Nittany Lions In The NFL: Week Four Roundup
The first four weeks of the NFL season have now gone by. So far this season, former Penn State players have been relatively quiet, with the exception of a few impressive plays by Saquon Barkley and big games from Chris Godwin. Here’s a look back at they faired this weekend.
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Saquon Barkley totaled exactly 100 yards from scrimmage in a 33-18 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Giants were content on passing the ball throughout the game, only giving Barkley 10 carries on the ground for 44 yards. However, he did snag six receptions for 56 yards, trying his best to show off his versatility while playing opposite former Rookie of the Year winner Alvin Kamara.
Barkley’s best play of the day was in the fourth quarter, when he leaped over the line for his third touchdown of the season. He’ll have another opportunity to build on his strong start to the season next Sunday when New York faces the Carolina Panthers.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin struggled to gain much traction on Sunday, as did the entire Tampa Bay offense during a 48-10 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s magic finally wore off, as he was benched in the second half in favor of Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay only managed to score one touchdown against a stout Chicago defense. This was Godwin’s first game without a touchdown this season. He caught only two passes for 22 yards.
It was a performance every Buccaneer would like to forget, and it doesn’t get any easier next week. Tampa Bay will travel to Atlanta, which has one of the most electric offenses in the NFL.
Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
Allen Robinson’s production was similar to fellow Penn Stater Chris Godwin, but he was on the right side of the blowout.
He registered his first touchdown as a Bear, which was a diving catch in the back of the end zone. Other than that, A-Rob was held in check, finishing the contest with two catches for 23 yards on the day. However, Chicago quarterback Mitch Trubisky had his best game as a pro, tossing six (!) touchdowns.
The former Nittany Lion celebrated his touchdown by throwing the ball into the stands, and an adorable little Bears fan took it home as a souvenir.
Sam Ficken, Los Angeles Rams
Sam Ficken got a lot of work on Thursday night in a 38-31 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Indiana native went 5-for-5 on extra points as the Rams lit up the scoreboard against Minnesota’s strong defense. Ficken managed to make one of his two field goal attempts, drilling a 34-yard attempt in the third quarter. His miss came from just 28 yards out.
He’s now missed two field goals in two games, but neither miss cost the Rams a victory in the standings.
Trevor Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
Trevor Williams made what might’ve been the biggest defensive play of the night in the Chargers’ 29-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Williams caught a deflected pass by CJ Beathard and returned it 86 yards inside the 49ers’ 5-yard line. That set up a Charger touchdown, ultimately putting the game out of reach for the 49ers.
Along with the interception, Williams made seven total tackles to put together his strongest performance of the 2018 season so far.
Other Notables
Jesse James had one reception for 23 yards on Sunday Night Football. Fellow tight end Vance McDonald has been more productive of late, but the Steelers will likely continue to use both tight ends often in their offense.
Mike Gesicki caught one pass for nine yards against the New England Patriots. The Dolphins couldn’t get anything going, and were handily beaten by the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Cameron Wake had three tackles for Miami. The game marked the Dolphins’ first loss of the season.
Adrian Amos finished with two tackles on Sunday as the Bears crushed the Bucs, improving to 3-1 on the year.
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