Best NFL performances from Michigan football alumni in Week 14
With the NFL season wrapping up, former Michigan players in the NFL are trying to rally their teams to a playoff spot. As one would expect, week 14 carried no shortage of strong performances from Wolverine alumni.
Unfortunately, this week had some injuries in wait for former Wolverines. Browns defensive tackle Mo Hurst had a strong game but tore a muscle that will end his season. Hurst has been good for Cleveland all year and will finish with 22 tackles, one and a half sacks, one interception, and four tackles for loss.
Nico Collins also suffered an injury, though he is not expected to miss much time. Collins caught just one pass for 14 yards in the contest against New York, just enough yards to push him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season! Congratulations to Collins for being the first Wolverine since Steve Breaston in 2008 (I think) to hit the mark.
Here are the five best performances for former Wolverines in the pro ranks last week.
Mo Hurst, DT, Browns
Sad news on a good day for Hurst. As previously mentioned, he will miss the rest of the year with a bad pectoral injry, but he saved his best game for last.
In the Browns 31-27 win over Jacksonville, Hurst had four tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. He will be missed by Cleveland, who is trying hard to fight into a playoff spot as the season winds down.
Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Lions
Detroit suffered a tough loss at the hands of the division rival Bears. Detroit is still safely in the playoffs, but a ln upset loss like that hurts their seeding chances.
Hutchinson had a good game, however. He notched two tackles and a sack which puts him square in the hunt for a 10-sack season. He currently has six and a half sacks on the season with four games remaining. If he has a multi-sack performance, he should be able to hit the 10-sack mark.
Kwity Paye, EDGE, Colts
The Paye-n train continues to enjoy a massive breakout season for the Colts. Paye and his squad are 7-6 and fighting for a playoff spot, and Paye is one of their key players down the stretch.
Paye did not get a sack against the Bengals, but he had two tackles and a tackle for loss. He has seven and a half sacks on the year and can easily get to ten sacks with four games remaining on the schedule. If the Colts make the playoffs, Paye could be set up to make a big impact with the lights on.
Josh Metellus, S, Vikings
The Vikings are thrilled with what they have in Metellus. He has been great all season, and once again came up big in Minnesota’s 3-0 shutout of Las Vegas (yeah, that really happened). Metellus had seven tackles and a forced fumble in the Viking’s defensive masterclass.
Metellus has had a great year. So far, he boasts 88 tackles, one interception, four forced fumbles, one and a half sacks, and five tackles for loss. His ability to play all over the field has been well utilized by Minnesota, and he should be a big part of their plans moving forward.
Jabrill Peppers, S, Patriots
Peppers continues to be one of the few bright spots on a pretty dismal Patriots team. Despite getting caught on a hot mic calling his team a synonym for bad, Peppers has been a key player for the Pats.
Against Pittsburgh, Peppers had three tackles and one interception. He’s got 69 tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one sack, and five tackles for loss on the season.
