How Oregon Ducks in the NFL performed in Week 17

We are only a couple weeks away from the start of the NFL playoffs and there is a clear idea of where each team stands. Many teams have already clinched a playoff spot, a ton have been eliminated, and a few are still battling for the right to make the tournament. Some players have carved out established roles on their teams, while others are still battling each day in practice to jump up a spot on the depth chart.

The Oregon Ducks have a vast collection of players in the NFL who serve all these roles on all types of different teams in the league. With the culture that has been nurtured in Eugene over the past few years, it is no surprise that their NFL players are largely impactful and play for some of the best teams in the league. Let’s take a look at how all these players performed on their teams this week.

Christian Gonzalez — New England Patriots

Game Stats: 4 tackles

There’s not much to say here this week. The Patriots dismantled the Jets, whose offense was abysmal all game long. Suffice to say, Gonzalez played great.

Derrick Harmon – Pittsburgh Steelers

Game Stats: 2 tackles

Harmon was fairly quiet on Sunday, but it was his first game back in more than a month, so his expectations were low.

Juwan Johnson — New Orleans Saints

Game Stats: 4 catches, 95 yards

This was a monster game for the entire Saints offense, and Johnson was a big part of the party. He continues his career year and is pinning himself as a staple of this offense going forward.

Evan Williams — Green Bay Packers

Game Stats: 5 tackles

Williams was excellent in coverage as the Packers only surrendered 107 passing yards. However, he struggled in run support, with the team giving up 307 rushing yards.

Bo Nix — Denver Broncos

Game Stats: 26/38, 182 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 9 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD

Nix didn’t have his best day on Thursday, but it also wasn’t his worst game either. He did just enough to survive a tough divisional game against an undermanned opponent.

Troy Franklin — Denver Broncos

Game Stats: 4 catches, 17 yards

It was a quiet day for everyone involved in the Broncos’ passing attack, which resulted in Franklin having one of his worst performances of the season.

Justin Herbert — Los Angeles Chargers

Game Stats: 21/32, 236 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 6 carries, 37 yards

Herbert played decent on Sunday, but was a lot worse than the stats suggested. He took a lot of bad sacks and the offense was never really competitive in the loss to Houston.

Deommodore Lenoir — San Francisco 49ers

Game Stats: 4 tackles

Lenoir got a chance to make some tackles today, but he was unusually bad in coverage. San Francisco gave up over 300 passing yards, so everybody in the secondary deserves at least a little bit of blame.

Penei Sewell — Detroit Lions

Game Stats: 59 snaps

It was a rare rough game for Sewell on Christmas Day. He gave up his fair share of pressures, which played a part in the five turnovers Lions quarterback Jared Goff had.

Brandon Dorlus — Atlanta Falcons

Game Stats: 1 tackle

Dorlus had a quiet night, but his performance was the last of anyone’s worries. He was carted off the field with tears in his eyes, so it seems like he may have suffered a season-ending injury. A brutal end to a breakout season for Dorlus.

Troy Dye — Los Angeles Chargers

Game Stats: 1 tackle, 1 PD

That early-season injury really seems to have derailed this season for Dye. He was a tackling machine earlier in the year, but he has only had more than one tackle twice in the six games he’s played since his return.

Jevon Holland — New York Giants

Game Stats: 1 tackle

Holland was extremely quiet in New York’s blowout win on Sunday. He has definitely had better and more impactful games than he had this week.

Bucky Irving — Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Game Stats: 9 carries, 19 yards, 5 catches, 14 yards

Irving’s return hasn’t been what the Buccaneers expected at all. He’s been extremely inefficient in nearly every game this season and this week even brought that hindrance to the passing game. The sophomore slump is real for this dynamic running back.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks in the NFL have strong Week 17 performances