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Nittany Lions In The NFL: Week Three Roundup

Another eventful week of NFL football is in the books, and with that, plenty of Penn Staters added to their professional resumes with their professional squads. But from Miles Sanders’ struggles with the ball to Saquon Barkley’s injury, it was far from the best of weeks for Penn Staters in the NFL.

Let’s take a look back at some Nittany Lions’ performances during the third week of the NFL season.

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

After an uneventful start to Sunday’s game, Saquon Barkley caught a simple swing pass from Daniel Jones that went for a gain of five yards. However, Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards’ awkward tackle on Barkley resulted in the first serious injury of No. 26’s NFL career.

Barkley didn’t return to the game and was seen in a walking boot and on crutches on the Giants’ bench. New York head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters that Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain on the play, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the injury will keep Barkley on the sideline for 4-8 weeks.

Although his performance wasn’t amazing (10 rushing yards on eight carries), Barkley was still in good spirits after the Giants pulled off a 32-31 stunner over Tampa Bay. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones led a furious comeback to give the G-Men their first win of the season, and that sprained ankle wasn’t stopping Barkley from jumping hopping for joy postgame.

Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

Miles Sanders had a few “Welcome to the NFL” moments this week.

First, he was nearly decapitated by Lions safety Miles Killebrew on a play that somehow went unpenalized. Seriously — how in the world is this not a 15-yard facemask penalty?

It didn’t get much better for Sanders throughout the game. He fumbled the ball twice on 13 carries, and he racked up a total of 53 yards. Offensive mistakes defined the entire Philadelphia offense this week, and it started with its inability to run the ball consistently. The Eagles fell to the Lions 27-24 and to fall to 1-2 on the season.

Sanders’ first three NFL games haven’t necessarily been bad, but he’s also averaging only 3.1 yards per carry and has yet to find the end zone for the Eagles. He’ll get another crack at it when Philadelphia takes on the Packers on Thursday Night Football this week.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Like Sanders, Chris Godwin struggled in week 3. However, his struggles were the consequence of top receiver Mike Evans having a historic game. Evans finished with 190 yards and three touchdowns while Godwin only managed three receptions for 40 yards.

Godwin’s been billed as a potential breakout star in fantasy football throughout the year, and this was really the first week that he didn’t live up to that hype. It may be just one game, but it still left his fantasy owners frustrated.

Despite Godwin’s struggles, he has still looked great in his third year in the NFL. With 214 yards and two touchdowns through three weeks, he’s still well on his way to setting career highs in both major statistical categories.

Things won’t get any easier for Godwin and the 1-2 Buccaneers after falling to the Giants this weekend. They’ll take on Jared Goff and the explosive Los Angeles Rams at 4:05 p.m. Sunday in Los Angeles.

Adrian Amos, Green Bay Packers

Adrian Amos posted a season-high seven tackles in his third game with the Green Bay Packers, a 27-16 victory over the Denver Broncos.

The Packers, who are typically fairly conservative in the free-agent market, made a splash by signing Amos to a big contract after he broke out as a star for the Chicago Bears. Amos’ excellent performance against Denver was perhaps his best game as a Packer thus far, although he did haul in an interception against his old team in Green Bay’s season opener.

With a 3-0 record through three weeks, Amos and the Packers are flying high early this season. They’ll try to continue their perfect start to the season on Thursday Night Football against Miles Sanders and the Eagles.

Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears

Allen Robinson was a steady contributor for the Chicago Bears’ offense in a 31-15 against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. He caught six passes for 60 yards, but was outdone by teammate Taylor Gabriel, who also hauled in six catches, but totaled 75 yards and three touchdowns.

Other Notables

  • Jesse James: Jesse James had a quiet day for the Detroit Lions with only one reception for 13 yards. The undefeated Lions (2-0-1) have relied more heavily on rookie tight end TJ Hockenson than James to start the season.
  • Sam Ficken: In his second game for the New York Jets, Ficken didn’t see the field often. Nevertheless, he was still perfect by nailing his only two extra-point attempts in the Jets’ 30-14 loss to New England.
  • Mike Gesicki: Much like the Miami Dolphins, Mike Gesicki didn’t do much in week 3. With three receptions combining for a whopping nine yards, Gesicki and the winless Dolphins need to find a new formula to produce some offense and find a way to win a game.
  • Carl Nassib: The former walk-on welcomed Daniel Jones to the NFL with a mean sack during the Buccaneers’ 32-31 defeat at the hands of the New York Giants. Nassib finished the afternoon with four total tackles in addition to that sack.

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