Cal in NFL: Aaron Rodgers, Keenan Allen, Marvin Jones Come Up Big
Aaron Rodgers bounced back in a big way, Keenan Allen put up impressive numbers, Marvin Jones Jr. had his most productive day of the season, Devante Downs had a good game in defeat and Richard Rodgers showed during a nationally televised game that he’s still got it.
Those were among the top performances by former Cal players in Week 7 of the NFL season.
After his poor performance in last week’s loss to Tampa Bay, Rodgers completed 23-of-34 passes for 283 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 132.4 passer rating in the Packers’ 35-20 victory over the Houston Texans.
Thirteen of his completions were to Davante Adams, who had 196 receiving yards and two touchdown catches as seen here:
---Allen left the Los Angeles Chargers' previous game with a back injury, but he was healthy enough Sunday to catch 10 passes for 125 yards in a 39-29 victory over Jacksonville.
It was the third time this season Allen has had 10 catches or more, and the second time he topped 120 receiving yards. He now has 44 receptions for 481 yards for the season, but he did not have any touchdown catches Sunday and has just two TDs for 2020.
Allen benefited from the Chargers' bye week, helping him recuperate from an injury that sidelined him for most of the Chargers' Oct. 12 overtime loss to New Orleans.
**Keenan Allen (13) makes one of his 10 receptions. Photo by Robert Hanashirto - USA TODAY Sports
---Jones, who was Allen's teammate at Cal, has had a disappointing season, but he had a breakthrough on Sunday, when he caught five passes for 80 yards in the Lions’ 23-22 victory over Falcons, a game Detroit won on the final play of the game.
Jones had no more than five catches and no more than 55 receiving yards in any of the previous games this season, and he had just 17 receiving yards in the past two games combined.
So this was a welcomed performance for Jones, who had 62 catches for 799 yards and nine touchdowns last season and led the league in yards per reception in 2017, when he had 61 receptions for 1,101 yards and nine scores.
---Linebacker Devante Downs was back in the New York Giants’ starting lineup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday after being a reserve the previous two games.
He collected a season-high five tackles, all of which were solo stops, and recorded his first quarterback hit of his career in the Giants’ 22-21 loss.
---Richard Rodgers was one of the stars for the Eagles in that game against New York. Because of injuries at the Eagles’ tight end position, Rodgers was in the starting lineup against the Giants, and he responded with six receptions for 85 yards.
It was Rodgers’ second-high receiving yards total in his seven-year career, and his 30-yard reception with less than two minutes remaining was a key play in the Eagles’ game-winning touchdown drive.
Rodgers was released by Washington on September 5 and signed by the Eagles three days later.
Here's how other former Cal players did in Week 7:
---Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson returned to action in that Thursday game after missing three games with a hamstring injury, and he had three catches for three catches for 34 yards and one run for 12 yards before suffering a high ankle sprain that is expected to keep him sidelined for much of the rest of the season.
---New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan made his 135th consecutive start, third longest active streak in the NFL, but only came up with two tackles (one solo) in the Saints’ 27-24 victory over Carolina.
Jordan did not have any sacks Sunday and has just 1.5 sacks through six games this season after recording 15.5 sacks last season.
---Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz did not play in Sunday’s game against the Broncos because of a back injury, and it was the first time in his pro career that he was not in Kansas City’s starting lineup. It ended Schwartz’s run of 134 straight regular-season starts, which was tied with Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, for the third-longest active streak of consecutive starts. (Jordan started on Sunday for his 135th straight start.) Schwartz also started his final 51 games at Cal before turning pro.
---Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Tyson Alualu has two tackles, including one solo stop, as the Steelers hung on for a 27-24 victory over the Titans that improved Pittsburgh’s record to 6-0.
---Houston Texans punter Bryan Anger averaged 51.3 yards on four punts against the Packers, including one punt that went 67 yards and two that were inside the 20-yard line.
---New York Jets rookie safety Ashtyn Davis had three tackles, including two solo hits, in the 18-10 loss to the Bills, and all three of his stops came on the same Buffalo possession.
---Atlanta Falcons rookie safety Jaylinn Hawkins was a full participant in practice on Friday after missing the previous two games with a concussion, but he was on the pregame inactive list before Sunday’s game against Detroit.
---The two former Cal long-snappers in the NFL faced off Sunday as the Cowboys’ L.P. Ladouceur played his 244th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the NFL and tied for the seventh longest run alltime. He went against Washington long-snapper Nick Sundberg.
---Jared Goff’s Rams play Monday night, Patrick Laird’s Dolphins had a bye, and Patrick Mekari’s Ravens had a bye.
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