Huskers in the NFL Week 1

The NFL regular season kicked off this weekend and we saw plenty of our former stars in action, along with some new fresh faces. Listed below are the most comprehensive Huskers in the NFL coverage you’ll find. This isn’t a listing of stats but a comprehensive summary of how each player did in their week one games.

Husker of the Week

Nick Gates, New York Giants

Not only is Nick Gates entering his second year as the starting center for the Giants but he was also voted team captain. Gates had a strong game against the Broncos and was tied for the highest pass blocking win rate grade of any center according to ESPN Stats and Info.

Had a Good Game

Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thursday night was a pretty standard Lavonte David performance as he led the Bucs with 11 total tackles as he was flying around the field making plays. David also finished one quarterback hit and a key pass defended. In the second quarter David was able to deflect a ball on third down which forced the Cowboys to settle for a field goal which was huge in this one score game.

Jack Stoll, Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday was quite the accomplishment for Stoll who played 12 offensive snaps in his NFL debut. Stoll only ran one route and wasn’t targeted, but did a good job as a run blocker. Stoll’s highlight was a block on the edge that sprung Miles Sanders for a long run around the right edge. Not too bad of a day for an undrafted free agent in a loaded tight end room.

Andy Janovich, Cleveland Browns

Playing only 11 total snaps, Jano made the most out of it when in there. He made a key block on the Browns opening drive to get Nick Chubb into the endzone. Janovich was also used all over the field in the Browns heavy packages that would see him lined up like an outside receiver to empty the box for their running backs.

Solid Game

Ndamukong Suh, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you’re just looking at the stat sheet then it will seem as if Suh was non-existent. But even though Suh had just one tackle and a quarterback hit, his impact on the game was much bigger. In a back and forth game the Cowboys threw the ball 58 times and only ran it 11. Suh along with Vita Vea’s ability to stop the run made the Cowboys abandon the run because they knew they couldn’t.

Randy Gregory, Dallas Cowboys

Thursday night was a big night for Gregory as it was his first career NFL start and he was also named team captain for the game. Quite the comeback after many thought he’d never play in the NFL again. As for the game Gregory was able to get some pressure but was pretty quiet overall. His highlight came in the second quarter where he was able to recover a fumble which led to a touchdown to tie the game.

Cethan Carter, Miami Dolphins

With number two TE Adam Shaheen on the Covid List that meant that Carter was in line for more action. Instead Carter only played 13 total snaps on offense. But as usual, Carter showcased his blocking skills and helped the Dolphins rushing attack ice the game and come out with a win over the Patriots.

Ameer Abdullah, Minnesota Vikings

Activated from the practice squad before the game, Abdullah was used a handful of times throughout the game getting one carry for 4 yards while catching both of his two targets for 15 yards. Dalvin Cook will always get a lion’s share of the snaps, but in a surprise Abdullah tied key backup Alexander Mattison with 11% of the offensive snaps and had more touches.

Had a Rough Week

Rex Burkhead, Houston Texans

Despite the Texans putting up 37 points in an offensive explosion against the Jaguars, Burkhead didn’t have much of an impact on that performance. Rex did not get a single carry and was only targeted with throws, catching one pass for six years.

Maliek Collins, Houston Texans

It was a rough day for Collins against the Jaguars who struggled to get pressure on the quarterback and when he did Collins finished with two roughing the passer penalties. Collins did help keep the Jaguars run game bottled up, but he only finished with one tackle on the game.

Carlos Davis, Pittsburgh Steelers

With starter Stephon Tuitt out it was Davis who was the first defensive lineman off the bench. Davis was in on a few key third down possessions in the Steelers win over the Bills but only finished the game with just a single tackle

Limited Snaps

Matt Farniok, Dallas Cowboys

In his first NFL game Farniok only played on 8 special teams snaps. With starting right guard Zach Martin and backup Brandon Knight out of the game because of Covid protocols, there was a chance we may have seen Farniok get some snaps but it was Connor McGovern that played the entire game.

Stanley Morgan, Cincinnati Bengals

Morgan may have only played on special teams but he is considered to be one of the better gunners on punt coverage in the league. That included a nice play to down a punt inside the five yard line.

Did Not Play

Brenden Jaimes, Los Angeles Chargers

Inactive or Injured

Luke Gifford, Dallas Cowboys
Khalil Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Practice Squad

Lamar Jackson, New York Jets
Dedrick Mills, Detroit Lions
Dicaprio Bootle, Kansas City
Devine Ozigbo, Jacksonville
Nate Gerry, San Francisco 49ers
Chris Jones, Tennessee Titans