It was practically alumni weekend in East Rutherford, N.J., this past weekend, with Daniel Jones and the New York Giants taking on Jamison Crowder and the New York Jets. The Blue Zone fills you in on an action-packed week 10 for Duke in the NFL:
Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets
Jamison Crowder reappeared in the spotlight this week as the Jets faced off against the locker room neighboring Giants. Crowder and second-year quarterback Sam Darnold pulled out the win and reestablished the strong connection they started developing earlier in the season, utilizing a weak Giants secondary to connect five times for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Jets have lacked a solid first wide receiver over the past few seasons, but they seemed to have found one in Crowder, with the former Blue Devil now up to 486 yards on the year. With seven games still to play, Crowder is on pace to set a new career high in receiving yards. It will be interesting to see how Darnold’s play will affect the 2015 fourth-round pick’s output for the remainder of the campaign.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
Daniel Jones and the Giants marched into their own stadium for an away game this week, managing to leave with a road loss. Jones gave it his all, though, and shouldn't be blamed for the defeat. The numbers didn’t lie for the No. 6 overall pick—the Charlotte native completed 26-of-40 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns, picking up 20 yards on the ground as well.
With star running back Saquon Barkley sidelined for part of the game, the ball ended up in Jones’ hands for the majority of the contest. The offensive line was no help for his impressive performance, as Jones was under heavy pressure for most of the game and was sacked six times. It was a tough rivalry game to lose, in the midst of a pretty brutal season for the Giants.
Ross Cockrell, CB, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers fell to the Packers 24-16 this week at Lambeau Field. It was in no way a perfect game for the Carolina defense, but it managed to limit a red hot Aaron Rodgers for one half. Cockrell did his part, not allowing any big plays and making key tackles throughout the contest. But the Panthers defensive unit as a whole could not keep up with Rodgers and star running back Aaron Jones once they got going. Next week, Carolina will host a 2-7 Atlanta Falcons team coming off a big upset win in New Orleans.
Matt Skura, C, Baltimore Ravens
Matt Skura and the Ravens offensive line continued its dominance this week. The entire offense has been on point this entire year. The team leads the NFL in rushing yards, which isn’t much of a surprise with Lamar Jackson at quarterback and Mark Ingram II at running back. Baltimore beat down on the Bengals this week 49-13, with the Ravens backfield combining for 136 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson adding 223 yards and three touchdowns through the air. The team also allowed only one sack during the entire contest. No matter who the Ravens put in their backfield, it is clear that the offensive line will be able to dictate some positive yardage.
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