Two former Duke players, receiver Jamison Crowder and cornerback Ross Cockrell, matched up against each other this weekend—and Crowder burned Cockrell one-on-one. That and more in a recap of a rough week in the NFL for ex-Blue Devils in New York:
Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington
Crowder continued his resurgence for Washington, going off for 141 yards on seven catches in a 20-10 Thanksgiving win against the New York Giants. The former Blue Devil had combined for just 149 yards in his first six games, but has averaged over 100 yards per game in his last four. His 15-yard touchdown catch broke a 3-3 tie midway through the third quarter and he then tacked on a long 38-yard catch. Crowder has once again emerged as Washington's No. 1 receiver, leading the team with 72 targets—nearly 20 more than anyone else—and 561 yards.
Ross Cockrell, CB, New York Giants
Cockrell had a really rough week against Crowder and Washington. He was flagged for two huge penalties and allowed Washington to score the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth. Lining up against Crowder, he was penalized for pass interference that put Washington in the red zone, allowing it to tie the game at 3 entering the half. He also had another holding penalty that kept the game winning touchdown drive alive on third down and was beat again later on the drive on third down by Crowder. Cockrell looks to rebound next Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.
Thomas Hennessy, LS, New York Jets
Ex-Duke players in New York were cursed this week, with Hennessy missing a key tackle that put the Panthers ahead for good in a 35-27 win against the Jets. Hennessy helped New York punt the ball away down just six points in the fourth quarter with a strong snap, but couldn't bring down returner Kaelin Clay in the open field to stop him from going 60 yards for a score. It gave Carolina a 32-20 lead that it never looked back from.
Vincent Rey, LB, Cincinnati Bengals
After leaving a 20-17 win against the Broncos Nov. 19 early with a hamstring injury, Rey didn't play Sunday against the Browns while still being on the mend. The former undrafted free agent had racked up 56 combined tackles this season, good for third on the team before he went down. Carl Lawson filled in in a 30-16 win against the hapless Cleveland Browns, combining for two tackles and 1.5 sacks.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.