With the conclusion of week nine, the NFL regular season is now more than halfway completed. While a couple of the more notable former NC State players had games to forget, others turned in performances that were among the best of their careers thus far.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, wide receiver, Green Bay Packers
In a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game, the Green Bay Packers took down the short-handed Super Bowl LIV runner-up San Francisco 49ers 34-17 on Thursday Night Football. Valdes-Scantling, who played for NC State for two seasons before transferring, caught two passes from Aaron Rodgers, both of which were touchdowns. His two touchdowns are the most he has scored in a single game thus far in his career. The first score was a 52-yard bomb that put Green Bay up 21-3 and the second was a 1-yard score that extended the lead to 28-3.
Valdes-Scantling played for NC State for two years in 2013 and 2014 before transferring to South Florida, where he would finish his college career. He was drafted by the Packers in 2018 and is in his third year in the NFL, in which he has 314 receiving yards and three touchdowns. It is crucial for the Packers that Valdes-Scantling continues to play well in order to give Rodgers more options to throw to.
Jakobi Meyers, wide receiver, New England Patriots
After losing four games in a row, the New England Patriots squeaked by the winless New York Jets 30-27 on Monday Night Football. Leading the Patriots in receptions and receiving yards was Meyers, who caught 12 passes for 169 yards, and both totals were career-highs.
Meyers, who went undrafted in 2019, was playing on his 24th birthday. One of his more memorable plays of the evening came in the fourth quarter when quarterback Cam Newton evaded a rushing Jets defender and found Meyers, who athletically broke a defender’s ankles before picking up a first down.
Meyers also made two huge plays that led to Patriots scores. On New England’s first drive, Meyers had a 33-yard reception that put the ball on the Jets 5-yard line, which set up a touchdown run by Newton on the next play. Then on the last drive of the game, Meyers had a 20-yard reception to the Jets 33-yard line, which set up the game-winning field goal from kicker Nick Folk as time expired.
Russell Wilson, quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks fell for the second time in their last three games on Sunday, this time to the Buffalo Bills, 44-34. Despite throwing for a season-high 390 yards and accounting for three total touchdowns, Wilson couldn’t do enough to will the Seahawks to victory. He uncharacteristically turned the ball over four times, which included two interceptions and two fumbles.
The Seahawks dug themselves in an early hole, falling behind 17-0 in the first half. Despite cutting the lead to seven in the third quarter, they trailed by as many as 21 in the fourth, which ended up being too much to overcome.
Wilson had his first rushing touchdown of the season against the Bills, but the team as a whole did not run the ball very well, totaling just 57 yards on the ground. Looking ahead, if the Seahawks want to be a Super Bowl contender, they will need a better ground game and better defensive play.
Philip Rivers, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
After winning two games in a row, the Indianapolis Colts fell at home to the Baltimore Ravens 24-10. Winning 10-7 at halftime, the Colts were shut out in the second half while Lamar Jackson and the Ravens scored 17 unanswered points to get the win.
After throwing for a combined six touchdowns and an average of 316.5 yards in his previous two games, Rivers had an average game with 227 passing yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He finished with a 58% completion percentage, his second-lowest of the season, and a 33.6 quarterback rating, his lowest of the season. The game against Baltimore marks the second game this season that he has not thrown a touchdown.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the game for Rivers occurred near the end of the first quarter, when Colts running back Jonathan Taylor got stripped while running the ball, leading to a fumble recovery by Ravens defender Chuck Clark. During the return, Rivers fell and attempted to tackle Clark while on his back. Clark proceeded to hurdle Rivers and take the ball to the end zone for a touchdown.
Bradley Chubb, linebacker, Denver Broncos
Chubb tallied three total tackles as the Denver Broncos fell to the Atlanta Falcons 34-27. The three tackles for the 2017 ACC Defensive Player of the Year brings his total number of tackles on the season up to 24, and he still leads the team in sacks with 5.5.
Nyheim Hines, running back, Indianapolis Colts
After a sizzling performance last week against the Detroit Lions, Hines followed that up with two carries for 18 yards and two receptions for 20 yards in the loss to the Ravens. The Garner, North Carolina native still leads the Colts in receptions with 28 on the season.
A.J. Cole III, punter, Las Vegas Raiders
Cole punted a season-high four times as the Las Vegas Raiders took down the Los Angeles Chargers 31-26 for their second straight win and third win out of the last four games. His four punts went for a total of 150 yards, and two of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.
Josh Jones, safety, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jones tallied five total tackles as the Jaguars fell to the Houston Texans 27-25 for their seventh straight loss. He is now second on the team with 61 tackles on the season.
