Week five of the NFL season has come and gone. Although there has been some shakiness due to uncertainties with COVID-19, the season has progressed. In this week of action, several former Blue Devils highlighted their skills and packed up the stat sheet.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
The start of the 2020 NFL season has certainly been tough for the New York Giants, as they have started off 0-5, as well as losing a star player in running back Saquon Barkley. Despite all that, Jones and the Giants showed great fight against a high-powered Dallas Cowboys team. Although the former Duke quarterback did not throw any touchdowns, he led the Giants to their best scoring game of the season, putting up 34 points. Midway through the fourth quarter, Jones led an important drive down the field to give the Giants the lead, as well as completing a crucial two-point conversion to put them up by three. Despite the loss, this game came as a positive for a team that has struggled for points all season.
Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets
In all three games he has played this year, wide receiver Jamison Crowder has had at least 100 yards and seven receptions. For a Jets team that has also started 0-5, his emergence as a receiver who can carry a heavy workload has been a huge bright spot. This week against the Cardinals, Crowder scored the Jets’ lone touchdown on an 11-yard reception. In this play, he made two men miss and dove for the goal line, just able to get the ball into the end zone. As the Jets look to turn their season around, Crowder should remain a huge part of their passing offense.
Matt Skura, C, Baltimore Ravens
For the center of the Baltimore Ravens, it was a very productive week. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was only sacked one time for a loss of nine yards, which was well below their average of 2.4 sacks per game. The team was able to score 27 points against the Cincinnati Bengals, giving them their fourth win of the season. Skura and the offensive line blocked well enough for the Ravens to score on four of their drives, as well as opening lanes enough for 161 rushing yards. This is a Ravens team that was even more impressive offensively last year, so look for them to push to get back to that level.
Laken Tomlinson, OG, San Francisco 49ers
In what has been an injury-ridden start to 2020 for the 49ers, they have seen many ups and downs. Coming off an NFC championship, the expectation was that the team would continue to roll through opponents. However, they are now 2-3 and lacking the flare from the previous season. One of the few consistent bright spots is coming from their run game, which has been more than impressive given the injury circumstances. No matter the back, the offensive line has been able to push through defenses and create the space for big runs. One of these impressive runs came early in the second quarter, where Raheem Mostert went untouched on a 37-yard carry after a great lead block by Tomlinson.
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