When it comes to success in the NFL, superstars may dominate the conversation, but more often than not, it’s the guys you don’t know who make the plays needed. when is They are needed. Such players can be rated low for all reasons. Perhaps they play in a small market, and the media is not properly reporting their exploits. Maybe they’re hidden deep in the chart behind big names that might not do that much. Or, maybe a coach never knew that someone needed height to get the best results for the team.
Whatever the reason, we at SB Nation always love to bring you the most underrated names. Offseason hidden gems and the then-Secret Superstars series. You can also find the AFC and NFC Secret Superstars for the 2026 season. Right here.
Here are our NFC Secret Superstars for Week 8 of the 2026 regular season. And if you haven’t already, Download the new SB Nation appSo read our stuff better and join the conversation wherever you are!
(According to all advanced parameters Next Gen statistics, Pro football focus, Sports information solutionsAnd Summer sports unless otherwise).
Gardner Minshew, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Baseball separates the pitches specifically between starters and relievers. There are times when I think NFL teams should do the same. If your quarterback is struggling to start a game, why can’t he finish the game without question? Arizona head coach Mike LaFleur found himself in this situation when his team took on the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. Rookie Jacoby Brissett completed just 10 of 23 passes for 119 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, four sacks and a passer rating of 41.8. That’s all you can do against a Dallas defense that should apologize for even taking the field every week, and it’s time to introduce your starter.
Which is what LaFleur did. Backup Gardner Minshew picked up his first touchdown of the day with 1:35 left in the third quarter as the Cardinals trailed 17-3, and things weren’t the same from there. Minshew tore through the suspect defense at will, completing 17 of 23 passes for 188 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 137.3. Despite Brissett’s struggles, Minshew had his hands on the ball and the Cardinals erased a huge deficit to win the game 33-30 in overtime.
“Yeah, he did a good job,” LaFleur said of Minshew. “Obviously, he’s been extended a few plays, things like that, but I thought the timing was great. I mean, he’s had a lot of success in this league, guys, and he’s as tough as they come. If you ask Gardner Minshew, he’s always ready. And guys made some plays for him, and I thought he was able to get the ball out of reach. It was — to (receiver Devin) DuVernay for six yards. Finishing starts, and that’s why you need explosives and big plays with TA (running back Tyler Allgaier) to open them up and loosen them up.
Apparently, Minho had done enough to free everyone; Because it was reported on Monday That he will be a starter going forward. As Minshew has proven throughout his career, it can be a tough ride, but LaFleur had no choice. When the Cowboys defense pauses, it’s time to make a change.
“I think (Menshew) going out there showed us all that he’s a competitor,” LaFleur said Monday after the decision was handed down. “It doesn’t scare me. The production has been pretty good in terms of points and just going up and down the field, but he’s a competitor and he’s always ready. He’s preparing like the starter. He’s preparing to be in there for any emergency. He’s backed up Jacoby at the top level. He’s been a great backup this week and it’s been a big challenge for me for this class. With him.”
Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainswell, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No one expected what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did to the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. Coming into Week 8, Jeff Ulbricht’s Falcons defense was third in the NFL in opponent EPA at -.016, tied with the Seattle Seahawks, behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars (-0.21) and the San Francisco 49ers (-0.18).
So, how on earth did the Bucs run that supposed defense 56 times for 324 yards? Especially since Baker Mayfield couldn’t complete a pass? The game was played in rainy conditions, but was started by Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainswell. In the Bucs’ 16-0 win, Irving rushed 27 times for 170 yards, one touchdown, seven forced fumbles, and five runs of 10 or more yards. Gainwell rushed 25 times for 140 yards, nine forced tackles and five runs of 10 or more yards.
It was an ass from start to finish.
The numbers, according to NFL Research and Next Gen Statistics, were staggering.
The Buccaneers became the first team in 52 seasons (Buffalo on Sept. 29, 1974) to win a game without a passing game and the first team in 20 years (Houston on Dec. 3, 2006) to win with zero or fewer net passing yards.
Irving and Gainwell became the first duo in 50 seasons and the fourth duo in NFL history to each have at least 20 rushing attempts and 125 rushing yards in the same game, joining San Francisco’s Wilbur Jackson and Delvin Williams (November 29, 1976), Cleveland’s Pro Football Hall of Fame (Jim Brown 1959), and Ron Waller and Tank Jr. of the Los Angeles Rams (December 4, 1955).
In Next Gen Stats, the Buccaneers have called a designed run on 90.0% of plays against the Falcons, the most in a single game since 2021 and the 2nd-most in a single game in the NGS era.
“I thought we did a good job until the fourth quarter,” Falcons safety Jesse Bates said of the team’s run-stopping efforts. “The first three quarters I thought we held it really well, and I think the fourth quarter really got out of hand. That’s what happens. You have to be able to bring your hard hat and stop the run, and we didn’t do that. Their defense did a good job of stopping our run, so that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day.”
Well, that’s not it so true Fact — Tampa Bay’s rushing yards were evenly spread throughout the quarter (68, 83, 98 and 80 yards), though the Bucs ran the ball 19 times in the final 15 minutes. All in all, throw in just about every running concept in Atlanta’s defense — at least 16.1% in the inside zone, outside zone, man and counter — and Atlanta, oddly enough, had no answer.
Bates had all kinds of good things to say about Irving, who ran the ball 147 times this season for 748 yards, five touchdowns, 31 forced tackles and 16 runs of 10 or more yards.
He’s not your traditional back. He looks like our number 7 (Bijan Robinson) here – you think it’s game over. These two runs are supposed to be downfield runs, and you have to cover every gap with No. 7 (Irving). As I said, I thought we did a good job until a couple ran big and saw them with the Mooch.
The replay is in Week 16 on Sunday, December 27. We’ll see if the Buccaneers press their passing game to that point or if they want to go ground and pound until someone (anyone) stops them.
Ty’Ron Hopper, LB, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers moved up from 19th in defensive DVOA in the 2025 season 4th to 8th week in 2026 Under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who replaced Jeff Hafley when Hafley became the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. And they did that with missing pieces on the roster. Micah Parsons has been out the entire season so far with a torn ACL suffered last December, and linebackers Edgerrin Cooper (season-ending torn Achilles tendon) and Zaire Franklin (hairline fracture) are also out.
The good news for the Packers’ Gannon is that the “replacements” are rolling in. And among those students, it’s hard to imagine anyone doing better than linebacker Tyrone Hopper, a 2024 third-round pick out of Missouri over Florida, who has seen Ganon’s defensive prospects rise of late.
Hopper had just 151 total snaps in 2024 and 2025 combined. He has already surpassed 60 this season. And it didn’t get any better than last Thursday night when Green Bay beat the Carolina Panthers 27-19. In that game, Hopper totaled one sack, four pressures, six tackles, three pass breakups and an interception.
In doing so, Hopper became the first Packers player since Hall of Famer Charles Woodson in 2009 to record three pass breakups, a sack and an interception in the same game.
“I can’t say enough good things about Ty’Ron Hopper,” Matt LaFleur said postgame. “The night. I thought, what? Sack, PBU, interception? What a great performance, I think we’ve seen it come more in the preseason. I can’t really speak to the work (linebackers coach) Sam Sifax does with our inside linebackers to prepare them, and I’ve seen a lot of progress from that group. They’re playing really well.
The Packers defense has been great and is Micah Parsons expected to return to practice this week? It could be completely better. In the meantime, men like Hopper And the latest mystery superstar Evan Williams They have been in power.