Week 12 was a high water mark for the former Huskers in 2020 as the only inactive player was veteran Alex Lewis while rookie Khalil Davis was active for his NFL debut. Whether it was veterans stepping up to make plays or rookies continuing their development, we had a little of it all this weekend. Listed below is not just a listing of the players stats but a summary of how each former Husker did in their Week 12 games.
Top Husker Performer
Randy Gregory, Dallas
It may only be his fifth game back but the Cowboys may need to start finding more ways to get him on the field as he has turned into their best pass rusher. On Thanksgiving afternoon Randy Gregory not only got his first sack of the season looping inside but he later got a second beating the left guard with a swim move. Gregory wasn’t done there as his pressure up the middle forced Alex Smith to get rid of the ball early which led to an interception.
Had a Good Day
Ndamukong Suh, Tampa Bay
Despite the loss and giving up 27 points to the Chiefs, Suh was an active defender, getting in the backfield several times throughout the game. Suh didn’t get a sack in this game but his presence forced Mahomes to move out of the pocket and get rid of the ball before he wanted to. Suh has had better statistical games but this may be his most complete game of the season.
It was another solid outing for Nick Gates as he has gotten better throughout the season. In pass pro Gates still had a play or two where he stood there without someone to block while the running back had to pick up the blitzing linebacker, but did well to hold the point of attack and keep the Giants quarterbacks clean. As a run blocker Gates continued his strong play opening up holes for running back Wayne Gallman.
Khalil Davis, Tampa Bay
Sunday marked Davis’ NFL debut as he was tasked with helping try and slow the Chiefs offense down. Davis played a limited amount of snaps and held his own getting not only his first career tackle but also was able to get penetration on several rushes and even got a quarterback hit on Mahomes. With the Bucs losing some defensive lineman throughout the season it will be interesting to see if Davis will remain active throughout the rest of the season.
Up and Down Game
Lavonte David, Tampa Bay
Facing off against the Chiefs it was going to be hard, but having to cover tight end Travis Kelce throughout the game didn’t make it any easier. Kelce is a tough match up for anyone and David had his struggles giving up a handful of catches. Add in a couple of missed tackles, including one that would have been a loss and Sunday just wasn’t David’s days. Luckily he’ll bounce back.
Will Compton, Tennessee
With normal starter Jayon Brown on the injured reserve it was Compton who got the start for the Titans but shared snaps with David Long. After early blown coverage Compton settled in well both in coverage but also getting some action rushing off the edge. Add in three tackles and it was a solid but unspectacular day.
Chris Jones, Minnesota
With starter Cameron Dantzler back, that meant Jones was back to being the Vikings fourth cornerback but he did rotate in with Kris Boyd throughout the game. Playing only 23 snaps he ended up having the highest grade on defense according to Pro Football Focus. That is a bit surprising as Jones didn’t get targeted once and was clearly beat on a few routes.
For a second straight game Lamar Jackson is starting and played every single snap on defense. Lamar had his moments in coverage but did give up two catches including getting beat off the line on a slant and on a toss up ball down the sideline where Jackson was trying to catch up and couldn’t react to make a play on the ball. Overall a solid outing and more importantly Jackson is getting live game reps which should only make him better.
Had a Rough Day
Maliek Collins, Las Vegas
If you didn’t know any better you would have thought that Maliek Collins didn’t play in the Raiders blowout loss to the Falcons since he didn’t even show up in the stat column. But that wasn’t the case as Collins struggles continued against Atlanta as he struggled to get off blocks and the only play of note was when he was flagged at the end of the first half for roughing the passer that extended the Falcons drive.
No Impact
Cethan Carter, Cincinnati
A five yard catch after leaking out of the backfield was the highlight of Carter’s game against the Giants. While this was just Carter’s fourth catch of the season he has been used much more in the passing game this year in addition to his tremendous blocking.
Joshua Kalu, Tennessee
With starting safety Kenny Vaccaro back that meant that Kalu wasn’t going to get as many snaps as last week but he still found his way onto the field for 12 snaps but wasn’t targeted or made any tackles.
Devine Ozigbo, Jacksonville
In his second game active there was a thought that he could work his way into the rushing attack but instead James Robinson continued to monopolize the carries as Ozigbo only had two snaps on offense.
Ameer Abdullah, Minnesota
Against the Panthers we didn’t get to see any of Ameer on offense as his only snaps came on special teams where he did make one tackle.
Brent Qvale, Houston
No offensive snaps for Qvale in the Texans routing of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving morning. Instead Qvale continues to just be an emergency fill in who sees snaps on the field goal and PAT unit.
Inactive
Alex Lewis, New York Jets
In a surprise move Lewis was inactive for the Jets game against the Dolphins despite being one of their best offensive lineman. Head coach Adam Gase refused to say why Lewis didn’t play and that it was a non-injury team decision. This is also coming after rumors that Lewis and Gase got into a verbal altercation during the week.
Suspended
Luke Gifford, Dallas
It was announced this week that Luke Gifford had been suspended two games for Performance Enhancing Drugs. Based on his suspension it looks as if this was the first time offense for a banned stimulant. We’ll see Gifford back on Friday December 4th and eligible to play during Week 13.
Practice Squad or Injured Reserve
Andy Janovich, Cleveland – Covid IR
Nathan Gerry, Philadelphia – IR
Richie Incognito, Las Vegas – IR
Rex Burkhead, New England – IR
Prince Amukamara, Arizona
Darrion Daniels, San Francisco
Stanley Morgan, Cincinnati
Freedom Akinmoladun, Cincinnati
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