Penn State in the NFL: Week 4
The presence of Penn Stater’s in the NFL has not gone unnoticed, with 38 players on active rosters making impacts for teams all over the league.
In Week 4, Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears put up the biggest stat line of any of the alumni, making seven catches on 10 targets for 101 yards and finding the end zone once in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
As the Bears struggle to figure out who their quarterback will be, Robinson continues to put up solid numbers, ranking ninth among wideouts in receiving yards thus far with 331. Robinson is among the top wide receivers in the league.
Kickers have had a rough start to the 2020 season so far, but Sam Ficken has produced for the New York Jets, hitting all five of his field goal attempts, including a career long 54-yarder in Week 4. Ficken also nailed one extra point, making him responsible for 16 of the Jets’ 28 points in their loss to the Broncos.
Ficken is having a great season as the placekicker for the Jets, as he has posted a 100% field goal percentage and proved to be one of the most reliable kickers in the league.
Even though K.J. Hamler was ruled out of the lineup in Week 4 due to a hamstring injury, he has seen playing time in his first couple of games within a receiving core that is filled with young talent. Hamler has produced six receptions for 78 yards, but is yet to find the endzone.
Penn State fans know the potential the Hamler has to be a lethal weapon in any offense and are expecting Hamler to be a breakout player for the Broncos down the road.
Yetur Gross-Matos is starting to make more of an impact for the Carolina Panthers, as the edge rusher put up three solo tackles, recorded his first sack of the year and forced a fumble on the same play in the Panthers’ win against the Arizona Cardinals.
Penn State fans are eager to see Gross-Matos produce big numbers in the NFL and as the season continues, hopes are high that he will make the most his opportunities.
Miles Sanders did not put together his best performance against an injured, yet stout San Francisco 49ers defense, only picking up 46 yards on 13 rush attempts and catching two passes for 30 yards.
This is the first time this season that Sanders has been held below 100 total yards in a game, but Sanders did dominate the number of touches in the Philadelphia Eagles backfield.
Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos was a presence to be feared in the secondary by the Atlanta Falcons. Amos made four solo tackles and shut down a potential late-game comeback by swatting the ball out of Calvin Ridley’s hands, ultimately saving a touchdown and securing a Packers win.
Mike Gesicki had a rather slow game for the Miami Dolphins, making only one catch for 15 yards in the Dolphins loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Trace McSorley is making a name for himself on the Baltimore Ravens bench with a recent social media trend involving a comedic song, which has made it all the way to the NFL’s TikTok page.
Nicholas Mancuso is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email nbm9@psu.edu.
