There are all kinds of reasons that NFL players are underrated and unsung.
Perhaps they’re in systems that don’t best show their skills. Maybe they’re buried on a depth chart. Or, they’re in somebody’s doghouse, and their coaches can’t see their potential. Or, their efforts are relatively unnoticed among their more celebrated teammates. Sometimes, young players haven’t quite put it all together, but there are enough flashes to make you sit up and take notice, and when it does work, it’s all good.
Week 5 of the 2022 regular season featured players at just about every position who showed up and showed out despite their underrated statuses, and here at Touchdown Wire, it’s our job to point them out.
Rhamondre Stevenson, Dameon Pierce, Daymi Brown, Taysom Hill, Ethan Pocic, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Matt Judon, Baron Browning, Osa Odighizuwa, Teair Tart, Dre Greenlaw, Camerson Dantzler, and Caden Sterns are our Secret Superstars for Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season.
Here’s why each of them made the cut.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
The Detroit Lions have had all kinds of problems with their defense this season, and those problems certainly manifested themselves in Sunday’s 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots. It was unfortunate for running back Damien Harris that he was out of this game with a hamstring injury because that prevented Harris from bellying up to the buffet, fellow Pats rusher Rhamondre Stevenson went all-you-can-eat to an extreme degree.
The second-year man from Oklahoma set career highs in rushing attempts (25) and rushing yards (161) while leading the NFL in yards after contact in Week 5 with 111.
Rhamondre Stevenson 49 yard run!!! #Patriots pic.twitter.com/KClM9Gzxy6
— 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) October 9, 2022
“You have to give him a ton of credit,” Bill Belichick said after the game. “With Damien out, we only carried two backs for the game, and he put it all on his shoulders and finished with a couple of first downs there at the end of the game in the four-minute offense. Yeah, he is always good. He does a great job with the ball in his hands. He is a strong runner, but he can make people miss. He is a really good football player. Really a good football player. So glad we have him.”
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
Speaking of running backs forcing missed tackles… we give you Texans rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who has been slicing and dicing defenses all season long. This was especially evident against the Jaguars last Sunday in Houston’s 13-6 win over a Jags team that has some defensive issues all of a sudden.
Or maybe it’s just Pierce doing what he does.
Dameon Pierce: 17 missed tackles forced on runs vs the Jaguars
That’s the most PFF has EVER recorded in a single game 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wXC8LZnEz8
— PFF (@PFF) October 10, 2022
This particular run had Beast Mode written all over it.
Dameon Pierce’s last three games:
Week 3: 20 rushes, 80 yards, TD
Week 4: 14 rushes, 131 yards, TD
Week 5: 26 rushes, 99 yards, TDPierce is now 4th in the NFL in rushing yards and this run ruled.
(🎥: @HoustonTexans) pic.twitter.com/pIF7zCoZrb
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 10, 2022
Pierce has now forced 33 missed tackles on 86 attempts this season, and 359 of his 412 rushing yards have come after first contact. It’s nice when you have a back who basically acts as his own offensive line.
Dyami Brown, WR, Washington Commanders
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera got a lot of flak for throwing Carson Wentz under the bus, but Wentz threw some real bangers on Sunday in Washington’s 21-17 loss to the Titans. And Dyami Brown was the primary recipient of said bangers. There was this 75-yard touchdown pass with 14:06 left in the first half…
Looks like Scott Turner heard all your complaints about the play-action game. First play of the drive, play-action shot to Dyami Brown for 75-yard TD #Commanders pic.twitter.com/UOghIwE89a
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) October 9, 2022
…but this 30-yard touchdown with 4:41 left in the third quarter was even more impressive. Wentz threw the ball perfectly over defender Roger McCreary, and Brown brought it in with a pretty one-handed catch.
Terry McLaurin is still Wentz’s best target, but Brown put the league on notice in this game with his first two NFL touchdowns. If previously unheralded receivers are standing out all of a sudden, perhaps Rivera has other, more pressing issues to address?
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
It’s not that Hill’s rushing success against the Seahawks on Sunday should have been a huge surprise — Hill has been good on power runs all season, and Seattle’s run defense is, to put it as charitably as possible, is a work in progress. But the extent to which Hill beclowned that defense in a 39-32 Saints win was notable. Hill became one of 12 players in pro football history to throw at least one touchdown pass and run for at least three touchdowns in the same game… and it wasn’t just that. It was how the Saints were able to run an identical pre-snap look at the Seahawks had they had the week before against the Vikings, and just dominate with a 60-yard touchdown run.
Now, Hill's 60-yard TD run against the Seahawks on Sunday. This is the same play, right down to the pulling RG and the pulling TE from offset motion.
This was Seattle's "response." pic.twitter.com/z5LIeqIvRj
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 10, 2022
When you can throw something at a defense when the defense knows what’s coming, and you can still beat that defense up with it, you are indeed cooking with gas. We need to give the Saints as much credit for this as we debit Seattle’s defense for same. Hill won the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award for his efforts.
Ethan Pocic, C, Cleveland Browns
This is a good one for the “Put Bill Callahan in the Pro Football Hall of Fame” crowd. The Browns’ offensive line coach has long been an expert on such matters, and what he’s done with Pocic, selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2017 draft, is truly remarkable. There were serious and legitimate questions about Pocic’s play strength and technique through his first few years in the NFL, and those concerns led to Pocic pretty much washing out with Seattle after five undistinguished seasons.
Now? Things are radically different, as Pocic has teamed with uber-guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller to present serious issues for any run fronts. The way he was able to cross the face of Chargers defensive tackle Morgan Fox on this 29-yard Nick Chubb run last Sunday was teach tape.
Why coaching matters: Browns center Ethan Pocic, who had some major blocking issues in Seattle, is all of a sudden working technique to seal the edge on some of the Browns' biggest run plays. Bill Callahan doing his thing once again. pic.twitter.com/A5lXQiV3uh
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 11, 2022
Never forget, kids: Coaching matters.
Alijah Vera-Tucker, RG/LT/RT, New York Jets
Speaking of coaching, how happy do you think the Jets’ coaches are with Vera-Tucker, the second-year man from USC? He’s been a bastion of stability on an offensive line that has had injury issues just about everywhere else, and Vera-Tucker’s versatility has been of prime importance over the last three games — including wins over the Steelers and Dolphins. In those three games, Vera-Tucker started at right guard against the Bengals, left tackle against the Steelers, and right tackle against the Dolphins. And in 128 total pass-blocking reps at three different positions, Vera-Tucker allowed one sack, three quarterback hits, and four quarterback hurries.
Vera-Tucker’s left tackle performance against the Steelers was the most impressive of the three games — when you can keep edge-rusher Alex Highsmith off your quarterback for the duration of an extended play, that’s pretty good.
Jets OL Alijah Vera-Tucker has been Mr. Everything for his team. Flipped from RG to LT to RT over the last three games, playing well everywhere against great pass-rushers. Here he is at LT against the Steelers telling Alex Highsmith, "No soup for you." pic.twitter.com/eU3oR2O1ZT
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 11, 2022
Here’s what Jets head coach Robert Saleh had to say about Vera-Tucker on Monday.
“First and foremost, he’s a selfless warrior. Whatever you ask of him, he’s going to do, and you want to be mindful of the fact that he’s got to be able to eat, too. But there’s also this confidence in him that we have that whatever we ask him to do, he’s going to be unbelievable at it. What he’s been able to do, to do what he’s done is not easy as any o-lineman can tell you. It’s incredible what he has done. He’s played four different positions already, three in the last three weeks, and he’s been lights out with all of it.
“It’s just a testament to who he is and the type of person that we’ve been bringing into this locker room with regards to the selflessness, the sacrifice for their teammates, the ‘get the job done’ at the best of your ability. Everything that this checks off for an individual, I think he represents what this locker room is. I am really happy for him, and hopefully we can get this thing settled so he can stay in one position so he can show the world how great he is.”
Hard to argue the point.
Matt Judon, EDGE, New England Patriots
We already mentioned what New England’s offense did to Detroit’s defense in the Rhamondre Stevenson portion of our program. But what the Patriots did to a Lions offense that had been scoring at an impressive clip was equally dominant, if not more so. Detroit had scored 140 points in its first four games, and that’s where they stand after five games following the Patriots’ 29-0 win.
Perhaps the most important defender in that equation was Matt Judon, who spent equal time shredding left tackle Taylor Decker and right tackle Penei Sewell on his way to two sacks, two quarterback hits, three quarterback hurries, and three stops. One of Judon’s sacks also led to a Jared Goff fumble, and a 59-yard return touchdown by safety Kyle Dugger.
That was Judon going HAM on Sewell — his sack against Decker and two other Lions players (running back Craig Reynolds and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown) was just ridiculous.
I'm not sure what Matthew Judon had for his pregame meal yesterday, but I'm up for ordering several portions of it. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/iRdqGnL7qG
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 10, 2022
Judon is the only NFL defender to have at least one sack in every game this season, and he’s tied for the league lead of six with Micah Parsons of the Cowboys, Maxx Crosby of the Raiders, Nick Bosa of the 49ers, and Bradley Chubb of the Broncos. Pretty good company. Judon’s 22 total pressures is tied for fourth-best in the NFL behind only Parsons, Bosa, and Brian Burns of the Panthers. For his work against the Lions, Judon won the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week award.
“As a defense, you want the pressure on you,” Judon said of the strip-sack, and the coordination required to let your edge-rushers go at full speed to the quarterback without considering anything else. “Whether it’s in the fourth quarter and you need a stop, or a play on fourth down. You want the pressure on you. We embrace that as a defense. We have plays called and put in to allow me just to go and sometimes I’ve got to run a game and loop things of that nature. But, when I get those calls and I hear those calls, I’m excited. But I don’t take any play for granted. I play full speed, try to full tilt, but when I know I get to go, it’s a little extra off the line. Just because I know my defense got my back.”
It’s all working like a charm so far.
Baron Browning, EDGE, Denver Broncos
The Broncos took Browning in the third round of the 2021 draft out of Ohio State. In his rookie season, Browning amassed no sacks and four total pressures. Before Denver’s Week 5 game against the Colts last Thursday night, Browning had no sacks and four total pressures THIS season. So, when Browning went off with two sacks, three quarterback hits, and five quarterback hurries against an Indianapolis offensive line for which every week is Shark Week, we are inclined to wonder if this was a case of Browning beating an inferior series of opponents over the head.
There was an element of that — left tackle Bernhard Raimann and right tackle Matt Pryor were overwhelmed no matter who was on them — but Browning also had some credible reps that spoke to his development as a player. I liked how the Broncos used Browning and end Bradley Chubb on the same side on this sack of Matt Ryan with 30 seconds left in the first half. While Chubb occupied right guard Braden Smith, Browning looped inside, exploited the open gap, and zoomed in for the takedown.
Browning suffered a wrist injury in this game, so it’s unclear if he’ll be able to build on all of this when the Broncos take on the Chargers on Sunday night. If he can, we’ll have to see how much it means… but this was a nice performance nonetheless.
Osa Odighizuwa, DI, Dallas Cowboys
Dan Quinn’s Cowboys defense is full of stars this season, and it’s the primary reason Dallas stands at 4-1 on the season. (Note: It’s not Cooper Rush. There is no quarterback controversy in Dallas. Please make it stop).
Anyway, while we could focus on a number of Cowboys defenders this week, we’re going with Osa Odighizuwa, the second-year, third-round pick from UCLA who had a sack, three quarterback hurries, three quarterback hurries, and two stops in Dallas’ Sunday demolition of the Rams. Yes, Los Angeles’ offensive line is a disaster this season, but that doesn’t negate Odighizuwa’s efforts. What you look for then is reps in which the defender has to create pressure with extra effort, and Odighizuwa had several of those.
Osa Odighizuwa 97 ripping through the overtake pic.twitter.com/sjyoWmF8jZ
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 11, 2022
Odighizuwa is just one of multiple linemen benefiting from Quinn’s crazy quilt of fronts and stunts, but that doesn’t negate his individual skill set.
Teair Tart, DI, Tennessee Titans
Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is probably the NFL’s best at his position in the Non-Aaron Donald Division, but let’s give some love to Teair Tart, the 2020 undrafted free agent out of Florida International who’s been making quite the impact this season. Through five games, Tart has six pressures, eight stops, three batted passes, and one interception.
That interception came against the Colts in Week 4, as he batted a Matt Ryan pass into the air, and then came down with it.
Last Sunday against the Commanders, Tart doubled down with this red-zone pass breakup.
Titans DI @speedboy_te75 has been elevating his game this season. A 6'2", 302-pound "rolling ball of butcher knives" who can also drop into credible coverage! 93 getting out there like Casey Hampton back in the day. pic.twitter.com/3x2ZWeVChY
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 11, 2022
Tart may not be Jeffery Simmons, but he’s making an impact out of nowhere, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Dre Greenlaw, LB, San Francisco 49ers
I’ve studied the 49ers’ top-tier defense in detail, bringing attention to both the famous and unheralded performers. But even in this article, I had to spend so much time on what a freak linebacker Fred Warner is, I didn’t do enough to mention Greenlaw, Warner’s bookend at the position. That was a mistake on my part, so let’s rectify it here. Against the Panthers’ (literally) fireable offense on Sunday, Greenlaw had nine tackles, six stops, and he gave up very few yards in coverage — 31 on five short schemes catches. From there, anybody toting the rock over the middle was going to regret it when they ran into No. 57.
When Patrick Willis was putting together a Hall of Fame career with the 49ers, I always felt that NaVorro Bowman didn't get enough credit. I feel the same way about Dre Greenlaw (57) — he's in Fred Warner's shadow, but he'd be LB1 on a lot of teams. pic.twitter.com/LR2rid7pEb
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 10, 2022
Just as Bowman allowed Willis to do all his superhuman stuff by picking up a lot of the dirty work, Greenlaw has become the tackling machine, run-fit demolition expert, and punisher of slants and crossers you need in any great defense.
Cameron Dantzler, CB, Minnesota Vikings
With 1:12 left in the Minnesota Vikings’ Sunday game against the Chicago Bears, Chicago quarterback Justin Fields threw a pass short left to receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette. The first thing Smith-Marsette did after catching the call was to juke his way past Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler.
That was a mistake. Dantzler responded by catching up to Smith-Marsette, ripping the ball out of his hands, and essentially ending the game — a 29-22 Vikings win that could have easily been a tie (with an extra point) or a win (with a Bears two-point conversion) otherwise.
“Our coach did a great job getting us prepared for plays we were gonna get, so when I saw the motion, I knew it was coming, and I made a play,” Dantzler said. “I was stiff-armed, so I was like, ‘Let me get up quick, because he’s gonna try to go out of bounds.’ It’s a drill that we work on, a turnover drill. I just saw an opportunity and took it.”
He did indeed, and it wasn’t the only time in this game that Dantzler prevented a possible big play. With 14:40 left in the first half, Dantzler blew up this slant/flat pass from Fields to receiver Darnell Mooney by jumping the flat route — and very nearly coming up with a pick-six.
Dantzler did allow three catches on four targets for 32 yards and 14 yards after the catch in this game, but it was the plays he prevented that had more of an impact.
Caden Sterns, S, Denver Broncos
As we said about Osa Odighizuwa and the Rams’ offensive line — just because you’re beating a bad opposing unit doesn’t mean that your efforts aren’t outstanding. This would also apply to Broncos safety Caden Sterns, the 2021 fifth-round draft pick out of Texas who allowed no catches on four targets with two interceptions last Thursday against the Colts’ league-worst offense.
Write it off if you want, but when everybody was talking about Russell Wilson’s final throw (yikes), Denver’s defense was doing all it could to make up for that mess, and Sterns led the way.
The first pick came with 5:50 left in the first half, as Matt Ryan tried to get the ball to tight end Kylen Granson over the middle, and Sterns read it all the way.
And then, with 3:44 left in the third quarter, Sterns did it again. Here, Ryan was trying to connect with Michael Pittman Jr. on a quick in-cut out of bunch right, and Sterns was having none of it.
“I just read the quarterback’s eyes and I got a pick,” Sterns said after the game. “On the second one it was the same thing. Collectively, everybody was doing their job. When we all do our jobs, good things happen. It felt good. Winning would feel better. It’s huge playing on the back end with [CB] Pat [Surtain II] and ‘K-Jack’ [S Kareem Jackson] and all those guys. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them and obviously wouldn’t be able to do this without the pass rush as well. We kind of had Matt Ryan flustered in the backfield, and that made him a little antsy. But it definitely would have been better to win.”
The Broncos are 2-3 with a defense that currently ranks fourth in DVOA, so winning more often will definitely have to be on Wilson and the offense. The defense is doing more than enough.
