Pack Pros: The Return of Bradley Chubb

Bradley Chubb was back to his old dominant self for the Denver Broncos on Thursday after missing most of last season with an injury. His big performance against the New York Jets highlights the weekend for former NC State players in the NFL

Former NC State star Bradley Chubb has been back in the Denver Broncos' lineup since the start of the season.

But Thursday night against the New York Jets, the Denver Broncos outside linebacker was finally back to his dominant old self after missing most of last season with a knee injury.

After going the first three games without a sack and just three quarterback hits, Chubb was in the Jets' backfield terrorizing quarterback Sam Darnold all night. He finished with 2.5 sacks and five hits on Darnold, adding 2.5 other tackles for loss and three solo tackles to help Denver to a 37-28 win.

The victory was just the Broncos' first of the season. But as Chubb told ESPN.com after the game, he's hoping his performance against the Jets is a sign of things to come both for himself and his team.

"I feel like I'm going to break out every week," said Chubb, who had 12 sacks as a rookie before suffering his injury in Week 4 last season. "I feel like it's one of those things, like 'Okay, I tore my ACL, but that's in the past.' And now I've got to build on these days and these practices and help this team get more wins. ... It does feel like a bit of a breakout when it comes to the injury and everything, but now that I know that I can do it, it's time to do it."

Welcome back, @astronaut! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/8QS2ugnwCs

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 2, 2020

Chubb, the 2017 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Bronko Nagurski Award winner, holds the Wolfpack school record for career sacks and tackles for loss. He was the first-round pick of the Broncos in 2018.

He isn't the only former State player to has a notable performance this week in the NFL.

Safety Justin Jones led the Jacksonville Jaguars in tackles with 11 in his team's 33-25 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fellow defensive back Juston Burris of the Carolina Panthers was second on his team with six tackles, including one for a loss, to go along with a pass breakup in a 31-21 win against the Arizona Cardinals.

Cornerback Dontae Johnson recorded three tackles and a pass breakup for the San Francisco 49ers in a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles while defensive end James Smith-Williams saw his most extensive action to date for the Washington Football Team while being credited with two tackles in a 31-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

On the offensive side, quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Philip Rivers both led their teams to wins.

Wilson had a "down" game by his standards, but was still outstanding in going 24 of 34 for 360 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a 31-23 victory against the Miami Dolphins.

Rivers, meanwhile, was 16 of 29 for 190 yards a touchdown and no picks in a 19-11 win against the previously unbeaten Chicago Bears. Running back Nyheim hines had 24 yards on nine carries in the game while also catching three passes.

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