It was a busy Week 5 for Stanford alumni in the NFL. First-round pick Andrus Peat made his NFL debut for the Saints, while Green Bay’s newest fan favorite Ty Montgomery ’15 continued his scoring spree and Seahawks corner Richard Sherman ’10 came up just short in overtime. Meanwhile, on Thursday night in Houston the Colts were Luckless: They were on the receiving end of several bad calls as well as without their star quarterback.
Despite having to play without Luck, the Colts still managed to hold on 27-20, beating the Texans at their home stadium in a critical AFC South matchup. Coby Fleener ‘12 seemed less comfortable with Hasselback, the Colts’ replacement QB, recording just 2 receptions for 9 yards compared to the 83 yards and a touchdown he racked up last week in an overtime win at Jacksonville.
Henry Anderson ’15, a third-round pick in this year’s draft, continued to enjoy significant playing time, recording 4 total tackles at defensive end. David Parry ’15, the Colts’ fifth-round pick this year, also got to play, recording 2 tackles and and a tackle for a loss.
The Stanford rookies helped the Colts defense hold the Texans to just 3 points in the 4th quarter and preserve a win that brought the Colts to 3-2 on the season. They now stand alone at first place in their division. Andrew Luck ’12 is back practicing this week and should be able to play Sunday night against the undefeated Patriots.
In Philadelphia, Peat had a lackluster NFL debut for the Saints. Called upon to replace the injured Terron Armstead, he defended Drew Brees well for most of the game but was responsible for 2 sacks on the quarterback.
After the game Peat told The Advocate, “I felt like there were some ups and downs. Obviously, I wish I could have done better, done a better job in protection, but I feel like all I can do is improve for the next week, and that’s what I’m going to focus on going forward.”
On the other side of the ball, Zach Ertz ‘13 had a breakout game from the tight end position, catching 5 passes for 50 yards, more than double his totals in both categories from all of his previous games combined this season. He split time with Brent Celek, and the duo were the first Eagles tight ends to both catch at least three passes in a game this season. The Eagles, which improved to 2-3, will play on Monday Night Football next week at home against the division-leading Giants, while the now 1-4 Saints will look to salvage their season at home against Atlanta.
In Green Bay, Montgomery recorded his second Lambeau Leap in consecutive home games, with a 34-yard opening-drive touchdown on a third-and-6 pass from Aaron Rodgers. After reaching the endzone, Montgomery did not hesitate before jumping into the stands to participate in the decades-old tradition. He ended the game with 4 receptions for 59 yards, including a 31-yarder in the fourth quarter, in which he almost broke away for another touchdown.
Green Bay finished the day beating the Rams 24-10, improving to 5-0 for the season. They are one of six undefeated NFL teams and surely an early favorite to go deep in the playoffs. Green Bay will play at home against San Diego next week.
Lastly, in a scintillating matchup of defending NFC champion versus an undefeated AFC team, the Seahawks suffered a crushing overtime defeat in Cincinnati, 24-27. Sherman played well, recording 8 combined tackles, a season high.
Cincinnati’s high-powered offense was not afraid to challenge Sherman, who is often not even tested by quarterbacks. The Compton native was powerless, however, in Cincinnati’s fourth-quarter comeback and overtime drive that resulted in a winning field goal. Doug Baldwin ‘11 registered 3 receptions for 70 yards for the Seahawks, but none in the fourth quarter as the Bengals stormed back from a 17-point deficit to force overtime.
The Bengals are 5-0 and play in Buffalo next week, while the Seahawks fall to 2-3 and will play at home against the Panthers.
Contact Michael Spelfogel at mspel ‘at’ stanford.edu.