Your Week Five Spartans in the NFL Report...

Rookie Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins performed well in his first NFL regular season game, subbing for injured QB Robert Griffin III in a 24-17 loss to the Falcons. Griffin suffered a mild concussion late in the third quarter, leaving Cousins with the reins to the offense. The former Spartan star entered the game with a 10-7 lead, but could not help Washington secure the win. For an opening debut, though, Cousins did well. He completed five of eleven passes for 111 yards, including a beautiful 77-yard touchdown throw to a wide-open Santana Moss early in the fourth quarter. The Washington defense could not hold onto the 17-14 lead, however, and Cousins threw interceptions on his last two passes to end the hopes of a comeback.

 

Defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson had a good game for the Broncos in a 31-21 defeat at the hands of Tom Brady and the Patriots. Vickerson racked up a tackle, five assists, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit in the contest.

 

49ers tight end Garrett Celek caught the first reception of his career in San Francisco’s 45-3 trouncing of the Bills. The rookie’s first catch was a four-yard pass from quarterback Alex Smith. Fellow Spartan Trenton Robinson was not active for the contest.

 

Brandon Fields and the Dolphins reigned victorious over Domata Peko and the Bengals in a 17-13 decision. Fields averaged over 49 yards per punt on five attempts and also recorded a special teams tackle for Miami. For Cincinnati, Peko notched three assists while starting at defensive tackle.

 

Quarterback Andrew Luck led the Colts to an emotional 30-27 triumph over the Packers. The Colts dedicated the game to head coach Chuck Pagano, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Indianapolis backup QB Drew Stanton was not active for the game. For Green Bay, defensive tackle Jerel Worthy had one tackle and a quarterback hit.

 

Kellen Davis is quickly becoming a favorite target of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. The tight end caught two passes from Cutler for 26 yards in Chicago’s 41-3 thrashing of the Jaguars. Davis has had five receptions in the past two games and the pair has appeared to be more comfortable together. All three of Davis’ catches from week four can be seen in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGPrGHSBX8A

 

The Texans pulled off a narrow 23-17 win over the struggling Jets in a hard-fought Monday Night Football matchup. Wide receiver Keshawn Martin ran the ball once for the Texans for 14 yards, while Jets safety Eric Smith recorded a tackle, an assist and a quarterback hit in the game.

 

On the Injury Front:

 

Javon Ringer of the Titans went down with a knee injury in the second half of the Vikings’ 30-7 conquest of Tennessee. Ringer suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury (after hauling in three passes for 12 yards), which will force him to stay on the sidelines for the next 4-6 weeks. According to the Tennessean, the diagnosis was actually a relief for the running back, as it could have been much worse. Check out the full story here: http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2012/10/08/ringer-says-torn-mcl-diagnosis-a-relief/