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Rebels in the Pros: Now THIS was the best week ever

While the college Rebs were on a bye, the NFL Rebs were making plenty of noise.

By Nicholas Carr
Carolina Panthers v San Francisco 49ers Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Sure, the current Rebels were on a bye this past weekend, but the Rebels in the Pros showed out.

There are 26 Rebels on NFL Rosters, here’s how their week 8 went.

Let’s start with nWo alumni going off.

  • A.J. Brown had just two catches for 11 yards, but that included the game-winner with seven minutes to go in the fourth-quarter. A.J. had to show off some other skills he possesses in his touchdown celebration.
  • With a three-cone drill like D.K. Metcalf has, it’s a wonder he was ever drafted. Despite the odds, he just keeps breaking free from NFL defenses and scoring touchdowns. This week, he grabbed two of them and both came when he found himself wide open on plays near the goal line. Again, how a 6’4 229-pound man finds himself free from defenders when it’s widely accepted he can’t even shake a cone, I will never know. The Seahawks won 27-20 over the Falcons, by the way.

But, unfortunately with all that good news from Ole Miss nWo members, we have to come back down to Earth with this one.

  • Laquon Treadwell’s future isn’t in Minnesota. On Thursday, he had one reception for just a single yard. That he came back this year after getting cut was, frankly, a little surprising. But, until the Vikings trade him or he can find a better situation this offseason, he’s sort of stuck there. At least the Vikings moved to 6-2 with the 19-9 win over the Redskins.
  • At tight end, it was a bit of a quiet week for our fellas. Evan Engram had a touchdown on four receptions for 40 yards on seven targets while Dawson Knox did not record a catch on just one target.
  • Marquis Haynes registered a tackle, but the Panthers lost to the 49ers 51-13.
  • Speaking of the Niners, D.J. Jones had five total tackles, four solo, and his first career sack against the Panthers. The Niners are one of two unbeaten teams and that’s due in part to their defense which leads the NFL in yards per game allowed at just 224. Jones has battled through injuries this season but has 11 tackles on the season and has registered at least three tackles in his last three games played.
  • With Mike Hilton, you get player undersized for his position in the NFL, but one guaranteed to be involved in at least one havoc play a game. This time it was a fumble midway through the fourth-quarter as the Dolphins were driving.
  • The Steelers keep trying to feed him, but backup quarterback Mason Rudolph and Donte Moncrief don’t seem to be sitting at the same table. Moncrief has 15 targets this season and has gained a grand total of 18 yards on them. Look for the Steelers to try to move or cut Moncrief in the coming weeks.
  • C.J. Moore saw a season-high 49 snaps played in the Lions 31-26 win over the New York Football Giants. The Lions are now 3-3-1 and Matt Patricia is a viable coach of the year candidate. His ability to develop players is a huge part of that turnaround.
  • The Bears’ Bobby Massie struggled against Joey Bosa on passing downs, but who doesn’t? It appeared as though the Bears found a workaround for that issue with a little ground-and-pound until Matt Nagy abandoned that. And Bobby Massie had a little to say about the situation.
  • I didn’t expect we’d mention Robert Nkemdiche again after he was put on the PUP list back in August by the Cardinals then subsequently released and signed by the Dolphins (then put back on the PUP list). But, here we are. The Dolphins made the surprising decision to activate him early Monday and Big Rob made his Miami debut a few hours later. He only appeared 15 times on defense and six on special teams, but it’s certainly a start.
  • Speaking of the Dolphins—they’re still winless—but they’re getting better every week. Against the Steelers on Monday they led at halftime and were driving to pull within one score when Mike Hilton did his thing. Kendarius Webster was helping lead that charge and had two tackles before suffering a serious ankle injury late in the first half. He was carted off and didn’t return. No word officially from the Dolphins, however any time a player is carted off with a lower body injury it’s easy to assume the worst. Life in the NFL is rough.
  • Don’t worry about the Texans (they beat the Raiders 27-24), just admire this discussion from Pro Football Focus about who may be the best young OT in the league.

Oh, and enjoy this.