Penn State Players in the NFL: Week 9

Story posted November 6, 2018 in CommRadio, Sports by David Saggio

It was a rather quiet week for former Nittany Lions in the NFL with rookie sensation Saquon Barkley having a bye with the Giants. However, there were a few former lions who did make some noise in week nine of the NFL.

Adrian Amos:

Linebacker U? More like DBU (sorry LSU). Jokes aside, Adrian Amos continued his terrific play this year on the stacked Chicago Bears defense. With seven combined tackles, one sack and one interception in the Bears' 41-9 beatdown of the Buffalo Bills, Amos continues to be one of the most slept on safeties in all of the NFL.

Although this performance came against one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, Nathan Peterman, it gives a glimpse of what Amos can truly be.

Cameron Wake:

Cameron Wake still has it at the age of 36. The defensive end shined in his matchup against the Jets with three tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits. Wake made the Jets offensive line look like swiss cheese and reaffirmed himself as a threat on the edge with this performance.

There is no doubt that the constant pressure Wake generated helped the Dolphins defense pick off Jet’s rookie quarterback Sam Darnold four times.

Chris Godwin:

The second-year Buccaneers' wide receiver was blanketed in his matchup against the Panthers with only three targets in the game. Godwin caught two passes for 40 yards with a long of 25 but that was it for him in the Buccaneers loss to the Panthers.

Because of the shaky nature of the quarterback situation in Tampa Bay and the mass of targets available to whoever is under center for the Bucs, targets will be hard to come by for Godwin as the season goes on.

Austin Johnson:

The third-year nose tackle for the Titans had a solid outing against the Dallas Cowboys with one sack on Dak Prescott. However, it’s hard to judge a nose tackle based on statistics alone as their value really lies in how they eat up space and clog the middle.

Johnson and the rest of the Titan’s defensive line held Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot to only 61 yards with an average of 3.6 yards per carry.

Other Notable Players:

Defensive end Carl Nassib had three tackles and one sack in the Buccaneers game against the Panthers. Nassib was claimed by the Bucs after being cut by the Cleveland Browns before the start of the season.

Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee was injured again in his team’s matchup against the Tennessee Titans after recovering a fumble and recording one tackle. He is expected to miss significant time again with a hamstring injury. Lee has had a career marred by injuries, but when he is healthy he is one of the best in the league.

Finally, former Jet’s second round pick Christian Hackenberg was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend after being signed to their practice squad in September. It’s been nothing but rough and tumble in the NFL for Hackenberg ever since the Jets selected him 51st overall in the 2016 NFL draft.

 

 

David Saggio is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him email davesag12@gmail.com.