Penn State NFL Roundup: Chris Godwin, Micah Parsons among Week 8 standouts
Penn State football alumni in the NFL produced yet another week of fireworks.
Chris Godwin popped off for Tampa Bay, Jesse James found the end zone in Chicago, and Micah Parsons turned in arguably the best performance of his rookie season.
Let’s start the recap by ranking the five most impressive showings this week.
1.) Chris Godwin (Played at Penn State 2014-16), WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin has reached a level of consistency in the NFL that is truly remarkable, with at least five receptions and 50 yards in seven of his eight games this season.
This Sunday, though, he truly exploded. Godwin caught eight passes for 140 yards and a touchdown in the Bucs’ loss on the road to New Orleans.
Godwin is up to 660 yards on the season, with four scores to boot.
2.) Pat Freiermuth (2018-20), TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pat Freiermuth had been making his mark with the Steelers since Week One in his first season out of Penn State, but on Sunday, the former Nittany Lion tight end truly had a game-winning impact.
On fourth down, Ben Roethlisberger threw Freiermuth a jump ball in the back of the end zone, which he juggled and managed to come down with despite great coverage to give the Steelers the late lead against the Browns.
It turned out to be the game winning score, and one of four receptions for 44 yards that Freiermuth contributed on the day.
3.) Micah Parsons (2018-19), LB, Dallas Cowboys
Rejuvenated by the bye week, Micah Parsons turned in what might have been the best performance of the season so far.
He was outrageously good against the Vikings on Sunday Night Football, registering 10 solo tackles, a QB hit and four (!) tackles for loss. He is the first rookie ever to post four tackles for loss and 10 solo tackles in the same game.
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He’s also proving to be an elite pass rusher, with a 24.8 percent win rate, which is third in the NFL.
4.) Jesse James (2012-14), TE, Chicago Bears
After a quiet first six weeks of the NFL season, former Penn State TE Jesse James has all of a sudden become a factor in the passing game for the Bears.
For the second game in a row, James caught all three of his targets, only this week, he added a touchdown as well, the 12th of his career.
5.) Yetur Gross-Matos (2017-19), DE, Carolina Panthers
It’s been a bit of an uphill battle for Yetur Gross-Matos this season, struggling with an injury for a portion of the campaign.
He got to the quarterback for the first time this year on Sunday, though, sacking Matt Ryan in a win over the Falcons as he finished the day with three tackles.
Let’s recap the rest of the NFL action.
Mike Gesicki (2014-17), TE, Miami Dolphins
It was a quieter week for former Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki based on the standards he’d been setting recently, catching three of his four targets for 48 yards in Miami’s loss to Buffalo. He also caught a pass for a successful two-point conversion attempt.
Blake Gillikin (2016-19), P, New Orleans Saints
Oh look, just another awesome game from Blake Gillikin, nothing to see here.
He was only forced to punt three times in the Saints win over Tampa Bay this Sunday, but he made them count, averaging 52.67 yards per punt — including a 63-yarder.
Nick Scott (2014-18), S, Los Angeles Rams
Former Penn Sate safety Nick Scott played the most snaps of his NFL career this Sunday in a win over Houston, with 45. He accumulated two combined tackles on the day in a lopsided LA win.
Adrian Amos (2011-14), S, Green Bay Packers
Former Penn State Nittany Lion Adrian Amos played a key role in an excellent defensive performance by the Packers on Thursday Night Football, holding the high-flying Cardinals to 21 points in a victory.
Amos contributed five tackles to the effort. He has played every defensive snap for the Packers since Week One.
Amani Oruwariye (2014-18), CB, Detroit Lions
Amani Oruwariye came up with four tackles in a lopsided defeat to the Eagles.
For this first time this season, he did not play 100 percent of the Lions’ snaps on defense, notching just 78 percent.
Miles Sanders (2016-18), RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Former Penn State RB Miles Sanders is on the injured reserve after leaving last week’s game against the Raiders and did not play this week.
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Odafe Oweh (2018-20), DE, Baltimore Ravens
Oweh and the Ravens were on their bye this week.
Austin Johnson (2012-15), DT, New York Giants
Former Penn State defensive lineman Austin Johnson registered two tackles and a quarterback hit in what was a solid performance by the New York defense against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football, holding Kansas City to 20 points despite the loss.
Saquon Barkley (2015-17), RB, New York Giants
Barkley did not play for a second consecutive week due to an ankle injury.
Carl Nassib (2011-15), DE, Las Vegas Raiders
Penn State alum Carl Nassib and the Raiders were on their bye this week.
Juwan Johnson (2015-18), TE, New Orleans Saints
Johnson played 17 snaps in this week’s win over the Bucs, and was targeted once but did not register a reception.
Robbie Gould (2001-04), K, San Francisco 49ers
Gould has been sidelined since Week Three with an injury.
Allen Robinson II (2011-13), WR, Chicago Bears
A frustrating season for Robinson continued this week, as he was targeted four times for three receptions and 21 yards in a loss to San Francisco.
Connor McGovern (2016-18), OL, Dallas Cowboys
McGovern played seven snaps for the Cowboys in their win against the Vikings, including another appearance as a fullback.
Jason Cabinda (2014-17), FB, Detroit Lions
Former Penn State linebacker Jason Cabinda returned to action this week after sitting out with an injury last week, playing 11 snaps on offense and 15 on special teams for the Lions.
DaQuan Jones (2010-13), DT, Carolina Panthers
Jones played 23 snaps and registered a QB hit in Carolina’s win over Atlanta.
Cam Brown (2016-19), LB, New York Giants
Brown played nine snaps on defense and 22 on special teams in the Giants’ loss to Kansas City.
Ryan Bates (2015-18),OL, Buffalo Bills
Former Penn State OL Ryan Bates played four snaps on offense and another four on special teams in Buffalo’s win over the Dolphins.
Marcus Allen (2014-17), LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Allen continues to contribute exclusively on special teams for the Steelers. He played 15 snaps there against the Browns this week.
Kevin Givens (2015-18), DT, San Francisco 49ers
Kevin Givens returned from a five-week stint on injured reserve to play 18 snaps on defense and register a tackle in San Francisco’s victory over the Bears.
Donovan Smith (2011-14), OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Smith played all but two of Tampa Bay’s snaps against the Saints this week. He had a brief injury scare, but returned to the game shortly after he went down.
Dan Chisena (2015-19), WR, Minnesota Vikings
Chisena played two snaps at wideout and 21 snaps on special teams for the Vikings in their loss to the Cowboys this week.
Troy Apke (2014-17), S, Washington Football Team
Former Penn State safety Troy Apke continues to contribute on special teams, with 14 snaps in this weekend’s loss to Denver.
Nick Bowers (2015-19), TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowers is currently on injured reserve with a neck injury.
Will Fries (2016-20), OL, Indianapolis Colts
The seventh rounder is still waiting to make his season debut for the Colts.
John Reid (2015-19), CB, Seattle Seahawks
Penn State alum John Reid saw his first action since Week Three, picking up a tackle on special teams against the Jaguars.
Shaka Toney (2016-20), DE, Washington Football Team
Toney played for the second time in his NFL career, earning three snaps on defense and three special teams snaps in a loss to Denver.
