Power Ranking Best Plays From Nittany Lions In The NFL During The 2024-25 NFL Season
The 2024-25 NFL season has officially come to a close as Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles were crowned Super Bowl champions on Sunday night after blowing out the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans.
Alongside Barkley, Jahan Dotson and Tariq Castro-Fields will also receive Super Bowl rings for their contributions to the championship run. Of course, there were other Penn State alumni all over the league who made big plays for their squads this season.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 highlights from Nittany Lions during the 2024-25 NFL season.
Honorable Mention: Amani Oruwariye Game-Sealing Interception
Freshly elevated to the gameday roster from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, cornerback Amani Oruwariye snatched the little remaining breath that the New York Giants had, boxing out his defender near the end zone and securing the interception to lead the Cowboys to victory.
Move up from the practice squad
— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 27, 2024
Seal the game
10. Jahan Dotson Sets Philly Up On The Goal Line
Dusting his man with an outside release during Super Bowl LIX, wide receiver Jahan Dotson reeled in a deep ball from Jalen Hurts to set up the Philadelphia Eagles inside the 5-yard line. He was close to finding the end zone on the biggest stage in American sports for the third-year wide receiver.
9. Jaquan Brisker Gets Way Up To End The Game
With the Los Angeles Rams in possession of the football down by six points with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, the Chicago Bears had no choice but to get a stop. Safety Jaquan Brisker took the game into his own hands, literally. Brisker plucked the throw from Matthew Stafford right out of the air, giving the Bears the win.
8. Mike Gesicki Goes Off To The Races
Fortunately for the Cincinnati Bengals, tight end Mike Gesicki is better at football than he is at hitting the griddy. The veteran tight end found space in the middle of the field and then turned on the jets to beat the last defender on his way to a 47-yard catch and run touchdown, putting the Bengals up big late in the fourth quarter.
Double griddy
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 3, 2024pic.twitter.com/EEUlLiN02J
7. Micah Parsons Strip Sack
Like a lion hunting a gazelle, the ever-elusive pass rusher Micah Parsons came baring down on a helpless Hurts, stripping the football from him to give the Dallas Cowboys a favorable field position deep in the red zone.
Micah is all over that
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 10, 2024pic.twitter.com/WJ3zERq7lw
6. Jahan Dotson Somehow Comes Down With It
The concentration from Dotson to keep this one off the turf and into his mitts was remarkable, but he’s no stranger to catches like that. This one was eerily similar to his crazy sideline snag against Ohio State back in 2020.
SHEESH Jahan
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 3, 2024pic.twitter.com/O9Xpg6moXB
5. Pat Freiermuth One-Handed Snag
Another crazy catch from a Penn State football alumni. This time, it was from tight end Pat Freiermuth. With a defender draped all over him, Freiermuth managed to reel this one in with just one hand and complete the reception for a big gain.
Who needs two hands
— Onward State (@OnwardState) October 21, 2024
4. Saquon Barkley Houses It On Eagles’ First Offensive Play
Talk about a fast start. After a grueling, 18-play drive for the Washington Commanders’ offense, Barkley raced to the edge after receiving a toss from Hurts, spun out of two tackles, and then scored from 60 yards out on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage in the NFC Championship.
SAQUON
— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 26, 2025
3. Saquon Barkley Puts The Dagger In The Rams
After taking the handoff from his quarterback, Barkley saw nothing but green or white. The Pennsylvania native channeled his inner Lesean McCoy, breaking off a 78-yard run in the snow to punch the Eagles’ ticket to the NFC Championship game.
Snowquan Barkley seals it
— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 19, 2025
2. Parker Washington Punt Return
While some Penn State students were asleep recovering from a crazy Saturday night out, Parker Washington was returning punts for touchdowns in London. Fielding the football inside the 5-yard line, the small yet shifty wide receiver found the crease, and the rest was history.
1. Saquon Barkley Backwards Hurdle
While Barkley had dozens of ridiculous highlights from his historic year, this one takes the cake and also takes the No. 1 spot in our rankings.
On a big third down, Barkley caught a checkdown and was tasked with making multiple Jaguar defenders miss, which, of course, he made look easy. Breaking the first tackle attempt, spinning out of the next one, and then doing a backward hurdle over the last defender to move the chains is simply vintage Saquon.
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