Following a big show out from Mississippi players during the opening week of the 2020 NFL season, Week 2 didnt stray too far away from that theme as plenty of players from the Magnolia State stepped up to help their teams. Here are the top Mississippi performers from Week 2.
Chris Carson (Seattle Seahawks RB)
Chis Carson played a large role in the Seahawks 35-30 Sunday Night Football win over the New England Patriots. The veteran tailback ran the ball 17 times for 72 yards, but more importantly, he continued to provide current MVP favorite Russell Wilson with a true receiving threat out of the backfield. The Biloxi native finished the night with 36 receiving yards on three catches and a touchdown. Its the second week in a row that Carson has brought in all of his targets.
Mike Hilton (Pittsburg Steelers DB)
Originally an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, Mike Hilton is slowly but surely solidifying himself as one of the games best slot defenders. The Steelers nickelback has only given up a mere 11 yards in coverage over the course of the first two games, plus hes second on the team in sacks, tackles for a loss, and quarterback hits. In Sundays 26-21 win against the Denver Broncos, Hilton had himself a day with eight solo tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery.
Elgton Jenkins (Green Bay Packers OL)
The big man from Mississippi State has made this list for the second week in a row as Elgton Jenkins is not only proving that hes one of the best Mississippi players in the league; hes proving that hes one of the best players in the entire league. After the Packers 42-21 win over the Detroit Lions, Pro Football Focus (PFF) rated Jenkins as the games highest-graded pass blocker (84.6). The versatile lineman, who has already lined up at two positions this year, has not given up a single quarterback pressure throughout the teams first two contests. If all goes accordingly, expect Jenkins to find his name on an All-Pro list at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
Bernardrick McKinney (Houston Texans LB)
Veteran inside linebacker Bernardrick McKinney, who leads the AFC in total tackles since 2016, had an impressive outing in the Texans’ 33-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. With a team-leading 10 total tackles, the Tunica County native and former All-SEC player was rated as the game’s top-graded tackler (84.1), according to PFF.
D.K. Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks WR)
While his cross-country counterpart, A.J. Brown, has not yet found his groove this season, D.K. Metcalf continues to thrive in his sophomore campaign. During the teams win over Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, the Oxford native hauled in four receptions for 92 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown. As the Seahawks keep rolling, I think its a safe bet to assume that the names of D.K. Metcalf and Chris Carson will be landing on this list pretty often.
Gardner Minshew, II (Jacksonville Jaguars QB)
Try to ignore the two interceptions and take into account that Gardner Minshew, II, and the Jaguars were just one drive away from beating the Tennessee Titans, who were a mere two possessions away from reaching last years Super Bowl. Outside of the turnovers, Minshew had a pretty respectable day statistically: 30/45 passing (66.7%), 348 total yards, and two touchdowns. Jacksonville is starting (emphasis on starting) to resemble a playoff teameven after this past off-seasons mass exodusand it wouldnt be possible without the solid play from their second-year signal caller.
Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys QB)
On Sunday, Dak Prescott provided Falcons players, at least the ones who played in Super Bowl LI, with a sense of dj vu as the Mississippi State product led his team back from a 20-point deficit to beat the Dirty Birds by a score of 40-39. In one of the best showings of his career, Dak did it all, throwing for 450 yards and one touchdown. Oh yeah, and he provided three touchdowns on the ground, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 400 yards and have three rushing touchdowns in the same game. It was Prescotts fifth career game with 400+ yards, which ties him with his predecessor, Tony Romo, for most 400-yard passing games in Cowboys history. Pay that man!
Jeffrey Simmons (Tennessee Titans DE)
Coming off a 2019 knee injury, I am overly impressed with the production level of Jeffrey Simmons thus far into the 2020 season. Seemingly, the former Mississippi State stud is controlling the line of scrimmage on more plays than not, and on top of that, hes making the hustle plays that dont pop out on the stat sheet. In week one, Simmons made a big third-quarter fumble recovery after Jurrell Casey strip-sacked Lamar Jackson. In week two, Simmons deflected a last-second pass that turned into a game-sealing interception for the Titans. He also tacked on three tackles and two quarterback hurries.
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