By William Qualkinbush.

The National Football League is full of former Clemson players. Several of them had monster days in Week 2. Here is a recap of a busy Sunday for Clemson alumni…

Buffalo 29, Miami 10

BUF: C.J. Spiller 12 car, 69 yds; 1 rec, 9 yds; 102-yd kickoff return TD

           Sammy Watkins 8 rec, 117 yds, TD

Spiller displayed full health with a couple of dynamic plays in the third quarter. After the Dolphins kicked a field goal to cut the Bills’ lead to 9-3, the speedster took the ensuing kickoff 102 yards down the right sideline for a score that extended Buffalo’s lead with 9:23 to play in the quarter. It was the second career kick return for a touchdown for Spiller.

The former Tiger tailback also had a 47-yard run that set up a touchdown toss to Watkins late in the third. Watkins was E.J. Manuel’s favorite target on the day, drawing 11 targets out of 26 throws. His eight-catch day included several big plays, including the aforementioned 12-yard touchdown that gave the Bills a 23-10 advantage. Watkins accounted for 57.9 percent of Buffalo’s receiving yardage in the franchise’s second consecutive win.

Cincinnati 24, Atlanta 10

ATL: Malliciah Goodman 2 tackles (both assisted)

Goodman continues to rotate in as a part of the two-deep in Atlanta. He should continue to see time throughout the season in spurts, with opportunities aplenty to make an impact—particularly against the run.

Dallas 26, Tennessee 10

TEN: Coty Sensabaugh 4 tackles (all solo)

Sensabaugh has carved out his own corner of the Titans’ secondary because of his ability to cover well both on the outside and in nickel and dime packages. His four tackles against the Cowboys put him right in line with the production of the two starting cornerbacks on the team.

Arizona 25, NY Giants 14

ARI: Andre Ellington 15 car, 91 yds; 1 rec, 10 yds

          Chandler Catanzaro 4-4 FG, 1-1 XP

With starting quarterback Carson Palmer ailing, the Cardinal offense turned to Ellington. He was the workhorse in the game as Bruce Arians attempted to simplify things for backup Drew Stanton, and he was also targeted three times through the air.

The sputtering offense gave Catanzaro yet another chance to shine, and the undrafted rookie delivered. His 49-yarder in the first quarter gave the Cardinals a 10-0 advantage, then he booted home a trifecta of medium-range kicks to pace a 15-0 fourth quarter that gave Arizona a come-from-behind victory. In two games, Catanzaro is now a perfect 6-6 on field goals, including a pair of makes from beyond 40 yards.

Washington 41, Jacksonville 10

WAS: Bashaud Breeland 1 assisted tackle

JAC: Andre Branch 2 tackles (both solo)

It was slim pickings for the Clemson representatives in this game. The storyline here was a slew of Redskins’ injuries, so Breeland and fellow Tiger alum Jarvis Jenkins can feel lucky they escaped. Both players did have to pay fines of more than $16,000 last week for unnecessary roughness penalties.

San Diego 30, Seattle 21

SD: Marcus Gilchrist 3 tackles (1 solo)

SEA: Byron Maxwell 4 tackles (all solo)

This tandem of former Tiger defensive backs will have plenty of chances to make plays this season. Maxwell will be consistently picked on since he plays across from Richard Sherman, but he has proven more than capable of holding his own. Gilchrist is a strong member of a secondary generally regarded as the weak link in the Chargers’ defense. Both players performed well in this West Coast showdown.

St. Louis 19, Tampa Bay 17

TB: Crezdon Butler 1 solo tackle

        Da’Quan Bowers 1 assisted tackle

It was a quiet day for both former Tigers on the Tampa defense. Bowers is listed as a backup on the depth chart at defensive tackle, but he should still see a good chunk of the workload as the Buccaneers’ young defense comes of age.

Houston 30, Oakland 14

HOU: DeAndre Hopkins 3 rec, 22 yds, TD

In an offense that is obviously still deathly afraid of the forward pass, Nuk managed to snag a 12-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. The second-year pro was targeted five times, second only to Andre Johnson’s seven, and appears to have a decent on-field relationship with his quarterback—more than anyone could say a year ago.