Cooper Rush, Tershawn Wharton, Josh Butler among Secret Superstars for NFL Week 12

As the NFL season progresses, we'll likely see unknown players rise from humble beginnings and players whose careers have gone sideways somehow find their way back into the spotlight.

We want to celebrate these players every week on “Secret Superstars.” This week features two Dallas Cowboys who weren't expected to be this good, the NFL's newest nuclear deep threat, and a bad fall after key quarterback pressure iced the team's victory. Introducing the defensive tackle who saved a child's life.

Cooper Rush, QB, Dallas Cowboys

The 2024 Dallas Cowboys are a disaster in about 47 different directions, and their 4-7 record reflects that. Despite the unnecessary distractions and deficiencies, this team still has enough talent to win against better teams, and that's what the Cowboys did last Sunday when they defeated the Washington Commanders 34-26. It happened at the time. The main story of the game was the late scoring (five touchdowns with 5 minutes, 16 seconds left), and the special teams mistakes were primarily led by Commanders kicker Austin Seibert. Extra time as the worst kicker in NFL history

A great subplot was the performance of Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush. After Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9, the Cowboys promoted Rush to the starting lineup in place of Trey Lance. Rush, an undrafted 2017 free agent out of Central Michigan (Chippewas), has looked nothing like a starter during his NFL career and has primarily been a starter. From practice squad to active roster.

But in this game, aside from a few missteps, Rush looked like a pretty good starter. He completed 24 of 32 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His 117.6 passer rating in Week 12 was the fifth-best in the NFL, and his 0.20 EPA+ per dropback also ranked fifth. And this wasn't all dink-and-dunk. Rush made some professional throws there.

“I thought Cooper did a great job managing the game,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I thought the run game was going to get him done. I thought he was very decisive and clean with it. In the passing game, he was robbed of some plays due to penalties, but he I think they played a great game, and I think it was their best game so far.”

Rush's efforts won't propel the Cowboys into the postseason — there's still plenty to overcome, including the head coach and key players at the top — but Rush is a fleeting addition to Dallas in a season filled with drama. It gave me a break. Too low to define performance on the field.

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers' backfield has three hydras in running backs Rashard White, Sean Tucker and fourth-round rookie Bucky Irving from Oregon State. White and Tucker are perfectly serviceable players, but it's Irving who has stood out the most this season and who has been pushed the most in the right way to get more playing time. Irving has played 338 snaps this season, rushing for 579 yards and five rushing touchdowns on 108 carries and 32 catches on 33 targets for 252 yards.

Last Sunday's thorough defeat of the corrupt New York Giants was perhaps the pinnacle of versatility in Irving's NFL career thus far. He was nearly impossible to stop, gaining a career-high 87 yards on the ground and catching six passes for a career-high 64 yards. As both a rusher and a receiver, Irving ripped through Big Blue's defense with impunity.

Nick Westbrook Iquine, WR, Tennessee Titans

The 3-8 Titans aren't necessarily playoff-ready this season, and quarterback Will Reavis is as YOLO as ever, but the Week 10 Secret Superstar has recently become more It sums up some good things. The improvement in the passing game was obvious, but the bar to clear was low. Tennessee ranked 30th in passing DVOA through the first half of the season through Week 9, and has climbed to 20th since then.

One of the main reasons for that is that fifth-year receiver Nick Westbrook-Iquine has emerged as not only a serious threat, but a ridiculous “Where the hell did that come from?” A deep threat. Since Week 8 against the Detroit Lions, Westbrook-Ikane has had 34 yards against Detroit, 99 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, and last Sunday in a 32-27 win over the Houston Texans. gained 38 yards. Statistically, and especially from a yards per deep catch standpoint, Westbrook Iquine has been given some truly insane numbers to be proud of.

This recent vertical stretch doesn't come from outer space, as Westbrook-Iquine has played some role as a deep receiver for the Titans in recent years. But he has certainly accelerated his level of threat to defenses, and that could be the foundation the Titans look to build on as they regain relevance. Westbrook Iquine re-signed with the team this offseason on a one-year, $2 million contract. They would be wise to bring him back in 2025.

Dalvin Tomlinson, IDL, Cleveland Browns

I'm happy to see a player who doesn't stand out, who I've always liked, do something special in a match. I've been a fan of Dalvin Tomlinson ever since he became a reliable rotation player in his rookie season after being selected by the Giants as a second-round pick out of the University of Alabama in 2017, and during his years with the Vikings and Browns. Even through this, he has sometimes distinguished himself.

But what happened last Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a snow globe game at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field was something else entirely, and it wasn't about the weather. Tomlinson played at a world-destroying level, harassing and replacing nearly every offensive lineman in Pittsburgh with two quarterback hits, eight quarterback hurries, and 10 total pressures.

Those are certainly impressive numbers, but you'll have to actually watch the tape to see what the 6-foot-3, 325-pound Tomlinson contributed to the Steelers' offense in Cleveland's 24-19 win. There is. How many times were Pittsburgh's offensive plays destroyed by Tomlinson before they even started? It was a transformative performance, perhaps the best of Tomlinson's career.

It's not the veteran's first departure this season — he just crushed Los Angeles' Interior offensive line in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers, recording two sacks — but this one was really special… Especially when you see Tomlinson beat an opposing lineman in the final seconds of the game. Comical level.

Tershaun Wharton, IDL, Kansas City Chiefs

Wharton persevered against the powerhouses and had plenty of action in Kansas City's narrow 30-27 win against a normally miserable team (but it's improving) Carolina Panthers. The Chiefs were looking to snap a two-game losing streak after starting 10-0, but the Panthers gave them every penny.

With 4:46 left in the game and the Chiefs leading 27-19, Wharton ripped off a double team from center Cade Mays and left guard Damian Lewis. As Panthers quarterback Bryce Young moved to his right to escape pressure, the 6-foot-1, 285-pound Wharton chased Young to the sideline, resulting in an incomplete third down and forcing the Panthers to punt. . Carolina came back to tie the game with running back Chuba Hubbard's touchdown and two-point conversion with less than two minutes remaining. Then, as time expired, Patrick Mahomes did his usual stupid thing and set up the game-winning field goal for Kansas City, but the game might have played out differently if not for Wharton's play. There is a credible argument that it cannot.

But that's not the only reason Wharton made Secret Superstar this week. He also made a crucial and spectacular catch when a Chiefs fan fell from the stands and Wharton grabbed the kid before he hit the ground as he walked off the field.

now, There is A player you want on your team in important situations.

Josh Butler, CB, Dallas Cowboys

Of all the players featured on Secret Superstar this season, Butler may have taken the most circuitous path to the NFL. Butler, a Dallas native who attended Michigan State University, is best known for bringing his dogs Roxy and Remi onto the field during the Spartans' 2019 Senior Night presentation. Butler had lost both of his parents while he was in college and wanted to enroll. Represents with his dog family.

A pro dog of that caliber will be on four legs with the Secret Superstars staff, but it will be a while before Butler sees the NFL. He began his professional career in Spring League in 2021, graduated to the USFL's Michigan Panthers in 2023, and finally got his chance in the NFL later that year when he signed with the Cowboys. Butler returned to the active roster from the practice squad multiple times, but was finally elevated to his current role as a defender in Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Last Sunday, in the Cowboys' aforementioned game against the Commanders, Butler played as if he should have been on the field in the first place. He allowed nine catches on 12 targets, but it makes sense that opposing quarterbacks would target the rookie. But he didn't lose so badly on any of his catches that it seemed like his presence was a mistake, but he did allow just 87 and 19 yards after the catch.

Additionally, Butler's three pass breakups matched up with receivers both in the press and out of coverage, showing him interesting potential as a cornerback who can jump routes.

“I can't say enough about Josh Butler,” Mike McCarthy said after the game. “He earned it. He had to wait a long time, so it's really nice for these young players to take a chance and be rewarded with a win like this. I'm really happy for him. .”

So are we. I'm sure Roxy and Remi will too.