Locals in the NFL, Week 11: Kyle Van Noy, Tyler Huntley clutch in pair of wins

AROUND THE SHIELD — Kyle Van Noy had his best game of the season for the New England Patriots, so he was able to say whatever he wanted after Thursday night's win over Atlanta.

His biggest takedown, though, wasn't any of the season-high eight tackles, five solo stops or two sacks in the 25-0 victory against the Falcons.

It was the smackdown he laid on a pair of booing Falcons' fans during a postgame interview on the NFL Network.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down; somebody's a little upset," he said in jest. "I'd be mad, too. You go from a 28-3 loss to another loss …"

The former BYU linebacker had his best game of the season, and that was even before he sealed the victory with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown, putting the final touches on the evening with 1:22 on the clock.

On a night where Nick Folk kicked four field goals, the ninth-year linebacker accounted for as many points as quarterback Mac Jones, who completed 22-of-26 passes for 207 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

When you have a night like that, you can say whatever you want for the 7-4 Patriots.

"Kyle's a smart player; he does a lot of things for us," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He plays on all downs, inside and outside. He does a lot of things for us."

Van Noy wasn't the only one dominating, though. The Patriots' defense had four interceptions, four sacks, 165 yards allowed, and pitched the franchise's first shutout since a 45-0 blanking of the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 6, 2020.

It's the 30th time in the franchise's history and the 13th time under coach Bill Belichick that New England has kept its opponent off the scoreboard.

"It's always a goal each and every week, to hold teams to nothing," Van Noy said. "It's hard to do in this league; those guys get paid to be really, really good. They just had an off night, and we had a really good night. You're going to see them bounce back.

"It's not easy in this league to win, and we don't take that for granted. We've just been doing a really good job playing as a unit, all three (phases) playing together."

Another former local standout had his best game in a Week 11 win during the season.

Former Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley completed 26-of-36 passes for 219 yards and an interception, and also ran for 40 yards to help the Ravens to their seventh win of the season, 16-13 over Chicago on Sunday afternoon.

More impressive: Huntley had no idea he'd be the starter until he was getting on the bus to head to the stadium, when starting quarterback Lamar Jackson texted him.

"It's crazy," Huntley said. "I was walking toward the bus and Lamar texted me. He said, 'Go do your thing today and (I'll be) watching.'"

Jackson was deemed out with a non-COVID-19 illness roughly 90 minutes before kickoff by the Ravens' staff, and Huntley took advantage of his chance. The dual-threat quarterback directed a five-play, 72-yard drive over the game's final two minutes that ended with Devontae Freeman's go-ahead touchdown on a 3-yard run with 22 seconds left on a night when Baltimore finished with just 299 yards of offense.

The Ravens (7-3) had nearly twice the time of possession, 38:50 to 21:10 than the Bears and nine more first downs. But Chicago led from just Andy Dalton's 60-yard TD pass midway through the third quarter until his second with 1:41 remaining before Huntley's comeback drive.

Huntley is the fourth quarterback in 30 years to have a game-winning drive that started in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter of his first career start, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

"I know everyone around our facility, this organization knows how good that he is, and when he gets his opportunity – which he did today – that he was going to perform and shine," tight end Mark Andrews told Ravens reporters after the game. "But it's awesome for the world to see. It's a coming-out party for him, and I can't be more excited about it."

Here's how other former college and high school standouts from Utah fared in Week 11 of the NFL season.

Locals in the NFL: Week 11

Tampa Bay 30, NY Giants 10 (Monday Night Football)

Giants (3-7)

• Devontae Booker, RB, Utah: Ran for 15 yards on three carries.

Buccaneers (7-3)

• No locals on the active roster.

New England 25, Atlanta 0

Patriots (7-4)

• Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU: Totaled eight tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and the game-sealing pick six in 42 defensive snaps off the bench.

Falcons (4-6)

• No locals on the active roster.

Indianapolis 41, Buffalo 15

Colts (6-5)

• No locals on the active roster.

Bills (6-4)

• Zack Moss, RB, Utah: Ran for 5 yards on three carries in 16 offensive snaps.
• Taron Johnson, DB, Weber State: Starting nickel had six tackles in 61 defensive snaps.

Washington 27, Carolina 21

Football Team (4-6)

• Dax Milne, WR, Bingham/BYU: Caught one pass for 5 yards in 12 offensive snaps.
• Tyler Larsen, C, Jordan/Utah State: Starting center played 20 offensive snaps.

Panthers (5-6)

• Brady Christensen, OT, Bountiful/BYU: Reserve tackle played 41 offensive snaps, three on special teams.

Baltimore 16, Chicago 13

Ravens (7-3)

• Tyler Huntley, QB, Utah: Starting quarterback threw for 219 yards and an interception, ran for 40 yards in 81 offensive snaps.
• Ty'Son Williams, RB, BYU: Played five snaps on special teams.

Bears (3-7)

• Khyiris Tonga, DT, Granger/BYU: Made five tackles in 23 defensive snaps, five on special teams.
• Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah: Made two tackles in 81 defensive snaps, two on special teams.
• Patrick Scales, LS, Weber/Utah State: Played seven snaps on special teams.

Cleveland 13, Detroit 10

Browns (6-5)

• Sione Takitaki, LB, BYU: Starting linebacker made one tackle in 16 defensive snaps, 14 on special teams.

Lions (0-9-1)

• Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU: Starting tailback ran seven times for 11 yards in 13 offensive snaps.
• John Penisini, DL, West Jordan/Utah/Snow College: Made one tackle in 23 defensive snaps, four on special teams.
• Penei Sewell, OT, Desert Hills: Starting right tackle played all 48 offensive snaps, two on special teams.

San Francisco 30, Jacksonville 10

49ers (5-5)

• Fred Warner, LB, BYU: Starting linebacker posted team-high seven tackles and a fumble recovery while playing all 46 defensive snaps, two on special teams.
• Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah: Punted twice for 88 yards in 14 snaps on special teams.

Jaguars (2-8)

• Nevin Lawson, CB, Utah State: Made three tackles in 32 defensive snaps, 10 on special teams.

Minnesota 34, Green Bay 31

Packers (8-3)

• Jordan Love, QB, Utah State: Played one snap on offense to take a knee at the end of the half.
• Tipa Galeai, LB, Utah State: Made three tackles in 36 defensive snaps, one on special teams.

Vikings (5-5)

• Nick Vigil, LB, Fremont/Utah State: Made three tackles in 14 defensive snaps, 12 on special teams.

Miami 24, NY Jets 17

Dolphins (4-7)

• Eric Rowe, DB, Utah: Made five tackles in 37 defensive snaps.

Jets (2-8)

• Zach Wilson, QB, Corner Canyon/BYU: Inactive for Week 11 (knee)
• Javelin Guidry, DB, Utah: Played five defensive snaps, 13 on special teams.

Philadelphia 40, New Orleans 29

Eagles (5-6)

• Sua Opeta, OL, Stansbury/Weber State: Played four snaps on special teams.

Saints (5-5)

• Taysom Hill, QB, BYU: Active, but did not play.
• Marcus Williams, FS, Utah: Starting free safety had seven tackles, three pass breakups while playing all 78 defensive snaps.
• Kaden Elliss, LB, Judge Memorial: Made one special-teams tackle in 34 snaps, six on defense.

Cincinnati 32, Las Vegas 13

Bengals (6-4)

• Jalen Davis, CB, Utah State: Played three snaps on special teams.

Raiders (5-5)

• Andre James, OL, Herriman: Started and played all 47 snaps at center.
• Dallin Leavitt, S, Utah State: Posted four tackles and a fumble recovery in 13 snaps on defense, 25 on special teams.
• Jackson Barton, OT, Brighton/Utah: Inactive for Week 11.

Kansas City 19, Dallas 9

Chiefs (7-4)

• Daniel Sorensen, S, BYU: Had two tackles, one tackle for loss in 33 defensive snaps, 17 on special teams.

Cowboys (7-3)

• Francis Bernard, LB, Herriman/Utah: Made one tackle in 18 snaps on special teams.
• Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham: Starting tight end caught team-high six passes for 53 yards in 66 offensive snaps, three on special teams.
• Simi Fehoko, WR, Brighton: Inactive for Week 11.

Arizona 23, Seattle 13

Cardinals (9-2)

• Leki Fotu, DL, Herriman/Utah: Made two tackles in 14 defensive snaps, nine on special teams.

Seahawks (3-7)

• Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State: Starting middle linebacker totaled 14 tackles, forced a fumble in all 83 defensive snaps, seven on special teams.
• Cody Barton, LB, Brighton/Utah: Played 17 snaps on special teams.
• Bryan Mone, DT, Highland: Posted four tackles, 0.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry in 27 defensive snaps, seven on special teams.

LA Chargers 41, Pittsburgh 37

Chargers (6-4)

• Kyler Fackrell, LB, Utah State: Had one tackle, one sack, one quarterback hurry in 30 defensive snaps, eight on special teams.
• Alohi Gilman, S, Orem: Inactive for Week 11.
• Michael Davis, CB, BYU: Starting cornerback made five tackles in 68 defensive snaps.

Steelers (5-4-1)

• Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah: Made one tackle and blocked a punt in 19 snaps on special teams, one on defense.

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