Locals in the NFL: Dalton Schultz's 2 TD game, Cowboys win draws monster TV rating

AROUND THE SHIELD — Dalton Schultz found his scoring boots to go with a side of turkey on Thanksgiving Day, a breakout game that can only mean good things for the fifth-year tight end and the Dallas Cowboys.

His best game also included a giant bucket and a massive audience.

Schultz caught four passes for 31 yards and a season-high two touchdowns in the Cowboys' 28-20 win Thursday over the New York Giants, helping Dallas improve to 8-3 on the season.

The former Bingham High star who played collegiately at Stanford has three touchdowns on the year, all of them in the past three games as he's begun to hit his stride for a Dallas squad that has won four of its last five games.

Schultz caught two touchdowns from Dak Prescott roughly five minutes apart in the third quarter to help the Cowboys turn a 13-7 deficit into a 21-13 lead, including an athletic one-handed 15-yarder by the Bingham High product.

"We just started playing together. … Honestly, we kept calling the same stuff (in the second half) as we did in the first half," Schultz told reporters after the Cowboys' 21-7 second half. "We were just executing at a higher level.

"I've said this from day one: we're at our most dangerous when we're at a whole. And I think we did a good job of executing on the whole today."

Prescott's use of the tight ends all night as Prescott also found Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot.

In one moment, which happened to come after Hendershot's 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the tight end trio got together for an end-zone celebration involving all three of them meeting in the giant Salvation Army kettle behind the goal for an impromptu game of "whack-a-mole."

"Jake Ferguson put it together," Hendershot told the media after the game. "All the tight ends were going to be in there. We knew the Salvation Army bucket was going to be there. So that's what we came up with."

"I think we just saw the kettle and we were just brainstorming in the tight end room," Ferguson said. 'Like what can we do? What about if all three of us are in there and we just play whack-a-mole.'"

The annual Turkey Day matchup also drew a massive audience. FOX Sports announced Friday that the contest pulled in 42 million viewers, making it the most-watched NFL regular-season game on any network on record.

That would be a 49% viewership increase over last year's Thanksgiving Day game between Dallas and the Chicago Bears. The number, which beat out a Monday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers in 1990 that drew 41.6 million, also includes streaming views, FOX said.

Here's how other former high school and college football standouts from Utah performed in Week 12 of the 2022 NFL regular season.

Monday Night Football

Pittsburgh 24, Indianapolis 17

Steelers (4-7)

• Jaylen Warren, RB, Utah State/Snow/East: Inactive for Week 12
• Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah: Reserve safety played mostly on special teams

Colts (4-7-1)

• Julian Blackmon, S, Utah/Layton: Starting free safety made for tackles on defense
• Zack Moss, RB, Utah: Reserve running back had two yards on one carry on offense

Sunday Night Football

Philadelphia 40, Green Bay 33

Eagles (10-1)

• Sua Opeta, OG, Weber State/Stansbury: Inactive for Week 12
• Britain Covey, WR/RS, Utah/Timpview: Fair caught one punt in two snaps on special teams

Packers (4-8)

• Jordan Love, QB, Utah State: Backup quarterback completed 6-of-9 passes for 113 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown, in 10 offensive snaps for injured Aaron Rodgers
• Dallin Leavitt, S, Utah State/BYU: Reserve safety made one tackle in 25 snaps on special teams

Sunday afternoon

San Francisco 13, New Orleans 0

49ers (7-4)

• Fred "Pete" Warner, LB, BYU: Starting linebacker totaled seven tackles, a quarterback hit, two passes defended and a forced fumble while playing all 57 snaps on defense, and three on special teams
• Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah: Punted four times for 175 yards (43.8 average) with two punts downed inside the 20 in seven snaps on special teams

Saints (4-8)

• Taysom Hill, TE, BYU: Starting tight end ran for 13 yards on six carries, attempted a pass and caught one pass for seven yards in 28 snaps on offense, eight on special teams
• Daniel Sorensen, S, BYU: Reserve safety played 12 snaps on special teams
• Rashid Shaheed, WR,RS, Weber State: Reserve receiver ran once for six yards, caught two passes for 53 yards and returned two punts for 18 yards with two fair catches and two kickoffs in 30 offensive snaps and eight more on special teams
• Kaden Elliss, LB, Judge Memorial: Starting linebacker had a team-high 14 tackles while playing all 70 snaps on defense and seven more on special teams

Kansas City 26, LA Rams 10

Chiefs (9-2)

• No locals on the active roster, but coached by former BYU offensive lineman and graduate assistant Andy Reid

Rams (3-8)

• Matt Gay, K, Utah/UVU/Orem: Kicked a 47-yard field goal, one PAT, and three kickoffs in five snaps on special teams
• Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State: Starting linebacker had six tackles and a pass defended while playing all 76 defensive snaps
• Jonah Williams, DT, Weber State: Reserve defensive lineman made three tackles in 24 defensive snaps, also played eight snaps on special teams

Las Vegas 40, Seattle 34

Raiders (4-7)

• Andre James, OC, Herriman: Starting center played all 77 snaps on offense
• Jackson Barton, OT, Utah/Brighton: Inactive for Week 12

Seahawks (6-5)

• Cody Barton, LB, Utah/Brighton: Reserve linebacker tied a season high with 12 tackles, including a tackle for loss, and a pass break in 56 defensive snaps and 26 more on special teams
• Bryan Mone, DT, Highland: Reserve defensive lineman made two tackles in 21 snaps on defense, four on special teams

LA Chargers 25, Arizona 24

Chargers (6-5)

• Michael Davis, CB, BYU: Starting cornerback had six tackles, a sack and two passes defended in all 66 defensive snaps, plus five on special teams
• Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU: Starting edge rusher made five tackles in 61 defensive snaps
• Alohi Gilman, S, Orem: Starting safety had a team-high 10 tackles and a pass defended while playing all 66 defensive snaps, plus five on special teams

Cardinals (4-8)

• Leki Fotu, DT, Utah/Herriman: Reserve defensive lineman made one tackle in 17 defensive snaps, eight on special teams

Washington 19, Atlanta 13

Commanders (7-5)

• Tyler Larsen, OC, Utah State/Jordan: Starting center played all 62 offensive snaps
• Dax Milne, WR/RS, BYU/Bingham: Inactive for Week 12

Falcons (5-7)

• Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU: Reserve running back ran for team-high 54 yards on 11 carries in 22 offensive snaps

Cincinnati 20, Tennessee 16

Bengals (7-4)

• Jalen Davis, CB, Utah State: Reserve cornerback played five snaps on special teams
• Jay Tufele, DT, Bingham: Reserve nose tackle had a quarterback hit in 11 snaps on defense

Titans (7-4)

• No locals on the active roster

NY Jets 31, Chicago 10

Jets (7-4)

• Zach Wilson, QB, BYU/Corner Canyon: Inactive for Week 12

Bears (3-9)

• Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah: Starting cornerback had seven tackles and a pass breakup while playing all 63 defensive snaps
• Patrick Scales, LS, Utah State/Weber: Played seven snaps on special teams
• Braxton Jones, OT, SUU/Murray: Starting left tackle

Miami 30, Houston 15

Dolphins (8-3)

• Eric Rowe, S, Utah: Starting safety made four tackles and forced a fumble in 55 defensive snaps, seven on special teams

Texans (1-9-1)

• No locals on the active roster

Jacksonville 28, Baltimore 27

Jaguars (4-7)

• Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: Reserve linebacker made two tackles in 27 snaps on defense, 14 on special teams

Ravens (7-4)

• Tyler Huntley, RB, Utah: Backup quarterback played one snap

Cleveland 23, Tampa Bay 17

Browns (4-7)

• Sione Takitaki, LB, BYU: Starting linebacker totaled six tackles in 50 defensive snaps, played 10 on special teams

Buccaneers (5-6)

• No locals on the active roster

Carolina 23, Denver 10

Panthers (4-8)

• Brady Christensen, OG, BYU/Bountiful: Starting left guard played all 66 snaps on offense, five on special teams

Broncos (3-8)

• No locals on the active roster

Thursday (Thanksgiving Day)

Buffalo 28, Detroit 25

Bills (8-3)

• Taron Johnson, DB, Weber State: Reserve cornerback made three tackles in 61 snaps on defense

Lions (4-7)

• Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU: Reserve running back ran for 66 yards on 18 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown with a fumble in 30 snaps on offense
• Penei Sewell, OT, Desert Hills: Starting right tackle played all 71 snaps on offense

Dallas 28, NY Giants 20

Cowboys (8-3)

• Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham: Starting tight end caught four passes for 31 yards and a season-high two touchdowns of 15 and 6 yards in 63 offensive snaps

Giants (7-4)

• Terrell Burgess, S, Utah: Played five snaps on special teams

Minnesota 33, New England 26

Vikings (9-2)

• Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU/Granger: Reserve nose tackle played seven snaps on defense, six on special teams

Patriots (6-5)

• No locals on the active roster

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