It was a week of highs and lows for Stanford in the NFL, as some players came out strong and made their mark, but many others ended up with injuries, leading to little production and worries for the future.
Philadelphia tight end Zach Ertz kept up Stanford’s reputation for producing strong tight ends with 103 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches in the Eagles 31-3 win against the Chicago Bears. Four of those catches came in the first 10 minutes, including his 17-yard touchdown catch. Ertz was able to showcase his abilities again after multiple games with fewer targets.
Fellow tight end Austin Hooper of the Atlanta Falcons had three catches in their 34-20 win over Tampa Bay. He ended up with 38 yards in this game, which marked five straight games where the second-year tight end has had at least two catches.
Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey came back strong after a bye week, putting up 62 rushing yards on seven carries and 35 receiving yards on two catches against the Jets in a 35-27 win. Though McCaffrey has seen less action than he did at Stanford thanks to the Panthers’ running schemes, his versatility as a slot receiver could lead to him getting more touches in the future.
Green Bay inside linebacker Blake Martinez had a big day despite the Packers losing to the Steelers 31-28. He had 15 tackles, an interception and recovered a fumble. He is now one tackle away from reaching 100 tackles for the season.
In a separate vein, Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin. had a season low three targets from quarterback Russell Wilson this weekend, two of which were completed. The 25 yards were his lowest all season, but the low numbers stemmed from more receivers being targeted and fewer passes by Wilson, not poor play.
On the other side of the field, defensive end Solomon Thomas returned after his injury and had two tackles for the 49ers in their loss to the Seahawks this weekend. Also back is safety Michael Thomas, who appears to be back playing full-time for the Dolphins after a knee injury kept him questionable for a bit.
Texans outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett was injured during Monday night’s game against the Ravens, with the foot injury keeping him out for the rest of the game. His status is unknown, but he has a bye week to recover.
Saint’s tight end Coby Fleener suffered a concussion in their loss to the Rams on Sunday. He has been placed under concussion protocol and will be out next week, but he notably said the concussion this week was the fifth of his career, a worrying number.
Josh Mauro suffered a high-ankle sprain after the Cardinals’ game against the Texans on the 19th, but the defensive end played on Sunday anyway, only to aggravate his sprain and leave after two snaps.
More on the injury front: Ty Montgomery’s rib injury means he was listed as inactive this past weekend in the Packers’ game against the Steelers, his status also unknown, though likely doubtful, for this weekend against the Buccaneers.
Trent Murphy of the Redskins remains on injured reserve, as does David Parry of the Saints, Aziz Shittu of the Eagles, Kyle Murphy of the Packers, Joshua Garnett of the 49ers, Henry Anderson of the Colts and David Yankey of the Panthers. Additionally, Andrew Luck is on injured reserve, as he receives additional treatment on his right shoulder.
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is also on injured reserve, as he is recovering from surgery to repair the Achilles tendon he ruptured against the Cardinals in Week 10.
Contact Ariana Rollins at arianar ‘at’ stanford.edu.