ASU Football: Sun Devils in the NFL Game Preview
Former Devil Brandon Aiyuk is set to make his NFL debut, and that may potentially come with immediate success. With Deebo Samuel still on injured reserve and tight end George Kittle already ruled out, Aiyuk looks to emerge as San Francisco’s top receiving option on Sunday. A matchup with a passer friendly New York Jets secondary that allowed 33 receptions and over 300 yards through the air last week simply puts sprinkles on top of the icing of Aiyuk’s potentially sweet debut.
While Aiyuk’s 2020 debut has yet to be seen, N’Keal Harry’s came with mixed reviews last week. Catching a team-high five receptions and playing more snaps than fellow receiver Julian Edelman is encouraging for his sophomore campaign. Yet, a crucial fumble that led to a Dolphins score outweighed the positive contributions. Luckily, the backing of quarterback Cam Newton reassures Harry’s role in New England’s Sunday night matchup with a Seattle Seahawks secondary that allowed over 400 yards passing in week one.
Rookie Eno Benjamin was inactive for Arizona’s week one victory over the 49ers, and it appears that will be the case for week two as well. With Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury favoring the ball-carrying duo of Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds, Benjamin’s quest to finding playing time in his rookie season appears to rely on injuries to special teams players or running backs higher on the depth chart.
Recently signed Kalen Ballage looks to make an impact right away as the newest member of the New York Jets, as the team signed Ballage following the news of All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell hitting the injured reserve list. The Jets recently attempted to land Ballage via a trade with the Miami Dolphins, but a failed physical from Ballage nullified the deal. With a running back stable that includes an older Frank Gore and inexperienced runner in Josh Adams being promoted, Ballage (who previously played under head coach Adam Gase) may get the keys to the car should he perform to his five yards per carry he averaged in his rookie season.