Several former Michigan Wolverines football players shined in the NFL's Week 15, including Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis and Packers linebacker Rashan Gary, who each tallied sacks over the weekend.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also bounced back with an easy win for his club on Sunday, while Steelers tight end Zach Gentry recorded his first career catch.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady played for the Michigan Wolverines' football team from 1995-99. (AP Images)
OG Ben Braden, New York Jets
Resides on the 5-9 Jets' practice squad and has not appeared in an affair in 2019 …Released by the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 7 and was signed by New York on Nov. 13.
QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Connected on 15 of his 29 passes for 128 yards with two touchdowns and no picks in the Patriots' 34-13 win over Cincinnati … Brady is completing 60.1 percent of his throws this season for 3,565 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven picks, to go along with three rushing TDs … His 3,565 yards are the ninth most in the NFL and his 21 scoring tosses are tied for 12th.
"As the Patriots clinched a 34-13 win over the Bengals, Paul Brown Stadium erupted in chants for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who threw 15-of-29 for 128 yards with two touchdowns," Deyscha Smith of Boston.com wrote on Sunday. "Despite their offensive struggles this season and concerns of whether or not Brady and his offense will get the job done in the playoffs, the chants were telling of Brady’s performance. On Sunday, he moved into second on the NFL’s all-time passing touchdowns list (538), passing Saints quarterback Drew Brees. He is just one touchdown shy of tying Peyton Manning’s record of 539."
After being released by the Jets on Sept. 25, he was signed to the Colts' practice squad on Oct. 8, but has not appeared in a clash with either team this year.
LB Devin Bush Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
Started the Steelers' 17-10 loss to the Bills, and accumulated four tackles … Bush has begun 13 of Pittsburgh's 14 contests this year, and has compiled 92 stops, one sack, four passes defended, two picks for a combined six yards, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery he ran back nine yards for a touchdown in the club's Oct. 13 win at the Chargers.
Resides on the 5-9 Broncos' injured reserve list after suffering a torn ACL on Aug. 28.
DE Taco Charlton, Miami Dolphins
Came off the bench in the Dolphins' 36-20 loss to the Giants, but only logged one tackle … Charlton has started five of the 10 games he has appeared in this season, and has notched 21 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles.
WR Jehu Chesson, Washington Redskins
Is on the 3-11 Redskins' injured reserve and has not appeared in an outing this year.
DE Frank Clark, Kansas City Chiefs
Came off the bench in the Chiefs' 23-3 win over Denver, and posted two tackles … Clark has started nine of the 12 showdowns he has played in, and has racked up 34 tackles, six sacks, three passes defended, one pick for five yards and three forced fumbles.
"Following Sunday’s 23-3 win over the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark pointed out that he has turned the corner on his health," Herbie Teope of KansasCity.com wrote on Monday.
"Clark had been dealing with a stomach illness that caused him to miss some practice time the past two weeks and prompted a visit with a specialist last week. A day after Clark recorded two tackles and two quarterback hits in 46 defensive snaps, Chiefs coach Andy Reid appeared to agree with Clark that the worst is now behind."
Saw time in relief in Arizona's 38-24 victory over the Browns … Cole has played in all 14 of the Cardinals' tilts, but has only started two of them.
CB Blake Countess, New York Jets
Did not see action in the Jets' 42-21 loss to the Ravens on Thursday night … Countess has played in six of New York's affairs, but has not recorded any statistics yet.
WR Amara Darboh, Pittsburgh Steelers
Has not seen action in 2019, but was promoted to the Steelers' 53-man roster on Monday.
"They waived Tevian Jones in order to make room for Darboh on the 53-man roster," Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk wrote on Monday. "Darboh was a third-round pick by the Seahawks in 2017 and played in every game as a rookie before spending last year on injured reserve. He was cut at the end of August and spent time on Tampa’s practice squad before coming to the Steelers. Darboh had eight catches for 71 yards as a rookie."
Is out for the year with a broken collarbone, having only appeared in the season-opening loss to the Chargers … Funchess hauled in three catches for 32 yards that day before suffering the injury.
LB Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers
Registered three tackles and a sack in Green Bay's 21-13 triumph over the Bears … Gary has participated in all 14 of the Packers' clashes (no starts), and has tallied 20 tackles and two sacks.
"The former Michigan standout showed that potential in the Packers’ most recent win against the Chicago Bears," Cole McCauley of ClutchPoints.com wrote on Monday. "Gary sacked Bears’ quarterback Mitchell Trubisky for his second sack of the season and added three tackles.
"At first, pretty modest stats but when you consider the number of snaps the rookie actually plays, it’s clear that the first-year pro could be in line for more playing time sooner than later. The Packers defense has taken a big step forward this season and while Gary only has 20 tackles and two sacks on the season, Green Bay’s most recent first-round pick has played in every game and left an impact."
Is on the injured reserve list after suffering his second concussion of the year on Nov. 17 … Gedeon started five of the eight contests he took part in this season, and totaled 13 tackles.
TE Zach Gentry, Pittsburgh Steelers
Caught one pass for four yards in the Steelers' 17-10 loss to the Bills, marking the first reception of his career … Gentry has appeared in four games this year, though the aforementioned catch is the only statistic he has accumulated.
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OL Graham Glasgow, Detroit Lions
Started Detroit's 38-17 setback to Tampa Bay, marking his 13th start in 13 outings this year (missed the Nov. 3 loss at Oakland with a back injury).
DT Ryan Glasgow, Cincinnati Bengals
Is on the Bengals' injured reserve … Glasgow started two of the five showdowns he participated in and compiled seven tackles, before sustaining a knee injury on Oct. 27.
DE Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles
Started Philadelphia's 37-27 triumph over the Redskins and logged five tackles … Graham has earned the starting assignment in all 14 of the Eagles' tilts, and has notched 45 stops, 7.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
QB Chad Henne, Kansas City Chiefs
Has not seen any action for 10-4 Kansas City in 2019, serving as the club's third-string quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes and Matt Moore.
RB Karan Higdon, Houston Texans
Has spent the entire 2019 campaign on the 9-5 Texans' practice squad, and has not participated in an affair this year.
S Lano Hill, Seattle Seahawks
Posted a season-high five tackles off the bench in Seattle's 30-24 win over the Panthers … Hill has begun two of the 10 clashes he has played in, and has racked up 13 stops.
Seattle safety Quandre Diggs departed the victory over Carolina with injury, which allowed Hill to see extensive action. “They did well,” head coach Pete Carroll said on Monday, also referring to safety Bradley McDougald. “Lano played really well, I thought Bradley had a really good game. Was very active. Quandre did, too. He made a number of nice tackles in perimeter situations, looked really good. Lano came in and filled in for him. Those guys played well back there fitting in. There’s a good chance that Lano will get the playing time, along with Marquise (Blair). We’re fortunate that we have guys that have been out there before.”
Recorded one tackle and a pass defended in Oakland's 20-16 loss to the Jaguars … Hurst has only started two of the 14 contests he has received playing time in, and has registered 16 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three passes defended and one interception for 55 yards.
Was signed to the 6-8 Raiders' practice squad on Oct. 23, but was then released on Dec. 4 after not having appeared in a game with them. The club signed him yet again on Dec. 11.
OT Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans
Started at left tackle in Tennessee's 24-21 loss to Houston … Lewan has received the starting nod in all 10 outings he has taken part in this season, after returning Oct. 6 from his four-showdown suspension to begin the year.
CB Jourdan Lewis, Dallas Cowboys
Tallied six stops, one sack and a pass defended in Dallas' 44-21 triumph over the Rams … Lewis has started four of 14 tilts in 2019, and has totaled 40 tackles, four sacks, six passes defended and two picks for a combined 20 yards.
Did not play in the Rams' 44-21 blowout loss to the Cowboys, marking the second straight week he didn't see the field … Long has only played in six affairs (no starts), and has accumulated seven stops and one pass defended.
OL Erik Magnuson, Oakland Raiders
Resides on the Raiders' practice squad, with his lone appearance of 2019 coming in the Nov. 3 win over Detroit … Magnuson was signed by Oakland off the Bills' practice squad on Oct. 30.
DT Bryan Mone, Seattle Seahawks
Is on Seattle's practice squad and has not participated in a clash since Sept. 22, after taking part in the first three contests of the season and compiling three tackles.
OL Patrick Omameh, New Orleans Saints
Saw time off the bench in New Orleans' 34-7 blowout of Indianapolis on Monday night … Omameh has played in 12 showdowns in 2019, but has only received the starting job in one.
S Jabrill Peppers, New York Giants
Placed on the club's injured reserve list with a back ailment on Dec. 7 … Peppers had begun all 11 games for New York prior to the injury, and had logged 76 tackles, five passes defended, one interception he returned 32 yards for a score and three forced fumbles … He also averaged 12.3 yards on four punt returns and 23 yards on one kick return.
QB Jake Rudock, Miami Dolphins
Has spent the entire campaign on the 3-11 Dolphins' practice squad.
LB Jake Ryan, Jacksonville Jaguars
Was placed on the club's injured reserve list on Dec. 10 with a hamstring ailment, and missed Sunday's 20-16 win over Oakland as a result … Ryan took part in just two outings this season after missing the first 11 showdowns while recovering from an offseason ACL injury, but never notched any statistics.
OL Michael Schofield, Los Angeles Chargers
Started his club's 39-10 loss to Minnesota, which marked the 14th consecutive start he'd made this season.
CB Brandon Watson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Saw time off the bench but did not post any stats in Jacksonville's 20-16 triumph over Oakland … Watson has received playing time in six tilts (no starts), and has racked up two tackles.
P Matt Wile, Free Agent
Released by the Lions on Dec. 5 and is now a free agent … Wile had been on Detroit's practice squad after the club signed him on Nov. 16 following his waiving by the Falcons … He appeared in two affairs with Atlanta, and averaged 48.3 yards on six punts, while dropping three of the six inside the opposing 20-yard line.
S Jarrod Wilson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Started the Jaguars' narrow 20-16 win over Oakland, but only recorded one tackle … Wilson has begun all 14 clashes for Jacksonville, and has registered 66 tackles, three passes defended, one interception and one forced fumble.
Tallied two tackles in a backup role in New England's 34-13 win over Cincinnati … Winovich hasn't started any contests this season, but has played in all 14 and has totaled 22 stops, 5.5 sacks and a touchdown he scored after taking a blocked punt to the house.
DE Chris Wormley, Baltimore Ravens
Started and accumulated three tackles in 12-2 Baltimore's 42-21 win over the Jets last Thursday … Wormley has earned the starting nod in six of the Ravens' 14 games (has played in all 14), and has compiled 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two passes defended.
