By William Qualkinbush.
The National Football League is full of former Clemson players. Several of them had monster days in Week 7. Here is a recap of a busy football weekend for Clemson alumni…
Indianapolis 27, Cincinnati 0
IND: Dwayne Allen 3 rec, 52 yds, TD
Once again, Allen was a featured target in the red zone passing game for the Colts, but two of his catches came in the open field. One of them was a 32-yard catch-and-run in which Allen muscled his way into the end zone at the pylon. He continues to demonstrate his value on an every down basis week after week.
Baltimore 29, Atlanta 7
ATL: Malliciah Goodman 1 assisted tackle
Goodman’s day resembled that of the rest of his teammates: There was very little production by any measure in a game in which the Falcons were soundly dominated. Expect Goodman to have better days in the future.
Jacksonville 24, Cleveland 6
JAC: Andre Branch 4 tackles (2 solo), PBU
Branch was an integral part of a Jacksonville pass rush that made life miserable for Brian Hoyer. As Chris Clemons’ primary backup, Branch will continue to see pass rushing opportunities in spots throughout games. He was able to get into position to knock a pass down this week, which was nice to see.
Buffalo 17, Minnesota 16
BUF: Sammy Watkins 9 rec, 122 yds, 2 TD
C.J. Spiller 1 car, 53 yds; 1 rec, 3 yds
Watkins had perhaps the best game of his rookie season this week. He was targeted 14 times, making him the go-to weapon for Kyle Orton in the passing game. The highlight was a downfield catch that put the Bills on the 1, then a catch on the sideline in the end zone on the next play for the game-winning touchdown.
Spiller was less fortunate, as he was carted off the field with an injury in the first half. The injury appears to be a broken collarbone, which would be a serious blow for the Bills given the additional injury to fellow running back Fred Jackson in this week’s game and could potentially mean the end of Spiller’s season. A lot depends on the severity of that particular injury, though.
Washington 19, Tennessee 17
WAS: Bashaud Breeland 5 tackles, INT, PBU
Jarvis Jenkins 3 tackles (1 solo)
TEN: Charlie Whitehurst 17-26, 160 yds, 2 TD, INT; 2 car, 10 yds
The two former Clemson defenders on the Redskins’ roster were active in this one. Breeland intercepted Whitehurst late in the first half and continues to be a disruptive force in the Washington secondary. Jenkins played a bunch of snaps and is consistently solid on the defensive front.
Whitehurst had a very good game, particularly given the low expectations he carries into each week. The veteran backup completed about two-thirds of his passes and was efficient, throwing one touchdown toss in each half. Whitehurst’s productivity has made him a valid alternative to the injured Jake Locker in Nashville.
Kansas City 23, San Diego 20
SD: Marcus Gilchrist 7 tackles (5 solo), sack
Kavell Conner 6 tackles (4 solo)
Despite the loss, Clemson’s pair of defenders played quite well for the Chargers this week. Gilchrist even added his first sack of the season in the game. It was the third of his career in 53 games. Conner seems to have found a home at linebacker in San Diego’s defensive scheme, which is run by John Pagano—the brother of Conner’s former coach in Indianapolis, Chuck Pagano.
Arizona 24, Oakland 13
ARI: Andre Ellington 24 car, 88 yds; 6 rec, 72 yds
Chandler Catanzaro 1-1 FG, 3-3 PAT
Jaron Brown 1 rec, 9 yds
It’s tough to be more of a feature back than Ellington was on Sunday. Not only did he rush the ball more than 20 times, but he also led the Cardinals with nine targets and six catches in the passing game. His 160 yards from scrimmage—the second-best total of his career—included a 37-yard reception and a bunch of tough running against a Raiders defense stacking the box against him.
We’re seven weeks into the season, and Catanzaro still hasn’t missed a kick. He’s been the best kicker in the league right now, hitting all five of his field goal attempts from 40 yards or beyond. He’s as automatic as it gets. Often lost in the shuffle at wideout, Brown managed a catch on his only target against Oakland.
Pittsburgh 30, Houston 23 (Monday)
PIT: Martavis Bryant 2 rec, 40 yds, TD
HOU: DeAndre Hopkins 6 rec, 108 yds
Bryant’s inaugural season as a professional has been defined by injury, but he started his first game off with a bang. His first career catch was a long touchdown grab in the back of the end zone. As he becomes more comfortable, expect Pittsburgh to feature him more often in the red zone and down the field.
Hopkins was very good when given opportunities to make plays. He was largely held in check in the first half, but Ryan Fitzpatrick looked his way a bunch after halftime. Unfortunately for Hopkins, his final catch ended with a fumble after the ball was raked from his hands in the middle of the field late in the game.
It’s worth noting that former Clemson tight end Michael Palmer ended the game for the Steelers by falling on the Texans’ onside kick attempt with less than a minute remaining on the clock.