One of the tasks I’ve chosen with Bucky’s 5th Quarter is chronicling the NFL performances for all Wisconsin Badgers playing in the NFL every week.
So, here’s what we saw from our lads in Week 8.
Joe Tippmann: Was sidelined by a thigh injury vs the Giants.
Zack Baun: Coming off his best game as a Saint, Baun disappointingly had only two defensive snaps all game.
Ryan Ramsczyk: Back in action after sitting out last week with a concussion, RR was awesome, with 66 sack, hit, and hurry-free snaps resulting in a fantastic 85.6 PFF grade.
Pittsburgh Steelers (Wisconsin of the NFL)
T.J. Watt: A sack, 2 hurries, and a tackle in a solid, workmanlike day at the office for the megastar.
Keeanu Benton: 2 hurries and a tackle in one of his less steady games of the season. Benton has been near the top of the best rookie defensive lineman list this season, so he’ll bounce back quickly.
Nick Herbig: An elite 94.7 PFF grade in a quiet statistical game overall. Herbig needs more snaps and he needs them now.
Isaiahh Loudermilk: He didn’t get a ton of snaps, but his PFF grade was second on the Steelers’ defense behind Herbig.
Jake Ferguson: Jake once again proved that magic happens when you decide to get the ball to him, with a highlight reel TD amongst his 4 catches for 47 yards ON ONLY 4 GODDAMN TARGETS.
I don’t know why this is so difficult for the Cowboys to figure out. Throw the ball to Jake and you’ll be richly rewarded. The End.
Tyler Biadasz: Allowed a sack, hurry, and 2 pressures in an up and down game that was better overall than these numbers would suggest.
Rob Havenstein: Missed the Dallas game with a calf injury that he’s day-to-day with.
Leo Chenal: Had a sack of Russell Wilson (Badger on Badger violence), 6 tackles, and a team leading 84.1 PFF grade in the Chiefs’ shocking dismantling at the hands of the Broncos.
T.J. Edwards: The NFL’s third-leading tackler was great for the Bears, racking up 12 tackles, 2 QB hits, and a fumble recovery for Chicago’s surprisingly good run D.
While it helps T.J. and crew, a trade for Montez Sweat is a curious one for the Bears, who are one of the worst teams in the league with or without the star pass rusher.
Jack Sanborn: Seeing his most snaps of 2023, Sanborn responded with 8 tackles and a QB hurry for the scuffling Bears.
Russell Wilson: Playing icily-efficient football for the suddenly surging Broncos, Russ slinged the rock for 123 yards and 3 TDs with 0 INTs, adding another 30 yards with his legs, in the Broncos’ upset of the Chiefs and Taylor Swift.
Matt Henningsen: Only 6 defensive snaps for the smartest Bronco.
Alec Ingold: Had 1 catch for 5 yards and zero carries (again), but it’s easy for a fullback to be an afterthought in Miami’s fast break offense.
Andrew Van Ginkel: The Notorious A.V.G. had a pedestrian game with 1 tackle and 1 hit, playing his fewest snaps all season. As good a year as he’s had, it’s likely that he’s playing through an injury, because he’s been a key cog in the Dolphins’ defensive wheel this season.
Jonathan Taylor: 12 carries for 95 yards and 1 catch for 2 yards in another head-scratching, carry-splitting game with Zack Moss, who gained 29 fewer yards than Taylor with basically the same number of carries.
Maybe it’s a Taylor tire tread-saving move by the Colts, but it’s coaching malpractice to give your best player only ONE second half carry.
Kevin Zeitler: Zero sacks, hits, or hurries allowed and a sterling 88.2 PFF pass-blocking grade in a tougher than expected 31-24 win over the abysmal Cardinals.
Michael Deiter: Only 4 snaps for the Texans.
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