The Clemson Insider has a complete rundown of how Clemson’s NFL alumni performed in Week 7.
Seattle 20, San Francisco 3
SFO: Bradley Pinion—9 punts, 43.3 avg
Pinion has gotten a tremendous opportunity to show out this season as the 49ers have struggled to move the football. He pinned two punts inside the 20 in a game in which the Seahawks routinely forced his team to go three-and-out.
Jacksonville 34, Buffalo 31
JAC: Andre Branch—2 tackles, sack
Branch registered his first sack of the season across the pond. It has been an injury-plagued first half of the year for the veteran defensive end, so it was nice to see him get some action on the field.
BUF: Jonathan Meeks—2 tackles (1 solo)
Meeks has bounced back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster all season. He appears to be a decent alternative to the Bills’ regulars if injury strikes.
Atlanta 10, Tennessee 7
ATL: Vic Beasley Jr.—2 tackles
Grady Jarrett—1 tackle
Neither Beasley nor Jarrett has made the impact expected so far this season, but much of that has been because of the way other veterans have responded to a new defensive scheme. Though the output may be slight, both of these defensive players should continue to be prominently featured.
TEN: Coty Sensabaugh—6 tackles (5 solo), 2 PBU
There was a rare chance for Sensabaugh to start on the outside on Sunday, and the veteran cornerback did not disappoint. Atlanta found the going tough through the air in sloppy conditions, so Sensabaugh and his secondary mates did their jobs.
Kansas City 23, Pittsburgh 13
PIT: Martavis Bryant—8 tgts, 3 rec, 45 yds, TD; 1 car, 13 yds
The Steelers got a pretty subpar performance from Landry Jones on Sunday, and Bryant’s inefficient afternoon was the result. The second-year pro did what he always does—even on a bad day—by catching a 19-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Miami 44, Houston 26
HOU: DeAndre Hopkins—12 tgts, 6 rec, 50 yds
This was far and away Hopkins’ worst game of the season. The Texans got behind early, and big, so there were a ton of passes thrown as they attempted to erase the deficit. However, Nuk could only haul in half of his targets on the day and lost out to Nate Washington, who somehow had a monster game.
New England 30, NY Jets 23
NYJ: Marcus Gilchrist—10 tackles (8 solo)
Gilchrist led the Jets in tackles, getting into double figures in the category. However, the veteran safety was unable to affect any passes against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Still, it was a solid performance from a key part of an improved Jets’ defense.
Washington 31, Tampa Bay 30
WAS: Bashaud Breeland—13 tackles (8 solo)
Breeland was highly productive in the secondary, but his afternoon probably should have included some affected passes given Jameis Winston’s willingness to throw the ball into coverage. Even though the Redskins couldn’t turn the Bucs over, Breeland’s baker’s dozen of tackles was very helpful in a come-from-behind win.
New Orleans 27, Indianapolis 21
NO: Stephone Anthony—7 tackles (5 solo), INT, PBU
C.J. Spiller—4 car, 16 yds; 6 tgts, 6 rec, 32 yds
Anthony tied for the team lead in tackles and picked Andrew Luck off in the first half. He continues to play extremely well for the NFL’s youngest defense, which may have had its best overall effort on Sunday. Spiller was a weapon out of the backfield, but he still only averaged 4.8 yards per touch for the Saints.
IND: Dwayne Allen—1 tgt, 1 rec, 10 yds
Indy’s passing game has come completely unglued, and the biggest casualty has been Allen. When everything is in sync, Allen is a valued dump-down option for Luck, but he has been hurt and has to help in pass protection more often. All in all, he is one of several Colts who have been disappointing in terms of production this year.
Oakland 37, San Diego 29
SDG: Kavell Conner—5 tackles
Conner has had a tendency to disappear this season, but he played a decent game on Sunday for a Charger defense that got shellacked by the Raiders. All five of his stops were of the solo variety from his traditional inside linebacker slot.
Carolina 27, Philadelphia 16
PHI: Byron Maxwell—5 tackles (4 solo), INT, 2 PBU
After some struggles—and outright disastrous games—early in his Eagles career, Maxwell played arguably his best game against the Panthers on Sunday. He recorded one of three interceptions against Cam Newton and was particularly feisty in coverage, yielding only three receptions in the game.
Arizona 26, Baltimore 18
ARI: Jaron Brown—1 tgt, 1 rec, 3 yds
Chandler Catanzaro—2-3 FG, 2-3 XP
Andre Ellington—5 car, 21 yds; 4 tgts, 3 rec, 28 yds
This trifecta of Clemson alumni had moments to shine in a Monday night victory for Arizona. Brown had a single target, while Ellington got nine touches as a part of a timeshare in the backfield. Catanzaro had rare misses on both a field goal and an extra point in the win.
Other Rostered Players: Tavaris Barnes (NO), Kourtnei Brown (HOU), Crezdon Butler (SEA), Chris Clemons (ARI), Chris Hairston (SDG), Antoine McClain (ARI), Tyler Shatley (JAC), Tony Steward (BUF), Brandon Thomas (SFO)
Bye Week: Jarvis Jenkins (CHI), Brandon Thompson (CIN).
Inactives: Malliciah Goodman (ATL), Sammy Watkins (BUF).