Broncos CB Kris Abrams-Draine, Lions’ defensive position stepped up for his or her groups in Week 16

As any NFL season progresses, there can be extra unheralded gamers who stand up from humble beginnings to grow to be elements, and guys whose careers have gone sideways who one way or the other discover the street again to relevance.

We wish to have a good time these gamers each week in “Secret Superstars.” This week, we have now two younger operating backs who outlined wins for his or her groups, a guard enjoying deal with, a whole defensive position, and a rookie afterthought who has grow to be a lockdown cornerback.

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers

Don’t look now, however the Carolina Panthers’ offense is beginning to grow to be a factor. Quarterback Bryce Younger’s improvement is the large story, and justifiably so – the Panthers have risen from thirty first in Passing DVOA in Weeks 1-9 to twenty first since — however we should always not overlook the efforts of operating again Chuba Hubbard, the 2021 fourth-round pick of Oklahoma State. 2024 marks Hubbard’s first 1,000-yard season, although he got here shut in 2023 with 902 yards in an offense that couldn’t bust a grape. Now, and particularly towards the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s 36-30 time beyond regulation win, Hubbard is the epicenter of an offense that may credibly bust a lot harder fruit regularly.

Towards Jonathan Gannon’s protection, Hubbard ran 25 instances for 152 yards, two touchdowns (together with the game-winner), 109 yards after contact, six pressured missed tackles, and 4 yards of 10 or extra yards. The Panthers did a very nice job of setting Hubbard up for achievement by aligning guard Chandler Zavala up as a sixth offensive lineman on a number of performs, and when the specter of two tight ends was added to the equation, the maths actually didn’t work for the Cardinals.

“That’s my dawg,” Younger stated postgame of his function again. “The factor that individuals don’t see is how laborious he works all through the week. I can’t even let you know when he leaves this place. He’s continually doing further issues, doing little issues, continually watching movies, caring for his physique. He cares and provides a lot to this sport. On prime of the participant he’s, the particular person he’s, the dedication that he has, the issues he reveals me that nobody will get to see, that the skin public doesn’t get to see, that continues to construct on all of us and the way a lot we belief him.”

Extra individuals are beginning to see the unseen issues at this charge. Since Week 10, Hubbard’s 530 speeding yards ranks seventh within the league.

De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has lengthy been generally known as one of many NFL’s most numerous and explosive offensive play-designers, and that’s nonetheless true even in a season that has been a reasonably epic disappointment for the crew. Sunday’s 29-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers put Miami at 7-8 on the season, however the further brilliant spot along with the win over Kyle Shanahan – for whom McDaniel coached from 2017 by means of 2021 – was the play of operating again De’Von Achane. Put merely, this was every little thing the Dolphins may have hoped for from the 2023 third-rounder out of Texas A&M when he joined the crew with the pre-requisite monitor velocity and gobsmacking versatility.

Miami’s quarterback conundrums with and with out Tua Tagovailoa have been a significant a part of these aforementioned disappointments, however towards San Francisco’s protection, Achane blew that each one aside. He gained 120 speeding yards and scored a 50-yard landing on 17 carries, and added 70 receiving yards on six catches.

That’s the factor about Achane’s worth to the Dolphins – he’s a wonderful runner, with 761 yards and 5 touchdowns on 182 carries – but it surely’s as a receiver with all sorts of routes that he offers the sort of juice one may anticipate from a wholesome Christian McCaffrey. Maybe Achane is growing into McDaniel’s personal model of his mentor’s in the end versatile function again.

Joe Thuney, LT, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs

To place it mildly, the Chiefs’ offensive deal with scenario this season has been a catastrophe. Left tackles Wanya Morris, Kingsley Suamataia, and D.J. Humphries have mixed to permit 9 sacks and 51 whole pressures, and proper deal with Jawaan Taylor (he of the four-year, $80 million contract with $60 million assured) has been a turnstile with extreme penalty points ever since he put pen to paper in 2023. There’s solely a lot Patrick Mahomes can overcome, particularly as he’s coping with ankle points led to by that lack of safety.

Going up towards a Houston Texans protection with edge-rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter a horrible matchup for the defending champs, so Andy Reid and his workers made some modifications. Morris was moved to proper deal with, and star left guard Joe Thuney (probably the greatest within the enterprise for years) kicked out to left deal with – a place at which Thuney has seen precisely 237 snaps in his nine-year profession. 75 of these snaps got here in Week 15 towards the Cleveland Browns, and in that sport, Thuney allowed 10 whole pressures towards Myles Garrett and his crew. So, it seemed just like the Thuney experiment was another occasion of the Chiefs throwing it towards the wall at a extremely weak place.

Thuney seemed so much higher towards Houston’s livid cross rush. He gave up 4 pressures to Anderson and Hunter, and whereas he’ll most likely by no means seem like a textbook deal with on tape, he tailored sufficient to get the job finished. Furthermore, the transfer to proper deal with appeared to make Morris a extra comfy participant, because the third-year man performed totally on the appropriate aspect at Oklahoma.

“I believed Wanya did a pleasant job coming in,” Reid stated postgame. “I believed Joe [Thuney] did a pleasant job on the opposite aspect, too – stepped in there. Wanya’s, you already know, gone again to the drafting board, labored on it and is getting higher each day. I do know I say that, however each of these two younger guys [Morris and Suamataia] are going to be okay. They’ve been working like loopy to get themselves again to the place they must be.”

Ideally, the just lately acquired Humphries will return with a clear invoice of well being from the hamstring damage that’s just lately been an issue, and Thuney can return to dominating as a left guard. And it’s not as if the Chiefs’ safety matchups get any simpler; they shut out the common season towards the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, and towards the Denver Broncos on January 5. However because it stands, Thuney provides his crew one possibility that isn’t an entire debacle on the skin, and that represents an improve.

The Detroit Lions’ “no-name” defensive position

David Bada. Derrick Barnes. John Cominsky. Marcus Davenport. Aidan Hutchinson. Nate Lynn. Alim McNeill. Kyle Peko. That, in alphabetical order, is the listing of Detroit Lions defensive linemen at present on injured reserve. Total, Detroit had 21 gamers on IR proper now, so it’s not precisely a secret simply how banged-up the defensive entrance is.

Nonetheless, the Lions are sporting a 13-2 file following their 34-17 Sunday win over the Chicago Bears. And whereas the Bears’ offense is unwatchable most of the time (actually, I believed Caleb Williams may need half an opportunity to flee this crew’s 75-year Quarterback Curse), however once you’re lacking this many guys, something you do properly towards any offense is a worthy endeavor.

On this case, it was the Replacements – the recently-acquired ZaDarius Smith, and rotational guys Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, and Patrick O’Connor – who stepped up and made the Lions’ cross rush look as if it hasn’t missed a beat. Williams was pressured on 17 of his 46 dropbacks, and when pressured, he accomplished 4 of 11 passes for 46 yards and a passer ranking of 49.8. Smith had six pressures, and Paschal, Onwuzurike, and O’Connor every had 4.

That’s what you name teaching, youngsters. And for these not aware of the “Kick Out the Jams” reference… you’re welcome.

Kyle Van Noy, EDGE, Baltimore Ravens

The 2024 Ravens seem like a possible Tremendous Bowl champion on offense in that you need to choose which man between Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry when discussing 2024 NFL MVP candidates. The protection beneath first-year coordinator Zach Orr has been a unique story, although. This unit was the NFL’s finest in 2023 beneath now-Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, however the transition was tough at first. That very same protection that clowned each opponent final season completed the primary half of the 2024 marketing campaign ranked 14th in Defensive DVOA, and twenty second towards the cross. That’s rotated since Week 10 for a few causes. First, the transfer to make Kyle Hamilton extra of a pure free security versus a do-it-all man, and veteran Kyle Van Noy’s ascent as a pass-rusher.

Van Noy, now in his eleventh NFL season, has finished a little bit of every little thing for 5 totally different groups – every little thing from off-ball linebacker to fit defender to edge-rusher to stand-up three-technique disruptor in nickel and dime packages. In his second season with the Ravens, Van Noy now has 11 sacks (his first 10-plus sack season), and he’s nonetheless getting it finished from nearly in every single place. In Baltimore’s pivotal 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers final Saturday, Van Noy had a sack and 4 whole pressures.

Not dangerous for an outdated man, and as former New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady identified, actually not dangerous for a man who’s principally enjoying with a damaged face.

“[I’m] simply grateful for the blokes which were within the locker room and [pass rush coach] Chuck Smith, [assistant defensive line coach/outside linebackers] Matt [Robinson] and Coach [John] Harbaugh [for] simply permitting me to be me right here, and it’s been enjoyable,” Van Noy stated after the win over the Steelers. “I’ve put in loads of laborious work. Lots of people wrote me off final 12 months, and I consider I’m enjoying at a Professional Bowl stage. So, the entire voters on the market, vote on your boy.”

It’s not a foul thought, actually.

Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Denver Broncos

The 2024 Broncos are 9-6 and competing for a wild card playoff spot, which might signify the franchise’s first postseason look since its Tremendous Bowl 50 win on the finish of the 2015 season. It’s a substantial uptick over 2023’s 8-9 debacle in Sean Payton’s first season as head coach, which was led by the dangerous match that Russell Wilson was, and a protection that was among the many worst in NFL historical past early within the season.

Issues are usually extra in tune on the quarterback place with rookie Bo Nix, and the protection has been an absolute revelation. The Broncos have been one of the blitzy defenses, and this has allowed them to get a ton of efficient strain. And the addition of second-year cornerback Riley Moss as a real starter has given Patrick Surtain II the bookend he has wanted.

However when Moss went out in Week 12 towards the Las Vegas Raiders with an MCL damage. That spelled hassle. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and defensive backs coach/passing sport coordinator Jim Leonhard weren’t nervous about it, as a result of they knew what fifth-round rookie Kris Abrams-Draine needed to supply. Solely they might know, nevertheless, as a result of Abrams-Draine didn’t play a single snap on protection till the 11 he put up at outdoors cornerback towards the Cleveland Browns in Week 13. The coaches appreciated what they noticed sufficient to provide Abrams-Draine beginning reps in Week 15 towards the Indianapolis Colts after the crew’s Week 14 bye, and as soon as once more final Thursday towards the Los Angeles Chargers

In his three NFL video games, Abrams-Draine has allowed 5 catches on 15 targets for 74 yards, 24 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interceptions, two cross breakups, and an opponent passer ranking of twenty-two.6. For a 5-foot-11, 178-pound rookie to return in and play outdoors cornerback at this stage with no earlier skilled expertise is kind of uncommon.

The Broncos misplaced that Chargers sport 34-27, but it surely definitely wasn’t Abrams-Draine’s fault. He was focused 4 instances on vertical passes and fast comebacks, and he gave up one catch for sis yards. He additionally bagged his first NFL interception on a deep publish from Justin Herbert to receiver Josh Palmer.

“I really feel like I belong, however actually, it was simply enjoyable to be on the sphere enjoying with my teammates,” Abrams-Draine stated after his first profession begin towards the Colts.

Effectively, it’s enjoyable when you may come into the NFL as a lockdown man out of nowhere, and that’s precisely what Abrams-Draine has finished.