Nittany Lions In The NFL: Week 17 Roundup
Well, folks. That’s a wrap.
In what was the last week of the NFL regular season, Nittany Lions around the NFL put on a show. Saquon Barkley and Mike Gesicki stayed hot, Amani Oruwariye came up big with an interception, and Trace McSorley made his NFL debut.
Here is a closer look at how Nittany Lions in the NFL ended the regular season:
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Barkley found the end zone for the third consecutive week in New York’s 34-17 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. He finished the day with 17 rushes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He added three catches for 25 yards as well.
Barkley’s touchdown came late in the third quarter to tie the game up at 17.
Saquon took this one 68 yards TO THE HOUSE!!
— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 29, 2019pic.twitter.com/1RTiOtqO5W
The running back has looked like a completely different player over the last three games after struggling for much of the season. During this three-game stretch, he has totaled 539 total yards, five touchdowns and has terrorized opposing defenses.
Barkley’s recent resurgence has led to him surpassing 1,000 rushing yards on the season — an astounding feat considering he missed time due to an ankle sprain.
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
Mike Gesicki had a strong performance in Miami’s upset 27-24 win over the Patriots. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Gesicki in the back of the end zone with just 24 seconds remaining to give the Dolphins the game-winning lead.
Mike Gesicki gives the Dolphins the lead with just 24 seconds left!
— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 29, 2019pic.twitter.com/ki8OrUuLXE
Gesicki ended his season by scoring three touchdowns in the final two games. He took an enormous step forward this season and became a legitimate red-zone weapon for Miami. He increased his reception total by more than 20, his yard total by more than 300, and scored his first five touchdowns of his career this season.
Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
Allen Robinson finished his 2019 campaign in a strong fashion in the Bears’ win over the Vikings. He totaled nine receptions for 71 yards — his highest reception total since week seven.
Robinson finished the year with a career-high 98 catches for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns in what was his biggest season since 2015.
Amani Oruwayire, Detroit Lions
Amani Oruwayire captured his second interception of the season in this week’s loss to the Packers. The pick occurred late in the game on a deep pass attempt by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Amani Oruwariye went up and GOT IT to pick off Aaron Rodgers!
— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 29, 2019
Oruwayire has certainly made the most of his limited playing time this season. He has accounted for two of the Lions’ seven interceptions this season while playing fewer than 20% of the snaps. He also became the first Lions rookie to capture two or more picks since 2010.
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
Miles Sanders exited Philadelphia’s game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return in the Eagles’ NFC East-clinching win over the Giants.
Before departing with the injury, Sanders was putting together a solid game with nine rushes for 52 yards. He was well on his way to another strong game to continue his recent hot streak.
The latest update on Sanders is that he has a “pretty decent sprain”, as reported by Adam Caplan.
After the game, Sanders seemed to be in good spirits and danced and celebrated with his playoff-bound teammates in the locker room.
This team
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 30, 2019
Sanders finished his season with the 1,327 scrimmage yards — the most among all NFL rookies. He’ll attempt to get healthy for the Eagles’ looming playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, which is set for 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, January 5 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly.
DaeSean Hamilton, Denver Broncos
DaeSean Hamilton had his second consecutive impactful game in Sunday’s win against the Raiders. Hamilton totaled 65 yards for the second straight week, in addition to his five receptions.
Hamilton has significantly benefited from quarterback Drew Lock taking over as the starting quarterback, especially the last two games. The two have displayed some good chemistry recently, which has certainly shown up on the stat sheets.
After failing to surpass 60 receiving yards in his first 18 career games, Hamilton has now eclipsed that mark the last two games. Hopefully, his late-season success will translate to next season.
Trace McSorley, Baltimore Ravens
Trace McSorley finally made his NFL debut in the Ravens’ Week 17 win against the Steelers. McSorley’s appearance was brief but impactful. He carried the ball on third down and picked up a first down.
It was speculated throughout the week that with starting quarterback Lamar Jackson resting this week, McSorley would see some action at quarterback. However, quarterback Robert Griffin III took all the remaining snaps.
Other Notables
- Adrian Amos: Amos accumulated five tackles for the Packers in their win over the Lions
- Sean Lee: Lee was quiet for the Cowboys in their win against the Redskins. He totaled just three tackles.
- Carl Nassib: Nassib tallied just three tackles in the Buccaneers’ win against the Falcons
- Sam Ficken: Ficken struggled for the Jets in their win against the Bills. He missed two field goals and made two. He also converted his only extra-point attempt.
- Robbie Gould: Gould was perfect for the 49ers in their win against the Seahawks. He was 2/2 on field-goal attempts and converted both of his extra points.
- Jason Cabinda: Cabinda appeared as a fullback (!!!) for the Lions in their 23-20 loss to the Packers. He was a lead blocker on the goal line on a play that resulted in a touchdown.
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