NC State football alumni have had immense success this season, with players either leading their teams to the playoffs, in the case of Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson, or being able to come close to hitting rookie records in the case of Bradley Chubb. Many Pack Pros have had career seasons and are close to breaking old records, of their own or NFL records in general, either as veterans or as rookies. Rivers and Wilson are continuing MVP-like seasons, while Nyheim Hines, B.J. Hill and Jaylen Samuels are all underrated rookies enjoying instant success.
Philip Rivers, quarterback, Los Angeles Chargers
Rivers stole the show against the Kansas City Chiefs, who had boasted an 11-2 record entering the game. Rivers put up 313 passing yards on 68 percent completion, to go along with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Chargers were down 28-14 with under five minutes remaining in the game, and drove down the field twice for two touchdowns, went for the two-point conversion with the game at 28-27 and scored on a pass to wide receiver Mike Williams.
Rivers just needs 49 more passing yards to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark on the season, and has 31 touchdowns as well. Rivers’ career high in passing yards is 4,792, meaning that Rivers needs 841 passing yards in the last two games of the regular season, or about 420 yards per game, in order to surpass that career high. Rivers also just needs four more touchdown passes to surpass his previous career high of 34 touchdowns, which is a realistic task. Rivers and the Chargers have had a dominant season, as they are now 11-3 with a clinched playoff spot, with potential home-field advantage if they win out and the Chiefs lose to either the Seattle Seahawks next week or the Oakland Raiders in Week 17.
Russell Wilson, quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks were expected by many this season to be a mediocre team at best, not an 8-6 team that is almost a shoe-in for the playoffs. Wilson has helped lead the Seahawks to this point, despite a 26-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Wilson finished the game with 237 passing yards on 74 percent completion, with two passing touchdowns as well as 15 rushing yards on five carries.
Wilson, like Rivers, has 31 passing touchdowns on the season, and also has a career high of 34 touchdowns. Wilson will need to notch four more in order to surpass that previous career high. If the Seahawks make the playoffs, they are expected to get the fifth seed in the NFC, where they are likely to match up with the high-flying Los Angeles Rams offense or shut-down Chicago Bears defense, which would make for an exciting game.
Bradley Chubb, outside linebacker, Denver Broncos
The Broncos were officially eliminated from playoff contention following a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns. Despite the loss, Chubb continues to impress, as he recorded four total tackles, two of which were solo and one quarterback hit. Chubb has 12 sacks on the season, needing just 2.5 more sacks to reach the rookie record of 14.5, set by Jevon Kearse with the Tennessee Titans in 1999. Chubb also has 34 total tackles this season, another impressive stat held by the Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Jaylen Samuels, running back, Pittsburgh Steelers
After weeks of being on the inactive list, Samuels finally got his chance to shine in the wake of the injury to starting running back James Conner. Samuels ran for a staggering 142 yards on 19 carries, an average of 7.5 yards per carry. Samuels also caught two passes for 30 yards, and was just shy of a 200 all-purpose yard game.
The Steelers were in danger of losing the division if they lost to the New England Patriots, but with their 17-10 victory, the Steelers are almost sure to return to the postseason once again.
Nyheim Hines, running back, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are yet another team that is surprising, as they have a strong chance in a tight AFC wild card race, where they look to beat out the Titans, the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins and the Browns for the final spot. Hines has been a major part of that success, and continued to help in the 23-0 shutout win over the Dallas Cowboys. Hines finished the game with 19 rushing yards on six carries, as well as 45 receiving yards on four catches.
Hines has been a “Swiss army knife” on offense for the Colts, posting 308 rushing yards and 359 receiving yards on the season. If the Colts are to make a playoff run, Hines will get some immediate playoff experience as he is becoming more featured.
B.J. Hill, defensive tackle, New York Giants
Hill has been a nice starter for the Giants, and continues to show flashes of improvement with four total tackles, two of which were solo, in a shutout loss to the Titans. Hill now has 31 total tackles on the season, as well as five sacks. Hill is only going to get better and better as the Giants’ young players begin to mesh together.
Stephen Hauschka, Kicker, Buffalo Bills
Hauschka had a quiet week, only scoring two points on 100 percent extra point kicking, but he did not take any field goal attempts in the game. Hauschka has only missed four kicks on the year, almost all of which were from beyond 50 yards, showing that Hauschka has been a bright point for the Bills.
Josh Jones, safety/inside linebacker, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers were officially eliminated from playoff contention after their 17-24 loss to the Bears, who clinched the NFC North. However, Jones stuffed the stat sheet going for six total tackles, five of which were solo, along with a pass deflection, his first of the season. One of Jones’ tackles was also a tackle for loss. The sophomore NFL player started his third game of the season, and showed that he is a valued backup for the Packers.
Other:
Cornerback Dontae Johnson was waived by the Cardinals following their Week 15 obliteration at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, and was inactive during the game. Cornerback David Amerson, quarterback Jacoby Brissett, cornerback Juston Burris, running back Matt Dayes, quarterback Mike Glennon, defensive tackle Justin Jones and defensive tackle T.Y. McGill either played minimal snaps or no snaps during the week.
