NFL News & Analysis

Lowest-graded player at every position in NFL Week 15

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 18: Quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles scrambles with the ball against the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The holidays are here, which means it’s almost the end of the NFL regular season. With just two weeks remaining, there is still plenty to be decided, however.

Earlier on Tuesday, Senior Analyst Sam Monson highlighted the best individual performances of the week. Here we visit the opposite end of the spectrum, noting the lowest-graded players of Week 15.

Week 15 offense

Quarterback: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles, 34.3

It was a tough week for the Eagles' rookie quarterback, who struggled all over the field. Wentz completed just 2-of-11 passes farther than 10 yards downfield, and had an interception, as well. When under pressure, Wentz completed 4-of-11 attempts for just 26 yards and the aforementioned pick.

Running back: Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders, 38.1

Murray averaged 6.3 yards per carry against the Chargers, which seems like a lot. It's worth noting, however, that he averaged a mere 1.8 yards after contact per rush. That means he averaged more than 4 yards in open space per carry, yet still gained just 82 yards on 13 carries. He also fumbled twice, which isn’t great.

Wide receiver: Tyrell Williams, San Diego Chargers, 37.1

Williams hauled in four of eight targets for just 20 total yards. All but one of those yards came after the catch, as he did most of his “damage” on screen passes. Williams also dropped three passes.

Wide receiver: Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers, 40.0

Funchess was invisible for the Panthers on Monday night, seeing just three targets all game, and dropping two of them.

Slot receiver: Jordan Norwood, Denver Broncos, 41.9

Norwood struggled in the passing game for the Broncos. He was only targeted once all afternoon, and while he did catch the pass, and gain 13 yards, he promptly fumbled the ball.

Tight end: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, New York Jets, 38.3

Seferian-Jenkins had just one catch on three targets for 3 yards against the Dolphins, while dropping another pass in the receiving game. He also struggled in the run-blocking game, allowing a couple of stops.

Left tackle: Zane Beadles, San Francisco 49ers, 37.7

Beadles surrendered five quarterback hurries and was beaten a couple of other times. He wasn’t great when it came to run-blocking, either.

Left guard: Mark Glowinski, Seattle Seahawks, 34.4

Glowinski surrendered two quarterback hits and two other pressures in pass protection. In the run game, it wasn’t much better, as he earned a 41.8 run-blocking grade.

Center: Marcus Martin, San Francisco 49ers, 39.0

While Marcus Martin did surrender a sack, the large majority of his low grade is due to his run-game struggles. His 37.9 run-blocking grade was one of the lowest marks of the week.

Right guard: Germain Ifedi, Seattle Seahawks, 30.8

It was an all-around struggle for Ifedi, whose three hurries don’t tell the whole story (28.4 pass-blocking grade). He also recorded three false-start penalties.

Right tackle: Earl Watford, Arizona Cardinals, 31.3

Watford’s poor game grade largely resulted from his pass-protection performance, where he graded out at 28.6, thanks to a sack, three hurries, and a few other plays on which he was beaten.

Week 15 defense

Edge defender: Jamie Collins, Cleveland Browns, 37.1

Collins looked disinterested at times in this game, frequently finding himself losing his contain on outside run plays. He was also targeted five times in the passing game, surrendering five catches for 71 yards.

Interior defender: Chris Jones, San Francisco 49ers, 34.6

Jones was unable to do any kind of damage in stopping the run against the Atlanta Falcons. His 31.8 run-defense grade played a big part in the 256 yards rushing that the 49ers allowed.

Interior defender: Timmy Jernigan, Baltimore Ravens, 36.1

Jernigan finished Sunday's game with a defensive doughnut, failing to register a quarterback pressure, a stop, or even a tackle.

Edge defender: Noah Spence, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38.5

Spence recorded just one late quarterback hurry against the Cowboys. He didn’t make a single tackle in any of his 49 snaps.

Linebacker: Zachary Orr, Baltimore Ravens, 29.2

Orr had a whale of a time trying to stop the Philadelphia Eagles' ground attack. He didn’t make a single run stop, and actually missed two tackles. He did have an interception in coverage, though.

Linebacker: Ramik Wilson, Kansas City Chiefs, 31.9

Wilson made some stops in the run game, but not enough to make up for how often he was sealed off at the second level. His 21.8 run-defense grade says it all.

Cornerback: Damarious Randall, Green Bay Packers, 24.0

Randall was targeted frequently against the Bears, yet failed to make a positive impact. On 11 targets, he allowed seven catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, breaking up just one of those passes.

Cornerback: Brandon Carr, Dallas Cowboys, 27.6

Carr allowed just four catches on six targets, but those receptions went for 83 yards and a touchdown. He also took a penalty and was beaten on both of the incompletions.

Slot cornerback: Joshua Shaw, Cincinnati Bengals, 35.5

Shaw was a big-play target on Sunday, allowing four catches on five attempts into his coverage for 105 yards and a touchdown when working out of the slot.

Safety: Dwight Lowery, San Diego Chargers, 33.3

Lowery wasn’t anything special in pass defense, as evidenced by his 36.4 coverage grade. He also struggled in the run game, though, failing to make a stop and missing two tackles.

Safety: Jaylen Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles, 34.9

Most of Watkins' damage came from his coverage struggles. His 33.7 coverage grade was one of the lowest of the week, and he didn’t contribute much in terms of run defense, either.

Week 15 special teams

Punter: Brett Kern, Tennessee Titans

Kern’s four punts averaged just 35.8 yards. None of them landed inside the 20-yard-line, either.

Kicker: Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona Cardinals

On what was nearly the most accurate kicking weekend in NFL history, Catanzaro missed an extra point and came up short on a tough 55-yard field goal.

Kick returner: Jordan Norwood, Denver Broncos

Norwood becomes the first player to make this list twice in one week. He had two punt returns for just 5 yards, and muffed another.

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