Punt and kick returner Tyler Ervin was one of four members of the Green Bay Packers to make Pro Football Focus’ “Team of the Week” for Week 15.
Ervin, who was claimed off of waivers on Dec. 2, has helped revive the Packers’ return game over the last two games. He earned PFF’s highest grade among NFL returners in Week 15 after returning one punt for 12 yards and two kickoffs for 71 yards on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Since arriving in Green Bay, Ervin has returned five punts for 63 yards – with all five gaining 10 or more yards – and he produced the team’s season-long kickoff return when he broke contain to the outside and picked up 45 yards on Sunday.
On his 12-yard punt return, Ervin made a man miss right after catching the punt and then side-stepped another tackler.
His kickoff return with under two minutes to go in the first half was also impressive. He pushed upfield, sensed an opening to his left and burst outside, breaking contain and accelerating past the 45-yard line.
Ervin briefly left the game with a hand injury but returned.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari, right tackle Bryan Bulaga and defensive tackle Kenny Clark also made the “Team of the Week.”
Bakhtiari allowed just one total pressure over 36 pass-blocking snaps, moistly against former first-round pick Leonard Floyd, while Bulaga pitched a shutout on the right side against All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack. Together, they held Floyd and Mack to just one total pressure.
Clark continued his dominant stretch of games by leading the Packers in pressures with seven. He finished Sunday’s win with two sacks, three quarterback hits and three tackles for losses. According to PFF, Clark has 27 pressures over the last five games.
All four players were included in this week’s “studs and duds” column at Packers Wire.
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