Stanford Football: Top NFL Week One Performances from Cardinal Alums

On Sunday, a full slate of Week 1 games marked the official start of the 2025 season, where the quest for a Super Bowl title commences. But for the Stanford Cardinal, a lot of former standouts from the program made 53-man rosters, giving them an opportunity to prove themselves among the rest of the NFL's most elite.

And to start the season, many former Stanford standouts delivered strong performances that helped their respective teams in a big way. Whether they won or lost, each one of these players played a role and are certain to get more opportunities to shine as the season progresses. Here are the top performances from former Stanford stars in week one.

Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders

Over the offseason, Ertz's return for another NFL season was brought into question, given his age and long tenure in the league. But Ertz quickly shot down retirement speculation after the Commanders' loss in last year's NFC championship game and returned to Washington.

In his first game of 2025, Ertz continued to show his worth for the offense, catching three passes for 26 yards, finding the end zone once. His performance helped propel the Commanders to a 21-6 win, and start the season off at 1-0.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Limited to only four games last season due to injuries, McCaffrey came into 2025 with a major chip on his shoulder. Many were skeptical about him entering the season given his injury history and older age for a running back, but in Sunday's 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks, McCaffrey looked dominant once again, carrying the ball 22 times for 69 yards while adding nine catches for 73 yards.

McCaffrey's health will be vital for the 49ers this season but if he returns to his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year form, the 49ers will be a team to watch for this season.

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Tennessee Titans

In what was Ayomanor's NFL rookie debut, the former Cardinal superstar did not put up spectacular numbers, but proved very effective despite the Titans falling 20-12 to the Denver Broncos. Catching two passes for 13 yards,

Ayomanor was on the field for a majority of the game, even listed as a starting wide receiver heading into the contest. Considering how it was looking like he would have to fight for playing time out of the gate, Ayomanor's rise has been impressive, with a strong training camp helping him earn a sizable role in head coach Brian Callahan's offense.

Bobby Okereke, LB, New York Giants

The New York Giants invested heavily in transforming their roster for this season, bringing in multiple new faces for the offense while adding to the defense. But, Okereke remains the leader on defense and put together a dominant game in Week 1 that supports that notion.

Making 16 total tackles (nine assisted, seven solo), Okereke was all over the field and proved why he is one of the best linebackers in the NFL. The Giants defense is expected to be good this year and if Okereke is healthy all season and continues to dominate like he has in years past, the Giants could reach new heights.