By William Qualkinbush.
The National Football League is full of former Clemson players. Several of them had monster days in Week 3. Here is a recap of a busy football weekend for Clemson alumni…
Atlanta 56, Tampa Bay 14 (Thursday)
ATL: Malliciah Goodman 1 tackle, forced fumble
Goodman continues to make the most of his time in the game, as his disruption led to a Tampa Bay turnover. It was a rough night for the Buccaneers, including former Clemson star Da’Quan Bowers. The Bamberg native has fallen down the depth chart and continues to be one of the odd men out in the Lovie Smith-Leslie Frazier defense. His future situation may bear watching in the coming weeks.
San Diego 22, Buffalo 10
SD: Marcus Gilchrist 2 tackles (both solo)
Kavell Conner 2 tackles (both assists)
BUF: C.J. Spiller 10 car, 25 yds; 3 rec, 37 yds; 18-yd KO return
Sammy Watkins 2 rec, 19 yds
A week after looking dynamite in a win over Miami, Buffalo’s offense was stymied against a stout Chargers defense. Spiller struggled to get anything going and gave way to Fred Jackson down the stretch, but he managed a couple of nice plays in the passing game. Watkins looked hobbled and a little uncomfortable at times, converting only two of his eight targets—tied for second on the team—into catches.
Part of Watkins’ struggles were tied to an erratic day for E.J. Manuel, which was further tied to a high level of pressure provided by the San Diego defense. Both Conner and Gilchrist were active, thought Gilchrist left the field with what appeared to be a minor injury late in the second half. In addition to these players, former Tiger offensive lineman Chris Hairston saw extensive time at right tackle for the Bills, giving this matchup a distinctive Clemson flavor.
Cincinnati 33, Tennessee 7
TEN: Coty Sensabaugh 3 tackles (2 solo)
It wasn’t a great day for the Titans on the scoreboard, but the Titans actually played fairly well for much of the game. Sensabaugh was a factor in pass coverage, helping limit the Bengals to just 184 passing yards on the day. Also, former Tiger defensive tackle Brandon Thompson was inactive for the Bengals.
NY Giants 30, Houston 17
HOU: DeAndre Hopkins 6 rec, 116 yds
Ricky Sapp 1 tackle
Hopkins continues to prove himself worthy of coverage as the sidekick to Andre Johnson in Houston. He actually had more catches with fewer targets than Johnson in the game, hauling in two-thirds of the nine balls thrown his way. Hopkins’ best catch of the day—and maybe the catch of the year in the league—was a pass down the seam into double coverage that he had to grab with his left hand by reaching back and to the side. It was a thing of beauty, but unfortunately, it was negated by a holding penalty at the line of scrimmage.
Sunday also marked Sapp’s debut with the Texans, who signed him to a contract on Tuesday.
Philadelphia 37, Washington 34
WAS: Bashaud Breeland 3 tackles (all solo)
Jarvis Jenkins 1 assisted tackle
The Eagles-Redskins rivalry is fierce, and Sunday’s installment was no exception. Tempers flared after Breeland appeared to intercept a pass (the play was later overturned on replay). As he returned the ball, Nick Foles was blindsided by a Redskins defensive lineman, which set off a melee that resulted in multiple ejections. The Redskins’ defensive line, which includes Jenkins at a 3-technique, received rave reviews for its performance against Chip Kelly’s vaunted rushing attack.
Indianapolis 44, Jacksonville 17
IND: Dwayne Allen 4 rec, 43 yds, TD
JAC: Andre Branch 2 tackles, 1 sack
The Colts dominated this matchup, busting out to a 30-0 halftime lead. Allen played a major role in the victory by making critical plays all over the field, including a 1-yard touchdown grab early in the second quarter. He and fellow tight end Coby Fleener attracted a similar amount of Andrew Luck’s attention in the game, and Allen remains a valued asset in Indy.
One of the bright spots for the Jaguars was Branch, who was one of two players to get Luck on the ground in the backfield. Branch is easily forgotten in Jacksonville, but he continues to put forth solid efforts game in and game out for the Jaguars’ defense.
Arizona 23, San Francisco 14
ARI: Andre Ellington 18 car, 62 yds; 3 rec, 13 yds
Chandler Catanzaro 3-3 FG, 2-2 XP
Injuries and inexperienced depth have made Ellington the workhorse back for the Cardinals, and he has not disappointed. He shouldered the load on the ground and was also targeted four times in the passing game. In addition, Jaron Brown—seen now as a peripheral player in Arizona—was targeted once.
Catanzaro continues to impress in his rookie season. He banged home a career-best 51-yarder to cap the first drive of the game. The Greenville native added a pair of mid-range kicks later in the game, including the capper in the fourth quarter that iced the game. In three games, Catanzaro is 9-9 on field goal tries and has scored 30 points for the Cardinals.
Seattle 26, Denver 20 (OT)
SEA: Byron Maxwell 11 tackles (9 solo), PBU
This might have been the most entertaining game of the day, with the Super Bowl rematch culminating in an overtime touchdown by the Seahawks. Peyton Manning’s passing attack can wreak havoc on the opposition, but Seattle’s vaunted secondary held its own. Maxwell led the way, tying for the team lead in tackles across the field from Richard Sherman.