NFL Week 15 was a wild one with some standout performances from the running back position including one back who continues to make his mark on the league, one who stepped up in the absence of a star and a player many had figured was no longer in the conversation given his recent performances. Let's take a look at some of the top running back performances from Week 15.
David Montgomery, RB CHI - Montgomery continues to be an absolute beast for this Bears offense. Since the injury to Tarik Cohen all the way back in Week 3 we saw the start of what would become a breakout year for the second-year back as the Bears began to feature him as an everydown player that would also be used in the passing attack. It took some time and a change in play callers for the offense to finally understand that feeding the ball to Montgomery would be a key to their succes and that was never more evidenced than his Week 15 performance when he carried the ball a career high 32 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Over the last four weeks Monty is averaging 17.8 carries for 108.5 yards and 1.3 touchdowns while chipping in 3.3 catches on four targets.
Tony Pollard, RB DAL - With Ezekiel Elliott ruled out we got to see Tony Pollard finally get run as the Cowboys lead running back and he did not dissapoint fantasy owners with his performance as he finished with 12 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns while adding in six catches on nine targets for 63 yards. Pollard capped his day off with a long touchdown run at the end of the game for the Cowboys and proved that if Zeke is not 100-percent that he can certainly fill the void.
Giovani Bernard, RB CIN - In the five weeks leading up to Week 15 Bernard was averaging just eight carries for 23 yards as well as three catches for 17 yards. During that span he never found the end zone, in fact he was benched in the Bengals Week 15 loss to the Cowboys after fumbling the football early on. So, with a matchup against the Steelers on the horizon, few gave Bernard a second look and that was the mistake! The Bengals shocked everyone by upsetting the Steelers and Bernard played a big part in it as he carried the ball 25 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. In Week 16 he has a nice matchup against Houston, let's see if this performance was enough to spark a run towards the end of the season.
Aaron Jones, RB GB - The 100-yard games for Jones this season have been few and far between but we saw him bust out for 145 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against the Panthers in Week 15. Jones is a big play threat and in his three 100-yard games this season he has totaled 443 of his 968 rushing yards this season. An incredibly favorable matchup against the Titans awaits in Week 16 but Aaron Rodgers himself could be looking to have a day against the bad Titans secondary.
Derrick Henry, RB TEN - Funny to think Henry had just an OK day when you see that he rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown but the oppurtunity for so much more was there as three other rushing touchdowns were scored in this game with two going to QB Ryan Tannehill and one going to backup Darryton Evans. Henry will look to toss up a multiple-touchdown effort in Week 16 against a Packers defense that ranks 21st against the run this season.
Player News
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala says free agent QB Aaron Rodgers “is not going to play just for the sake of playing.”
Kinkhabwala has had conversations with Rodgers and executives around the league trying to sign him. Based on those conversations, she says, “it’s extremely clear Rodgers is not going to play just for the sake of playing.” He remains unsigned with the 2025 NFL Draft on the horizon and multiple teams needing quarterback help. The Steelers are the most likely fit, but it seems Rodgers won’t force it if he does not find a good fit. This explains why Rodgers has been interested in the Vikings and has not yet signed. The 41-year-old may be headed for retirement if a situation he prefers, like the Vikings, does not want him back. His options remain limited and Rodgers may call it a career if he still does not like his options later in the offseason.
Bears signed LB T.J. Edwards to a two-year, $20 million extension.
Edwards’ extension includes $16.6 million guaranteed. The Bears originally signed him to a three-year, $19.5 million contract two seasons ago and he has outplayed that salary. Edwards has four interceptions, 6.5 sacks, and 20 tackles for loss in two seasons starting for Chicago in the middle of the field. He gets a raise as the Bears lock up another important part of their defense after extending CB Kyler Gordon earlier in the week.
Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams visited the Falcons on Wednesday.
Williams posted on his Instagram that he visited the Falcons facility on what was the last day of pre-draft visits. The 20-year-old is a Georgia native, played at the University of Georgia, and is expected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Falcons have a need for an edge rusher and hold the No. 15 pick. They may look to keep Williams in-state and add his skillset to their pass-rushing group. Williams tallied five sacks last season and has explosive production for any team looking to add an edge rusher in the first round.
Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart “won’t fall out of the first round.”
Schultz reports his sources are indicating that Dart will not fall out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He continues that the Giants are a candidate to trade up from pick No. 34 into the first round to take Dart if they do not take a quarterback at pick No. 3. The Saints are also an option with pick No. 9 or a trade up from pick No. 40. Dart is generally considered the third quarterback to come off the board after Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, so a team in need of a franchise quarterback may take a chance on him after Ward and Sanders are selected. Teams could look to gain a fifth-year option on Dart and trade into the first round if he is not taken earlier.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Raiders LT Kolton Miller is not participating in the voluntary offseason program and seeks an extension.
Miller was the Raiders’ first-round pick in 2018 and has started 107 games over seven seasons for the team. He is set to enter the final year of his current contract in 2025, making $12.25 million. Though he is not technically holding out yet since the offseason program is voluntary, Fowler notes Miller is seeking an extension. He finished last season with an 80.6 PFF grade, No. 14 among offensive tackles. Miller has been the Raiders’ franchise left tackle for seven years now and both sides will certainly discuss an extension as training camp nears.
Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten said he had a private workout with the Commanders’ running backs coach.
Tuten didn’t name him directly, but Anthony Lynn is currently the Commanders’ running backs coach and run game coordinator. The Commanders were hampered by injuries to both Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler last year. Robinson Jr. missed three games and played through some of his injuries while Ekeler missed five contests and was limited to just 112 touches. Tuten crushed the combine with a 4.32 Forty at 5'9/206. He handled 200 touches in back-to-back seasons at Virginia Tech while topping 1,100 yards from scrimmage in both campaigns. He would offer the Washington backfield a good mix of durability and home run potential.