Week 15 was perhaps the strangest in the NFL so far this season. But despite an uptick in COVID-19 cases and a few rare Tuesday night games, many Nittany Lions still had notable performances as the regular season winds down.

With only three weeks remaining for teams to claim playoff spots, here’s how many former Penn State stars fared in the NFL.

Amani Oruwariye

Oruwariye continued his breakout season on Sunday as the Detroit Lions pulled off the shocking 30-12 win over the star-studded Arizona Cardinals. The third-year cornerback picked off Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray for his sixth interception of the season and the third in his past five games. The interception set up an immediate red zone opportunity for the Lions’ offense that led to the first career touchdown for another former Penn Stater…

Jason Cabinda

A linebacker for all his years in Happy Valley and for a brief stint with the Raiders, fullback Jason Cabinda found the NFL end zone for the first time in his career this weekend. With the Lions already up by two scores well into the third period, Cabinda caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff from six yards out to give Detroit a 20-point lead.

This guy is really good at intercepting footballs pic.twitter.com/pF446znKr3

— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 19, 2021

Yetur Gross-Matos

Despite the Panthers’ rough 31-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Gross-Matos turned in the best performance of his young career. The former Nittany Lion and second-round pick recorded 2.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble.

This was a good play @__lobo99

: FOX pic.twitter.com/rOu1nPtGVu

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 19, 2021

Blake Gillikin

In a game that finished with a score of 9-0, it’s not a surprise to see a punter be one of the standout performers. Gillikin punted a total of nine times for over 400 total yards. Four of his nine punts landed inside the 20-yard line, including a long on 58 yards. Gillikin’s breakout season will almost surely earn him a spot on the NFC roster for the 2022 Pro Bowl.

Miles Sanders

In a must-win inter-division game, Miles Sanders was given a heavy workload by Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni that resulted in 18 rushing attempts for more than 130 yards. Sanders’s ground attack led the Eagles to a 27-17 over the Washington Football Team.

There goes @BoobieMilesXXIV! #FlyEaglesFly

: #WASvsPHI on FOX
: NFL App pic.twitter.com/zSuDhMVMSY

— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2021

Micah Parsons

For just about the first time in his professional career, Parsons had a pretty quiet game. The Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite recorded just one assisted tackle in the Cowboys’ 21-6 win over the New York Giants. However, he showed off his versatility by lining up at cornerback and successfully defending a pass.

Micah Parsons in the NFL:

Linebacker
Defensive End
Cornerback?! pic.twitter.com/gqW0sAXS4t

— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 19, 2021

Other Notables

• Tight ends Mike Gesicki and Pat Freiermuth caught five and four passes respectively as both left the field on Sunday with a win for their respective teams.
• Packers safety Adrian Amos recorded eight tackles in Green Bay’s 31-30 win in Baltimore over the Ravens.
• Saquon Barkley ran the ball 15 times for 50 yards to go along with four receptions for 24 yards as the Giants disappointing season continued on Sunday, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 21-6.

This @saquon catch pic.twitter.com/JA3baZqIYF

— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 19, 2021

• Robbie Gould made all four of his extra point attempts including a 30 yard field goal as the 49ers cruised past the Atlanta Falcons 31-13.