Nittany Lions In The NFL: Week 12 Roundup
Week 12 of the NFL season was a great one for Nittany Lions in the NFL, with multiple players having highly productive weeks.
Chris Godwin returned to his elite form, and Allen Robinson put up big numbers, while other Penn Staters contributed to their team’s game. It was a week of firsts, as Mike Gesicki scored his first NFL touchdown and Amani Oruwariye got his first career interception.
Here’s a closer look at how Nittany Lions fared during week 12 of the NFL season.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin had a monster game in a 35-22 win over the Falcons. Godwin erupted for eight catches, 184 yards, and two touchdowns, in what was his best game in a while. Godwin’s first touchdown was of 71 yards, by far his longest reception of the year.
His second touchdown was an incredible one handed catch, which he somehow held onto after absorbing a big hit.
Godwin’s 184 receiving yards are the most he’s had all season, and his first 100-yard game since week eight.
This game put Godwin over 1,000 yards on the season, his first season surpassing 1,000 yards. He also set a career high in touchdowns with nine, eclipsing his previous high of seven. On top of that, his 70 receptions on the season are also a career high.
Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
Allen Robinson bounced back from last week’s quiet performance in a big way, arguably having his best game of the season. In a 19-14 win over the Giants, Robinson hauled in six catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. This is the first time Robinson has gone more than 100 yards since week one, and his first touchdown in over a month.
Despite this week’s great performance, Robinson has become a bit inconsistent the last four weeks. His stats from the past four weeks are:
- 11/3 @PHI: one catch, six yards
- 11/10 vs DET: six catches, 86 yards
- 11/17 @LAR: four catches, 15 yards
- 11/24 vs NYG: six catches, 131 yards, one touchdown
This is a weird development for Robinson because of the fact that he accumulated at least 40 receiving yards in every game before the game against the Eagles. Robinson will try to make it back-to-back productive games when the Bears travel to Detroit to take on the Lions on Thanksgiving.
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Saquon Barkley continued to struggle in this week’s loss to the Bears. Barkley carried the ball 17 times for 59 yards, which equates to just 3.5 yards a carry. He also had just two catches for one yard.
Barkley’s struggles have been season-long for the most part. He hasn’t rushed for more than 100 yards since week two and has only three total touchdowns in eight games played. He isn’t all to blame for his struggles, as he is in a poor offense behind a below-average offensive line.
Barkley just isn’t being given the running room by his offensive line in order for him to be effective. When you aren’t getting any blocking from your offensive line, it’s almost impossible to be productive as a running back.
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
Mike Gesicki caught his first NFL touchdown in Sunday’s loss to the Browns. His final stat line for the day was three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown.
It took Gesicki more than a year and a half to finally capture his first touchdown of his career. Gesicki has the potential to be a red zone weapon for the Dolphins, especially when you consider the lack of talent on the offense.
Other than the touchdown, it was another quiet day where Gesicki didn’t eclipse 30 receiving yards, his third straight game where he has failed to do so. Gesicki will try to build on this performance and become more consistent starting next week against the Eagles.
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
Miles Sanders was solid in this week’s loss to the Seahawks. He rushed 12 times for 63 yards, and added three catches for 23 yards. Sanders was effective running the ball, with an average of 5.3 yards a carry. Due to the Eagles trailing most of the game, Sanders wasn’t able to wrack up more carries.
This was Sanders’ third-highest rushing total of the season, and also the second most carries he has received this year. With fellow running back Jordan Howard missing the last two games, it was expected that Sanders would get a larger bulk of the carries. While he has to a certain extent, game flow has prevented him from receiving even more carries.
With Jordan Howard possibly being out next week too, Sanders will try to take advantage when the Eagles take on the Dolphins.
Amani Oruwariye, Detroit Lions
Amano Oruwariye had an exceptional game in Sunday’s loss to the Redskins. He totaled five tackles, two pass deflections, and his first career interception.
Sunday’s game was just the second game Oruwariye has played in all season, clearly wasting no time to make an immediate impact. This performance should earn him more playing time going forward. Oruwariye and the Lions have a matchup with the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving coming up.
Other Notables
- Sean Lee: Lee was solid for the Cowboys in their loss to the Patriots. He totaled six tackles and one pass deflection.
- Sam Ficken: Ficken was responsible for 10 points in the Jets’ win over the Raiders. He was 2-3 on field goals and converted all four of his extra points.
- Adrian Amos: Amos was quiet for the Packers in their blowout loss to the 49ers. He totaled just four tackles.
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