Nittany Lions In The NFL: Week 18 Roundup
It’s (almost) the end of football season, folks.
Penn State football capped its season with a disappointing 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, but the season isn’t over for a few former Penn State football players around the NFL who suited up to help their teams secure playoff berths and take on division rivals over the weekend.
Here is how they fared in the final week of the regular season.
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Saquon Barkley scored twice in the 27-10 upset over the Eagles Sunday evening. Along with two rushing touchdowns, Barkley had 18 carries for 46 yards and two receptions for 51 yards, one of which went for 46 yards. Barkley finished just shy of 1,000 yards rushing and scored 10 total touchdowns this season.
Barkley’s future with the Giants remains in question for the second consecutive offseason. Barkley is set to become a free agent but is eligible to be franchise tagged for a second time if the Giants choose to do so.
Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Micah Parsons racked up five total tackles, one sack, and a tackle for loss in the Cowboys’ 38-10 blowout of the Washington Commanders. Parsons finished the regular season with a career-high 14 sacks, 64 total tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 12 tackles for loss.
However, Parsons’ season isn’t over. He and the Cowboys clinched the second seed in the NFC and will face the Green Bay Packers at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 14, on FOX.
Yetur Gross-Matos, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers’ disappointing 2-15 season wrapped appropriately with a 9-0 loss to the Buccaneers. Yetur Gross-Matos had five total tackles and a sack in the loss.
The fourth-year linebacker ended the season with a career-best 4.5 sacks and 36 total tackles and four tackles for loss. Gross-Matos doesn’t have a contract extension with the Panthers and will become a free agent if no deal is made.
Jaquan Brisker, Chicago Bears
In a 17-9 loss to the Packers Sunday afternoon, Jaquan Brisker tallied eight total tackles, a tackle for loss, and his first fumble recovery of the season. Brisker finished the season with 105 total tackles, nine pass breakups, an interception, five tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chirs Godwin and the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South for the third consecutive year after a 9-0 win over the Panthers: a game in which Godwin hauled in six receptions on seven targets for 51 yards and one carry for four yards. The 51 receiving yards made this Godwin’s third straight year with over 1,000 yards receiving and the fourth time in his career.
The Buccaneers with host the Eagles at 8 p.m. on Monday, January 15, on ABC.
Arnold Ebiketie, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons suffered a brutal 48-17 loss to the Saints, and Arnold Ebiketie only had three tackles. Ebiketie more than doubled his sack total from last year with six and racked up 25 total tackles, one pass deflection, and 1.5 tackles for loss to conclude his season.
DaQuan Jones, Buffalo Bills
DaQuan Jones recorded four total tackles and a tackle for loss in the Bills’ 21-14 win in Miami to clinch the second seed in the AFC. The 32-year-old earned 16 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss in his 10th NFL season.
Jones and the Bills will host the Steelers at 1 p.m. on Sunday, January 14, on CBS.
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
In his final game of the season, Jahan Dotson had just two catches for 17 yards in the 38-10 loss to the Cowboys. Dotson finished the season with 49 receptions for 518 yards and four touchdowns.
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