Aaron Rodgers’ return to the field garnered most of the pre-game headlines, but the play of the Packers defense stole the show in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks.
Adrian Amos and his teammates shutout the Seattle offense in a 17-0 win, with the former Nittany Lion grabbing his second interception of the season. Amos also finished with four tackles and three pass deflections.
The Green Bay defense has quickly developed into one of the league’s best this season under first-year coordinator Joe Barry.
It seemed like nobody wanted to win Sunday’s matchup between the Lions and Steelers, with turnovers, mistakes and penalties the story of the game.
As a result, nobody did win. Pittsburgh and Detroit played to a 16-16 tie after a pretty wild overtime finish.
Amani Oruwariye helped the Lions avoid the loss column for the first time this season, finishing with seven tackles, two pass deflections and a critical fumble recovery in overtime.
Week 14 of the NFL season might have been the most productive and entertaining week thus far for Penn Staters in the NFL. Weāre talking touchdowns galore!
KJ Hamler, WR, Denver Broncos
As FOX play-by-play announcer Tim Brando termed in a contest last season, āThere goes KJ for a pay day!ā
Hamler only caught two passes from Denver quarterback Drew Lock on Sunday, but they went for touchdown passes of 49 and 37 yards, respectively. Howās that for stretching the field?
Even though Denver is all but out of the playoff race, itās got to feel good for Broncos fans to see a rapport developing between Lock and some of the talented young receivers at his disposal.
Read more on KJās big day in this profile from ESPNās Jeff Legwold.
Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins
Photo By Steve Manuel
It was a bittersweet afternoon for Gesicki and the Dolphins.
Gesicki terrorized the Chiefs secondary for most of this matchup between two playoff contenders, finding the end zone twice, including this ridiculous grab over three defenders that kept Miami within striking distance of the defending Super Bowl champs.
On a day where Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce proved once again why heās the best in the league, Gesicki certainly made his case for being one of the best at his position.
Unfortunately, Gesicki had to exit the game early with an upper-body injury. Letās hope it wasnāt as serious as it looked on the broadcast and Gesicki can play a part in Miamiās push for a playoff spot.
Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
It had been a quiet few weeks for Miles, struggling to make an impact in an Eagles offense that was stuck in neutral.
Photo By Steve Manuel
A quarterback change for Philadelphia sparked the offense back into life and Sanders benefited. Alongside Jalen Hurts in the backfield, Sanders erupted for 115 yards on 14 carries and found the end zone twice.
After a difficult stretch the Eagles are still very much alive in the NFC East title chase.
Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago BearsĀ
Photo By Steve Manuel
What can we say about Robinson II that we havenāt already? Heās one of the best wide receivers in football and Sunday was another showcase performance as to why.
On a day when Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was in a zone, Robinson II had one of his biggest outings of the season with nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
The former Nittany Lion has now surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in a single season for the third time in his NFL career.
The Packers will need him to continue to play at a high level as they push on for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
This also gives us a chance to share a pretty neat feature on Amos that recently ran in the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Amos has already raised $55,000 for the Alzheimerās Association Wisconsin Chapter this season and now heās looking to get fans involved.
Adrian launched a new fundraiser this month, asking fans to donate $31 to the chapter, in honor of his No. 31. In return, they’ll receive a green and gold T-shirt that reads ā#ENDALZāRead more about Adrian’s initiative, here.
It was another productive weekend for some former Penn State stars in the NFL, so letās get to the highlights.
Adrian Amos, S, Green Bay Packers
Photo By Steve Manuel
Amos continues to shine in Green Bayās secondary. In Sundayās win over the Jaguars, it was the Green Bay defense, not itās high powered offense, that had to carry the Packers for most of the game.
With Jacksonville approaching midfield in the second quarter, Amos jumped in front of the intended receiver and snagged an interception — his first of the 2020 season.
Hey, who doesnāt love when a defensive lineman gets an interception?
Nassib snagged his first career INT in Las Vegasā 37-13 win over divisional rivals Denver on Sunday, catching Broncos QB Drew Lock completely by surprise as he dropped into coverage in the middle of the field.
Nasib and the Raiders will now host the Kansas City Chiefs for a huge matchup on Sunday Night Football in Week 11.
Noted lockdown DB Carl Nassib gets the INT off Drew Lock!
Nittany Lions In The NFL Baltimore Ravens (1): Trace McSorley Buffalo Bills (1): Ryan Bates Carolina Panthers (2): Yetur Gross-Matos, Shareef MillerĀ Chicago Bears (2): Jordan Lucas, Allen Robinson II Dallas Cowboys (2): Sean Lee, Connor McGovern Denver Broncos (2): DaeSean Hamilton, KJ HamlerĀ Detroit Lions (3): Jason Cabinda, Jesse James, Amani Oruwariye Green Bay Packers (1): Adrian AmosĀ Houston Texans (1): John ReidĀ Indianapolis Colts (1): Robert WindsorĀ Las Vegas Raiders (2): Nick Bowers, Carl Nassib Los Angeles Rams (1): Nick Scott Miami Dolphins (1): Mike Gesicki Minnesota Vikings (1): Dan ChisenaĀ New Orleans Saints (1): Blake GillikinĀ New York Giants (3): Saquon Barkley, Cam Brown, Austin Johnson New York Jets (1): Sam Ficken, Chris Hogan, Ross Travis Philadelphia Eagles (2): Miles Sanders, Trevor Williams, Shareef Miller Pittsburgh Steelers (1): Marcus Allen San Francisco 49ers (2): Kevin Givens, Robbie GouldĀ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3): Chris Godwin, A.Q. Shipley, Donovan SmithĀ Tennessee Titans (2): Jack Crawford, DaQuan Jones Washington Football Team (1): Troy ApkeĀ
Nittany Lions On NFL Coaching Staffs Matt Rhule – Carolina Panthers Head Coach Tom Bradley – Pittsburgh Steelers DBs Coach Bobby Engram – Baltimore Ravens TEs Coach Al Golden – Cincinnati Bengals LBs Coach DāAnton Lynn – Houston Texans Secondary Coach Mike Munchak – Denver Broncos OL Coach Jeff Nixon – Carolina Panthers Senior Offensive Assistant
After a few weeks out of the spotlight with an injury, Chris Godwin returned to form with an excellent performance for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He leads off our Penn Staters At The Next Level recap for Week 7.
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Photo By Steve Manuel
Godwin looks to be the favorite target of quarterback Tom Brady among all the impressive offensive weapons at his disposal.
Brady targeted Godwin a team-high nine times in Sundayās 45-20 when over the Oakland — check that, I mean Las Vegas — Raiders. Godwin caught all nine of his targets for 88 yards, including this tip-toed touchdown reception to put the Bucs up by double digits in the fourth quarter.Ā
Chris Godwin puts the @Buccaneers up by 11 with a little toe drag. #GoBucs
The only bad news from Godwinās performance is that he suffered an injury to his index finger and underwent surgery on Tuesday.
He will miss his teamās Monday Night matchup against the New York Giants in Week 8, but thereās a possibility he returns to the lineup in Week 9.
Adrian Amos, S, Green Bay Packers
Photo By Steve Manuel
As I mentioned earlier in the season, Amos seems to be the leader of the Packersā secondary and had another strong showing in Green Bayās 35-20 win over the Texans.
Amos notched six tackles and his first sack of the season against Houston, as the Packers rebounded from their first loss of the season a week ago.
Kevin Givens, DL, San Francisco 49ers
Photo By Steve Manuel
That had to feel good! Givens recorded his first career sack as a pro, taking down Patriots backup QB Jarret Stidham late in the fourth quarter of the 49ersā dominant road win over New England.
It might have been a garbage time sack, but hey, they all count the same in the record book.
With San Francisco dealing with a ton of injuries to their defensive line, Givens has seen more and more playing time this season.Ā
Nittany Lions In The NFL Baltimore Ravens (1): Trace McSorley Buffalo Bills (1): Ryan Bates Carolina Panthers (2): Yetur Gross-Matos, Shareef MillerĀ Chicago Bears (2): Jordan Lucas, Allen Robinson II Dallas Cowboys (2): Sean Lee, Connor McGovern Denver Broncos (2): DaeSean Hamilton, KJ HamlerĀ Detroit Lions (3): Jason Cabinda, Jesse James, Amani Oruwariye Green Bay Packers (1): Adrian AmosĀ Houston Texans (1): John ReidĀ Indianapolis Colts (1): Robert WindsorĀ Las Vegas Raiders (2): Nick Bowers, Carl Nassib Los Angeles Rams (1): Nick Scott Miami Dolphins (1): Mike Gesicki Minnesota Vikings (1): Dan ChisenaĀ New Orleans Saints (1): Blake GillikinĀ New York Giants (3): Saquon Barkley, Cam Brown, Austin Johnson New York Jets (1): Sam Ficken, Chris Hogan, Ross Travis Philadelphia Eagles (2): Miles Sanders, Trevor Williams, Shareef Miller Pittsburgh Steelers (1): Marcus Allen, Stefen WisniewskiĀ San Francisco 49ers (2): Kevin Givens, Robbie GouldĀ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3): Chris Godwin, A.Q. Shipley, Donovan SmithĀ Tennessee Titans (2): Jack Crawford, DaQuan Jones Washington Football Team (1): Troy ApkeĀ
Nittany Lions On NFL Coaching Staffs Matt Rhule – Carolina Panthers Head Coach Tom Bradley – Pittsburgh Steelers DBs Coach Bobby Engram – Baltimore Ravens TEs Coach Al Golden – Cincinnati Bengals LBs Coach DāAnton Lynn – Houston Texans Secondary Coach Mike Munchak – Denver Broncos OL Coach Jeff Nixon – Carolina Panthers Senior Offensive Assistant
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