With week 10 in the books, it seems as though injury plagued many of the former Cardinal in the NFL. Despite some injured players, however, Stanford was well represented by the healthy bunch, including Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey made his presence known yet again in Monday’s 45-21 win over the Miami Dolphins. McCaffrey rushed five times for 23 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run. He also caught three of seven targets for 27 yards, including another touchdown. McCaffrey proved his abilities in a game where top tailback Jonathan Stewart accumulated 110 yards on 17 carries. The Panthers will have a week 11 bye before facing the New York Jets on Nov. 26.
On the opposite side of the field, Dolphins free safety Michael Thomas added to his season totals. Despite entering the game questionable, Thomas recorded six tackles, two of which were solo and four assisted, in the Dolphins loss. Thomas improved his season count to 17 total tackles, which includes 11 solo and six assisted tackles.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper scored his third touchdown of the season in the Falcons’ 27-7 win over the Cowboys. Hooper racked up 49 yards on six receptions as he tied Julio Jones for the game-high in receptions.
Houston Texans linebacker Brennan Scarlett has had an explosive November, especially after recording his first two sacks of the season in Sunday’s 33-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Despite losing the last two games, Scarlett has recorded four solo tackles in both games, improving his season count to 17. He also has six assisted tackles on the season. The second-year linebacker saw dramatically more playing time in Sunday’s game after the Texan’s lost Whitney Mercilus to a season-ending pectoral injury. The Texans will host the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday.
After not practicing all week due to an achilles injury, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman suited up in Thursday’s win over the Cardinals. However, the star cornerback suffered an injury late in the third quarter that was later diagnosed as a ruptured achilles. Head coach Pete Carroll reported that Sherman is out for the remainder of the season. Sherman’s absence will certainly be felt in the secondary with teammate Earl Thomas nursing a hamstring injury and Kam Chancellor a neck injury.
Prior to Thursday’s game against the Cardinals, Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin reported that he suffered a minor groin injury. Despite his groin injury, Baldwin accumulated 95 yards on five receptions, including a 54-yard reception as the Seahawks recorded their sixth win of the season. The veteran receiver will have 10 days to recover in preparation for the Seahawks’ week 11 game against the Falcons on Nov. 20.
Back when the Green Bay Packers met the Chicago Bears in week 4, running back Ty Montgomery played five snaps before suffering an injury that was later diagnosed as broken ribs. In Sunday’s 23-16 win over the Bears, lead back Aaron Jones suffered a knee injury in the first quarter that allowed Montgomery to rush for 54 yards on six carries, including a touchdown, and 14 yards on two receptions. However, Montgomery was ruled out in the third quarter after aggravating his long-standing rib injury. Despite his game-ending injury, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy believes Montgomery could play in next Sunday’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Since Jones is expected to miss multiple games, Montgomery may feel pressure to avoid another absence, especially since third-string running back Jamaal Williams isn’t nearly as explosive of a player and fourth-stringer Devante Mays has yet to record a touch in the NFL.
Packers linebacker Blake Martinez had a quieter game than usual, racking up one solo tackle and one assisted tackle in Green Bay’s win. Coming into Sunday’s game, Martinez averaged 9.3 total tackles per game.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas was listed as inactive in Sunday’s 31-21 win over the Giants. The No. 3 overall pick was limited in practice this past week. With a week 11 bye, the 49ers aren’t looking to take any chances, but rather expect Thomas will be fully recovered from his MCL sprain for their week 12 matchup against the Seahawks.
Following his inactive status week nine and a week 10 bye, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz said he is a full go at Monday’s practice but can’t commit to playing against the Cowboys this Sunday after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the season. Ertz has recorded six touchdowns in the eight games he has played, including at least one touchdown in his last four games.
The Indianapolis Colts announced earlier this month that quarterback Andrew Luck was placed on season-ending injury reserve. Luck traveled to Europe for additional treatment after he failed to progress as expected following his right shoulder repair surgery in January. It’s too early to tell whether the quarterback will be healthy or not to participate in offseason workouts next spring.
Contact Alejandro Salinas at asalinas ‘at’ stanford.edu.