Seahawks LB Darrell Taylor, Rams TE Roger Carter Jr. go viral: NFC West Stock Watch

By Eric Williams
Published

Receiver Jauan Jennings had his most impactful game for the San Francisco 49ers last week in a shutout win at home against the New Orleans Saints.

The third-year pro out of Tennessee totaled six receptions for 49 yards on seven targets, including his first touchdown reception of the year. Five of Jennings' receptions were good for first downs, and three of his receptions came on San Francisco's only touchdown scoring drive of the game.

On a team that features talented playmakers like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Brandon Aiyuk, it's easy for Jennings to get lost. However, he showed his value on Sunday as a receiver who can win one-on-one matchups in crucial moments. 

One of the more impressive receptions was Jennings' five-yard touchdown catch. Initially tipped by New Orleans safety Tyrann Mathieu, Jennings showed good concentration and balance in corralling the tipped ball while keeping both feet in bounds in the back of the end zone.

Jennings' ability to make big plays in critical situations has earned him a catchy nickname: Third and Jauan.

"A lot of teams like to play man-to-man on third downs," Jennings said. "And that's one of my strengths. I can beat man-to-man."

Jennings put those skills on display on this out route against slot defender Chris Harris Jr., causing him to fall and leading to a late hit by the veteran defensive back out of frustration.

"It's hard to play man against Jauan," San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. "He's big. He's quick. He's physical when he gets the ball in his hands, and he's hard to bring down. I'm not trying to pump him up too much there, but he does a lot of good things. He separates at the top of his routes, so as a quarterback it's easy to read his body language." 

Per Next Gen Stats, Jennings has 14 receptions for 164 yards on 21 targets on third down this year. That's the most receiving yards and targets of any San Francisco receiver on the money down. 

Jennings' penchant for creating separation tops this week's NFC West Stock Watch. 

Rising

Niners WR Jauan Jennings: At 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, Jennings has an ability to play physical in the run game that has also stood out this year, as evidenced in the clip below against the Saints.

One of the reasons San Francisco averages 124 rushing yards a game is receivers like Jennings and their ability to create rushing lanes by being physical stalk blockers on the perimeter. 

Niners DE Nick Bosa: The Ohio State product has been the ringleader for San Francisco's pass rush up front. Bosa had a sack to help close out his team's win against the Saints last week, becoming just the fifth player since 2000 to record at least one sack in nine of his first 10 games, joining Hugh Douglas (2000), Everson Griffen (2017), Robert Mathis (2005) and DeMarcus Ware (2008). 

Bosa is No. 3 in the NFL with 11.5 sacks. And he will apparently do pass rush moves on any inanimate object, according to Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. The 8-3 Dolphins meet the 7-4 49ers in San Francisco on Sunday (4:05 P.m. ET on FOX).

Los Angeles Rams P Riley Dixon: The Rams dialed up some trickeration against the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend when Dixon hit receiver Jacob Harris with a tight spiral on a fake punt for a six-yard pass play that moved the chains. 

Of course, L.A.'s anemic offense was forced to punt again on the same drive, and all Dixon did was drop his 48-yard punt on Kansas City's four-yard line. Dixon has been a solid replacement for longtime Los Angeles punter Johnny Hekker, who signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Dixon's play has been one of the few bright spots in what has been a season to forget for the Rams. 

Falling

Seattle Seahawks OLB Darrell Taylor: Predicted for a breakout season this year, Taylor is now struggling to consistently get on the field for the Seahawks.

And in last weekend's overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Taylor found himself on the field at the wrong time, as he ran out to celebrate with his teammates after safety Quandre Diggs' interception. However, the ball had not been blown dead and the Seahawks should have been called for 12 men on the field. Not great. Taylor has played only 58 defensive snaps and has just an assisted tackle in the past three games. 

Rams TE Roger Carter Jr.: As he tried to take the field against Kansas City on Sunday, the rookie out of Georgia State slammed into head coach Sean McVay, injuring his jaw. The incident was just another reminder of how things have gone for the tumbling Rams.

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But as he does with most things, McVay handled the situation well.

"I'll be limited for the rest of the week with my jaw," the coach joked when running through the injuries for his team this week. 

Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride: A second-round selection out of Colorado State, McBride finished with one catch for a yard on three targets against the Los Angeles Chargers over the weekend. McBride was subbing for veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Rams earlier this month.

McBride also had a critical drop that would have moved the chains on third down midway through the fourth quarter in Arizona's loss. It would have been a tough catch for McBride, with Chargers safety Alohi Gilman swiping at his hands, but it's the kind of contested catch players must make in the NFL. 

McBride has just nine receptions for 46 yards on the year. With Ertz out, the Cardinals need more production from last year's winner of the John Mackey Award, given to the best tight end in college football. 

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Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.