By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports activities
Week 15 within the NFL noticed some phenomenal performances from gamers who performed collegiately within the West.
Every week, we spotlight the area’s greatest professional performances from the standout alumni veterans and rookies.
Listed here are my selections for the most effective of them.
1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers/Stanford
McCaffrey actually appears nearly as good as he has at any level in his profession.
The previous Stanford star touched the ball on 27 of the Niners 67 offensive snaps and got here up massive of their thrilling win over Chicago.
McCaffrey ran for 140 yards on 23 carries with a rating whereas catching 4 passes for 41 yards.
2. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks/UCLA
The former Bruin topped 100 yards on the bottom for the second time in his profession and the primary time this season.
He ran for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns within the Seahawks win over the Panthers.
He added 12 yards receiving on a pair of catches as properly.
3. Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers/Washington
The second yr WR from Washington had the most effective sport of his profession after getting back from a neck harm suffered within the preseason.
Within the Bucs loss to Miami, he gained a career-high 114 yards on a career-high seven receptions.
Previous to this week, his greatest numbers got here final season when he caught 5 passes for 75 yards in week 15.
4. Caleb Williams, QB, Bears/USC
The 49ers and Bears placed on an offensive present Sunday Night time and Williams did his greatest to maintain tempo.
The previous Trojan threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns with a ranking of 100.3 within the loss. Williams additionally ran for 18 yards.
5. Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals/Colorado State
The former CSU star continues to have an enormous season for Arizona. This was his eighth double-digit reception sport of the season.
Within the loss to the Bengals, he hauled in 10 catches for 76 yards and a landing. He now has 119 receptions this season, essentially the most ever in a single season for a TE, surpassing earlier record-holder Zach Ertz.
McBride can also be the the primary tight finish all-time with no less than 110 receptions in a number of profession seasons.
6. Bobby Wagner, LB, Commanders/Utah State
For the second straight week, Wagner recorded double-digit tackles.
The previous Aggie collected 10 tackles and a half sack within the Washington loss to Dallas on Thursday.
He was additionally credited with two passes defended and bought a pair of hits on Dak Prescott.
7. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Commanders/Arizona (R)
The former Wildcat had some of the productive video games of the season within the Commanders’ seven-point loss on Christmas Day.
The rookie again topped the 100-yard mark for the second time, going for 105 yards on simply 11 carries and discovering the endzone twice.
8. Byron Murphy Jr., CB, Vikings/Washington
The Vikings dashed the Lions playoff hopes on Thursday afternoon, and the previous Huskey performed an enormous half within the win.
He intercepted a Jared Goff cross when the sport was tied which led to the primary Vikings lead within the sport.
He additionally recovered a fumble to go together with three tackles on the day.
9. Bo Nix, QB, Broncos/Oregon
Nix did sufficient to get the win over the depleted Chiefs on Thursday night time.
The previous Duck didn’t have his greatest passing sport however accomplished 68% of his passes for 182 yards and a TD
He did make a ton of massive performs, particularly late, along with his legs. He ended the day with 42 speeding yards on 9 carries with a TD.
10. Matt Araiza, P, Chiefs/San Diego State
Okansas Metropolis struggled to maneuver the soccer in opposition to Denver on Thursday however they bought an enormous night time from the previous Aztec punter.
Araiza had three boomers within the sport, averaging 57.0 yards per kick, with one in every of them pinning the Broncos contained in the 20.
11. Jack Jones, DB, Dolphins/Arizona State
The former Solar Satan had one in every of his higher performances as an expert within the Dolphins win over Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon.
Jones collected a career-high 10 tackles within the loss.
12. Bobby Okereke, LB, Giants/Stanford
The Giants picked up a a lot wanted—or maybe an ill-advised—win over the Raiders on Sunday that gave the loser the within monitor on the No. 1 choose.
The previous Cardinal performed an enormous position within the win, main New York with seven tackles and an interception.
13. Josh Allen, QB, Payments/Wyoming
Despite some early struggles and being visibly gimpy with an ankle harm, the previous Cowboy introduced Buffalo all the way in which again solely to fall brief on a two-point conversion.
Within the loss, he threw for 262 yards and added 27 yards on the bottom and two speeding TDs.
Allen is the youngest and quickest to achieve over 300 profession mixed passing, speeding, and receiving touchdowns.
writes about varied matters for SuperWest sports activities, together with stats and information, faculty sports activities, and motorsports. He additionally based and runs the Sports activities and Leisure Analysis Middle (SERC).
