Tag Archives: NFL

12.08.21
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Penn Staters At The Next Level: Week 13

Penn State at Pitt 2018 (Photo by Steve Manuel)

Quite a full rundown this week, so let’s dive into it.

What a game and what a season Chris Godwin is having down in Tampa.

Godwin had a monster afternoon on Sunday, hauling in 15 receptions for 143 yards in the Buccaneers’ 30-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Those 15 catches were a Tampa Bay record for receptions in a single game and the most any player has recorded this season.

Miles Sanders, Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles

A welcome return for Miles Sanders to our rundown.

It’s been a challenging season for Sanders, dealing with injury and a lack of usage, but he broke out in a big way on Sunday.

Sanders helped lead the team to a win over the New York Jets with 24 carries for 120 yards, while also catching three passes for 22 yards.

He did need to leave the game early due to an ankle injury and did not return, but should be back when the team returns from its bye week.

Pat Freiermuth, Tight End, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pat Freiermuth’s two-point conversion reception proved to be the game-winner for the Steelers in their AFC North clash with the Ravens.

Micah Parsons, Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys

Micah Parsons continues his NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign and remains in the hunt for the NFC Defensive Player of the Year award.

Parsons tallied his 10th sack of the season in Dallas’ much-needed win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. He also finished with five total tackles.

Amani Oruwariye, Cornerback, Detroit Lions

Welcome to the win column, Detroit!

The Lions claimed that elusive first win of the season in dramatic fashion, topping the Vikings with a touchdown as time expired.

Amani Oruwariye was his usual solid self in the win, finishing with seven tackles, including a tackle-for-loss.

Mike Gesicki, Tight End, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are on a roll and are firmly in the AFC Wild Card hunt.

Mike Gesicki remains a key piece in this resurgence for Miami and snagged another seven receptions in Sunday’s win over the Giants.

The tight end ranks second on the team with 642 receiving yards.

Saquon Barkley, Running Back, New York Giants

While Saquon Barkley isn’t back to his excellent best just yet, there are signs he’s coming around after an ankle injury knocked him out of action for a few weeks.

Barkley rushed for 55 yards on the ground and added six catches for 19 yards.

11.11.21
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Penn Staters At The Next Level: Week Nine

Hard to believe we’re already through the halfway point of the NFL season. Nine weeks down and nine to go.

It was a quiet start to Pat Freiermuth’s NFL career, but the rookie has officially entered the spotlight for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Freiermuth is quickly becoming a fan-favorite in the Steel City.

“MUUUUUUUTH,” as Steelers fans have dubbed Pat in the mold of “HEEEEEEATH” for former tight end Heath Miller, caught two touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s Monday Night victory over the Bears.

Freiermuth is now tied with Falcons star Kyle Pitts as the two highest-rated rookie tight ends in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Pretty, pretty good.

Mike Gesicki, Tight End, Miami Dolphins

Welcome back to the win column, Dolphins fans. Miami snapped a seven-game losing streak on Sunday by topping the Houston Texans, 17-9.

Mike Gesicki made some spectacular grabs in the Miami win. Despite all the struggles for the Dolphins this season, Gesicki has been a constant bright spot. He leads the team with 529 receiving yards on the season.

Micah Parsons, Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys

While Micah Parsons hasn’t appeared on our countdown each week, it certainly seems like he has.

Dallas’ six-game winning streak came to an end in a 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos, but Parsons shined once more. He led the Cowboys with 10 tackles while also recording 2.5 sacks.

If he’s not the NFC Defensive Rookie of The Year, it will be an outrage.

10.20.21
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Penn Staters At The Next Level: Week Six

Steve Manuel/The Football Letter

It’s been a tough year for the Detroit Lions but former Penn State cornerback Amani Oruwariye has been one of the bright spots.

Oruwariye snagged another interception on Sunday in the Lions’ loss to the Bengals. He picked off Joe Burrow toward the end of the first quarter and returned the ball 18 yards.

That now gives him three interceptions on the season, which is a career-high and also ties him for second-most in the NFL this season.

Pat Freiermuth, Tight End, Pittsburgh Steelers

It was a season-best showing for Pat Freiermuth as the Steelers picked up a narrow overtime win against Seattle on Sunday Night Football.

Freiermuth caught seven catches for 58 yards.

Hopefully this means he starts to get more and more involved in the Steelers offense moving forward.

Mike Gesicki, Tight End, Miami Dolphins

Speaking of former Penn State tight ends with a season-best showing on Sunday, Mike Gesicki balled out for Miami in an otherwise pretty poor afternoon for the Dolphins.

Despite the team’s loss to the previously winless Jaguars, Gesicki caught eight passes for 115 yards.

With Tua Tagovailoa back at quarterback we should see more performances like this from Gesicki in the games ahead.

09.22.21
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Penn Staters At The Next Level: Week Two

As a die-hard Chiefs fan it pained me a little bit to write this week’s Penn Staters At The Next Level story, as former Nittany Lion Odafe Oweh made the game-changing play for the Baltimore Ravens in their thrilling win over Kansas City on Sunday Night Football.

With the Chiefs driving into Ravens territory late in the game and looking to take the lead, Oweh came up huge for his defense.

The rookie edge rusher fought off a block and knocked the ball loose from the arms of the usually fumble-proof Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Oweh proceeded to pounce on the ball and secure a win for Baltimore.

Micah Parsons, Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys

In his first game at defensive end since high school, all Micah Parsons did was earn Pro Football Focus’ Rookie of The Week honors. Playing on the edge of the line because of several injuries for Dallas, Micah made his presence felt in the team’s 20-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

He recorded eight quarterback pressures and his first career sack after forcing LA quarterback Justin Herbert into an intentional grounding penalty in the fourth quarter. The penalty put LA in a hole and forced them to kick a field-goal instead of punching in a touchdown.

Allen Robinson II, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears

Photo By Steve Manuel/The Football Letter

For the first time this season, Allen Robinson found the end zone. Robinson beat his defender on an inside move and snagged the pass from Andy Dalton to put the Bears ahead early 7-0.

A-Rob finished the day with just two catches for 24 yards and that score, but it proved to be a key play in Chicago’s narrow 20-17 win.

DaQuan Jones, Defensive Tackle, Carolina Panthers

Another productive day for a former Nittany Lions defensive star. DaQuan Jones registered his first sack of the season by bringing down Saints quarterback Jameis Winston on fourth down.

Jones and the rest of the Panthers defense stifled the same high-powered Saints attack that ran roughshod over the Packers just a week ago.

To view each of the Penn State players on NFL rosters, click here.

09.14.21
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PENN STATERS AT THE NEXT LEVEL 2021: WEEK 1

The NFL season is up and running, which means we bring back our Penn Staters At The Next Level series. Similar to last season, we’ll bring you a quick overview of some of the best performances from Nittany Lions in the NFL each week.

Fourty-One Penn Staters appear on NFL rosters to start the season, and you can see the full list by clicking here.

Let’s get started with a recap from Week 1!

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Steve Manuel/The Football Letter

The Buccaneers started off their Super Bowl defense with a thrilling 31-29 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night.

Chris Godwin got the first points of the new season with a five-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Despite an untimely fumble late in the game, he got his season off to a strong start with 121 yards and that score. He also caught the game-clinching first down reception that secured the victory for Tampa Bay.

Juwan Johnson, Tight End, New Orleans Saints

Outside of the Raiders’ win over the Ravens on Monday Night Football, there might not have been a more stunning result in Week 1 than the Saints win over the Packers. Not because the Saints aren’t a good team, but because of how they just completely dismantled Green Bay from start to finish.

One of the many standout performers for New Orleans was former Nittany Lion, Juwan Johnson. A wide receiver in his college days, Juwan has made the switch to tight end for the Saints and it’s paid off massively for his career.

Juwan caught two touchdown passes from a terrific Jameis Winston to help propel the Saints to the 38-3 win.

Check out the first of two of his touchdown receptions below, which also marked the first TD catch of Johnson’s career.

Carl Nassib, Defensive End, Las Vegas Raiders

Speaking of that upset win for the Raiders that I mentioned earlier, it was Carl Nassib who came up with perhaps the play of the night.

It was his sack/forced-fumble that gave Las Vegas the ball inside Ravens territory. That set up the eventual game-winning touchdown for the Raiders.

Miles Sanders, Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles

Steve Manuel/The Football Letter

Part of a revamped Philadelphia offense, Miles Sanders shined to the tune of 113 scrimmage yards and a two-point conversion as the Eagles walloped the Falcons, 32-6.

While quarterback Jalen Hurts and first round pick DeVonta Smith will generate much of the headlines (and probably rightfully so), Sanders demonstrated why he can definitely be Philadelphia’s lead back this season.

Odafe Oweh, Defensive End, Baltimore Ravens

Steve Manuel/The Football Letter

While the Ravens ultimately came up short to Nassib and the Raiders, it was a solid debut for former Nittany Lion Odafe Oweh in Baltimore.

Much was talked about Oweh’s lack of sacks in college, but he showed why Baltimore selected him in the first round of this spring’s draft with this burst and pursuit of David Carr for a sack late in the second quarter.

The sack resulted in Las Vegas settling for a field goal.

11.17.20
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Penn Staters At The Next Level: Week 10

It was another productive weekend for some former Penn State stars in the NFL, so let’s get to the highlights.

Adrian Amos, S, Green Bay Packers

Photo By Steve Manuel

Amos continues to shine in Green Bay’s secondary. In Sunday’s win over the Jaguars, it was the Green Bay defense, not it’s 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. 

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

It’s safe to say Tampa Bay was a little ticked off after its drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints a week ago on Sunday Night Football. 

The Bucs offense was unstoppable in their bounceback win over Carolina in Week 10, racking up 46 points and 544 yards of total offense. 

Photo By Steve Manuel

Godwin was once again a focal point, with six receptions for 92 yards. 

Even with Antonio Brown in the lineup, the former Nittany Lion is sure to continue to receive a high-amount of targets from Tom Brady. 

Carl Nassib,  DL, Las Vegas Raiders

Photo By Steve Manuel

Hey, who doesn’t love when a defensive lineman gets an interception?

Nassib snagged his first career INT in Las Vegas’ 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. 

DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Denver Broncos

It was a tough day at the office for the Denver offense, but Hamilton came up with another touchdown grab. 

That gives him two touchdowns in as many weeks.

Photo By Steve Manuel

He finished the game with three receptions for 33 yards and that score.

Nittany Lions In The NFL
Baltimore Ravens (1): Trace McSorley
Buffalo Bills (1): Ryan Bates
Carolina Panthers (2): Yetur Gross-Matos, Shareef Miller 
Chicago Bears (2): Jordan Lucas, Allen Robinson II
Dallas Cowboys (2): Sean Lee, Connor McGovern
Denver Broncos (2): DaeSean Hamilton, KJ Hamler 
Detroit Lions (3): Jason Cabinda, Jesse James, Amani Oruwariye
Green Bay Packers (1): Adrian Amos 
Houston Texans (1): John Reid 
Indianapolis Colts (1): Robert Windsor 
Las Vegas Raiders (2): Nick Bowers, Carl Nassib
Los Angeles Rams (1): Nick Scott
Miami Dolphins (1): Mike Gesicki
Minnesota Vikings (1): Dan Chisena 
New Orleans Saints (1): Blake Gillikin 
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 Gould 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3): Chris Godwin, A.Q. Shipley, Donovan Smith 
Tennessee Titans (2): Jack Crawford, DaQuan Jones
Washington Football Team (1): Troy Apke 

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
D’Anton Lynn – Houston Texans Secondary Coach
Mike Munchak – Denver Broncos OL Coach
Jeff Nixon – Carolina Panthers Senior Offensive Assistant

11.04.20
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Penn Staters At The Next Level: Week 8

Even with Chris Godwin out of Tampa Bay’s lineup due to a finger injury, it was still a stellar weekend for Penn State wide receivers in the NFL.

KJ Hamler, WR, Denver Broncos

It seemed like the Broncos were finished in the third quarter of Sunday’s game with their division rival Los Angeles Charges. Trailing 24-3 and an offense that was sputtering, it seemed pretty improbable Denver had enough firepower to turn it around.

Photo By Steve Manuel

That proved not to be the case as the Broncos rallied for a stunning 31-30 win and the fourth largest comeback in franchise history.

Former Nittany Lion KJ Hamler one of the biggest heroes of the day for Denver, doing just enough to stay in bounds and corral a pass from Drew Lock to score the game-winning touchdown — the first touchdown of Hamler’s NFL career.

DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Denver Broncos

Hamler’s teammate (and fellow former Penn Stater) DaeSean Hamilton also had a big day for Denver.

Photo By Steve Manuel

Hamilton snagged Lock’s pass near the Chargers’ 20-yard line and sped toward the end zone to cut the deficit at that point to just three points at 27-24.

Overall, Hamilton finished with four receptions for 82 yards and that touchdown. The receiving total was Hamilton’s highest in a single game in his NFL career.

Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

Photo By Steve Manuel

Another week, another Allen Robinson II appearance in our recap.

Even with the Bears offense continuing to struggle in their second straight loss, Robinson II continues to be a workhorse for Chicago.

He finished with six passes for 87 yards and this terrific touchdown grab. That’s some elite concentration to haul that one in while diving on to the cold turf of Soldier Field.

Nittany Lions In The NFL
Baltimore Ravens (1): Trace McSorley
Buffalo Bills (1): Ryan Bates
Carolina Panthers (2): Yetur Gross-Matos, Shareef Miller 
Chicago Bears (2): Jordan Lucas, Allen Robinson II
Dallas Cowboys (2): Sean Lee, Connor McGovern
Denver Broncos (2): DaeSean Hamilton, KJ Hamler 
Detroit Lions (3): Jason Cabinda, Jesse James, Amani Oruwariye
Green Bay Packers (1): Adrian Amos 
Houston Texans (1): John Reid 
Indianapolis Colts (1): Robert Windsor 
Las Vegas Raiders (2): Nick Bowers, Carl Nassib
Los Angeles Rams (1): Nick Scott
Miami Dolphins (1): Mike Gesicki
Minnesota Vikings (1): Dan Chisena 
New Orleans Saints (1): Blake Gillikin 
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 Wisniewski 
San Francisco 49ers (2): Kevin Givens, Robbie Gould 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3): Chris Godwin, A.Q. Shipley, Donovan Smith 
Tennessee Titans (2): Jack Crawford, DaQuan Jones
Washington Football Team (1): Troy Apke 

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
D’Anton Lynn – Houston Texans Secondary Coach
Mike Munchak – Denver Broncos OL Coach
Jeff Nixon – Carolina Panthers Senior Offensive Assistant

10.28.20
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Penn Staters At The Next Level: Week 7

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 Sunday’s 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. 

The only bad news from Godwin’s performance is that he suffered an injury to his index finger and underwent surgery on Tuesday.

He will miss his team’s Monday Night matchup against the New York Giants in Week 8, but there’s 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 Packers’ secondary and had another strong showing in Green Bay’s 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 49ers’ 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. 

Nittany Lions In The NFL
Baltimore Ravens (1): Trace McSorley
Buffalo Bills (1): Ryan Bates
Carolina Panthers (2): Yetur Gross-Matos, Shareef Miller 
Chicago Bears (2): Jordan Lucas, Allen Robinson II
Dallas Cowboys (2): Sean Lee, Connor McGovern
Denver Broncos (2): DaeSean Hamilton, KJ Hamler 
Detroit Lions (3): Jason Cabinda, Jesse James, Amani Oruwariye
Green Bay Packers (1): Adrian Amos 
Houston Texans (1): John Reid 
Indianapolis Colts (1): Robert Windsor 
Las Vegas Raiders (2): Nick Bowers, Carl Nassib
Los Angeles Rams (1): Nick Scott
Miami Dolphins (1): Mike Gesicki
Minnesota Vikings (1): Dan Chisena 
New Orleans Saints (1): Blake Gillikin 
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 Wisniewski 
San Francisco 49ers (2): Kevin Givens, Robbie Gould 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3): Chris Godwin, A.Q. Shipley, Donovan Smith 
Tennessee Titans (2): Jack Crawford, DaQuan Jones
Washington Football Team (1): Troy Apke 

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
D’Anton Lynn – Houston Texans Secondary Coach
Mike Munchak – Denver Broncos OL Coach
Jeff Nixon – Carolina Panthers Senior Offensive Assistant

08.03.16
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Tim Shaw, A Titan for Life

Photo via TitansOnline.com

Photo via TitansOnline.com

Tim Shaw hasn’t played in the NFL since 2012, but on Tuesday, he officially became a Tennessee Titan for life. Shaw ’06, who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 2014 and has become a champion for those who suffer from the disease, signed a one-day contract with the team before immediately getting placed on the squad’s Reserve/Retired list.

The Titans’ roster learned the news on Tuesday night, when Shaw surprised his teammates  Continue reading →