the NFL season, with plenty making a mark on the games they played, for better or for worse. Let’s dive deeper into how they did.
A.J. Cole, punter, Las Vegas Raiders
The Pack Pros’ Week 15 did not get off to a hot start. Las Vegas Raiders punter A.J. Cole had a rough outing in a 30-27 overtime loss on Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers. The first of his two punts was solid, traveling 56 yards before a 10-yard return by Chargers punt returner K.J. Hill Jr.
Cole’s second punt was a different story, only going 19 yards downfield before venturing out of bounds. This gave the Chargers a short field, and Los Angeles ended up marching 49 yards to the end zone on four plays.
Cole’s struggles did not end there, as he was the holder on a field goal attempt at the end of regulation. A poor snap was mishandled by Cole and the potential game-winning field goal could not be attempted, and the Raiders eventually lost in overtime. This was a down week in a hot-and-cold season for Cole, whose punts have alternated between above and below 40 net yards on average in each of the past eight games.
Nyheim Hines, running back, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts’ 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans included efforts from three Pack Pros: running back Nyheim Hines and quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett, the latter of which only saw two carries for one yard. Hines took a supplementary role in the Colts’ backfield, as fellow running back Jonathan Taylor handled 16 of Indianapolis’ 23 total rushes.
Hines did contribute significantly though, notching 43 yards on five carries and 11 receiving yards on two receptions. His main highlight was a 23-yard rush to put the Colts in the red zone on their opening drive. Hines’ role in the Colts’ backfield has diminished slightly, as this performance marks his first with under eight touches from either carries or receptions since Week 9.
Philip Rivers, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
As previously mentioned, Rivers is another Pack Pro involved in Indianapolis’ win over Houston. Rivers had another solid performance, finishing the game with 22 completions out of 28 pass attempts as well as 228 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Rivers helped seal the victory by orchestrating a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended in him finding wide receiver Zach Pascal for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter.
Rivers made a few milestones this week, as this was the fifth consecutive game in which he has thrown multiple touchdown passes. His start in this game also tied Tony Gonzalez for 8th all-time in NFL starts, and Rivers’ two touchdown passes put him at 419 for his career, one shy of Dan Marino for 5th all-time.
Jakobi Meyers, wide receiver, New England Patriots
Despite a 22-12 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots did get a pretty good performance out of Jakobi Meyers, with the undrafter receiver accruing seven receptions for 110 yards. Meyers also coughed up a fumble around midfield, but this was ultimately inconsequential as the Dolphins went three and out on the ensuing drive.
This outing marks Meyers’ second game with over 100 receiving yards this season, and it propels him past teammate Damiere Byrd as the team’s leading receiver.
Russell Wilson, quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
Despite a 20-15 win over the Washington Football Team, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had a statistically subpar game. Completing 18 of his 27 passes for 121 yards, Wilson tossed one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed six times for 52 yards.
His lack of passing totals can be chalked up to play-calling, as the Seahawks relied more on the run game to achieve victory. Paradoxically, in a game that saw Wilson put up season lows in passing yards and yards per pass attempt as well as tying a season low in total pass attempts, Wilson earned his highest single-game quarterback rating (QBR) of the season at 92.7.
Seattle’s victory also clinched them a playoff berth, their third consecutive since missing the postseason in 2017.
Josh Jones, safety, Jacksonville Jaguars
Another Pack Pro with a good performance in a loss was Jacksonville Jaguars safety Josh Jones, who nabbed his second career interception in a 40-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This was Jones’ first interception since his rookie year in 2017, when he played for the Green Bay Packers.
Jones has had a bounce-back season in Jacksonville, making a new career-high 76 tackles in 11 games with Jaguars after only making two tackles in six games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019.
Ryan Finley, quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals
The Pack Pros’ rounded out with two significant performances from Pack Pros on Monday Night Football. Cincinnati Bengals teammates, quarterback Ryan Finley and linebacker Germaine Pratt, helped engineer a 27-17 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Finley made the most of his first start of the season, though his passing did not exactly light up the stat sheet. Finley completed seven of his 13 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. He also managed 10 rushes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Finley made more handoffs than passes, as the Bengals rushed 31 times for 105 yards outside of Finley’s own scrambles. Eager not to be left out of the ground attack, Finley took a 23-yard dash to the end zone early in the fourth quarter to put Cincinnati up by 14. This was Finley’s first rushing touchdown in the NFL, and it fittingly helped secure his first career win.
Germaine Pratt, linebacker, Cincinnati Bengals
The aforementioned Pratt made his own contribution to the Bengals’ win on the defensive side of the ball. Pratt finished the game with six tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, and a pass deflection.
This outing marks the ninth time this season Pratt has made 5 or more tackles in a game. Pratt has already matched his tackle total from his rookie campaign in 2019, and as a mainstay of the Cincinnati defense, will almost certainly set a new career-high with two games to go.
