Rebels in the Pros: Week 12 was the best week ever!!!

Week 12 in the NFL, to most people, was likely headlined by a chaotic rescheduling around the Thanksgiving Day game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. For Ole Miss fans, the headline shifted toward an incredible day for every former Rebel in the league. Not one of the players on an active roster played poorly and it sure is a lot more fun that way!

Here is how they fared:

Offense

• Down in Tennessee, A.J. Brown found paydirt not once, but twice! The first came on a very nice 69-yard touchdown where he simply could not be taken down. YAC!!!

He finished with 98 yards and the score on four catches but he wasn’t done there. Indianapolis tried an onside attempt late in the game and Arthur James was there to scoop it up and take it back 42 yards for six points.

Here is his entire day in one place:

• On the losing end, Jordan Wilkins carried the ball six time for 22 yards and caught three balls for 35 yards. Nyheim Hines has made himself the clear-cut favorite for touches in the Colts offense, but Wilkins continues to grind.
• After a few tough weeks with a lot of ridicule, Evan Engram broke through and went off. He hauled in six catches for a career-high 129 yards, including a big 53-yard gain. Eazy E did fumble late trying to pick up an extra couple of yards, but it didn’t matter and the Giants won behind his big day anyway.

• EE’s tight end compadre also shook off the hate in Buffalo. Dawson Knox caught his first touchdown pass of the season and helped to open the scoring in a Bills win.

Fort Knox and his quarterback recreated a scene from Hot Rod for the second time this season on the celly.

• Having found his home in New England, Donte Moncrief got involved on special teams for the Patriots on Sunday and had a good day. He had two solid returns and absolutely rolled through some potential tacklers for a big 53-yard gain on his first.

• On the line, Laremy Tunsil remains a dominant center piece for the Texans. He played every snap on Thanksgiving Day without a sack. Greg Little was listed as inactive.
• The top performer of the week on either side of the ball, again, was D.K. Metcalf. He lined up across from former Mississippi State corner back Darius Slay Jr. and won the Egg Bowl for the second time in two weeks. Prior to the game, Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz pissed him off. Haven’t we learned not to make DK angry by now?

For starters, he is a brick wall.

It was impressive how quickly Metcalf got under Slay’s skin.

And then he went deep.

Seriously, he hit the NOS button.

Later in the game, he sent it.

To cap off the evening, Metcalf hauled in a grown man catch on the sideline.

Slay got MOSSED METCALFED.

No. 14 finished with a career-high 177 yards on 10 catches and became the fastes player in Seahawks history to top 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He also leads the league in that category.

Defense

• The two-way hustle player continues to make a name for himself in Carolina with big plays and made another one on Sunday. Myles Hartsfield recovered a muffed punt that kept the Panthers close in what became a one-point loss.

• At linebacker in Carolina , Marquis Haynes played 32 defensive snaps and recorded a tackle.
• Both Benito and D.J. Jones were inactive for their respective teams and Mike Hilton was caught up in the schedule reshuffling. He will play in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
• Out in San Francisco, Ken Webster is slowly becoming a crucial component to the 49ers special teams unit. He played on every special teams snap, but left the game early with a hamstring injury and unfortunately will be placed on Injured Reserve.
• While Metcalf stole the show, the most fun moment of Week 12 came with the Moore twins. For the first time in their careers, A.J. and Detroit and squared off with C.J. and Houston. The Thanksgiving Day matchup garnered the attention of the broadcast and both guys had solid outings!

A.J. played 35 defensive snaps and had a tackle while C.J. made two tackles on special teams. The two facing one another on the first kickoff of the day was very fun to watch!