Duke in the NFL: Jones sits with neck injury, Dimukeje seizes a sack, Bobo and Gray stay solid

It was an injury-filled Week 6 across the NFL, and this affected some former Blue Devils in the league. The Blue Zone breaks down the performances of these Duke football alumni: 

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

The former Blue Devil captain and signal caller did not see time on the field for the Giants in their Sunday night matchup against the Bills. Jones was ruled out for the primetime game following a neck injury sustained last week against the Dolphins. This is the quarterback’s second experience with a neck injury, after missing six games in the 2021 season with a disk issue. However, Jones and Giants head coach Brian Daboll feel the recent injury will not be a long-term issue. Taking it day by day, expect the Duke grad to be back in action in the coming weeks. 

In Jones’ absence, the Giants turned to backup Tyrod Taylor in their quest for victory against a high-powered Bills squad that was heavily favored. Taylor performed well under the lights, going 24-for-36 with 200 yards, but the offense failed to put significant points on the board. Both in pressure situations, the Giants were stopped in the red zone twice, most notably as time expired and Taylor threw an incomplete pass in the endzone that decided the game. The drives were well executed and Taylor played well, but like the rest of the season, the Giants offense  failed to capitalize. The Bills were not much better, but scored in the second half to escape Orchard Park, N.Y., with a 14-9 victory. 

Jake Bobo, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks wideout Jake Bobo, who played four seasons at Duke before transferring to UCLA, had his most productive game in his rookie campaign. The Seahawks faced the Bengals in Week 6, and Bobo was one of many pass catchers involved in their attack. Early in the second half, Bobo caught a 10-yard pass in the red zone from Geno Smith before storming his way through two Bengal defenders for a 23-yard gain. Smith then threw an interception resulting in no points for the Seahawks. Two drives later, Smith unleashed a 20-yard throw caught by the former Blue Devil at the 12-yard line where he instantly got rocked by Bengal Safety Dax Hill, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Bobo was briefly injured on the play and the Seahawks were unable to score a touchdown following the gain, resulting in their eventual 17-13 loss in Cincinnati. 

Victor Dimukeje, OLB, Arizona Cardinals

In the second quarter, Dimukeje weaved through four defenders before bringing down quarterback Matthew Stafford for the Cardinals’ second sack of the day. Dimukeje now has 3.5 sacks on the season, second on his team. This resulted in a Rams punt that led to the third field goal by Arizona, putting it up 9-6 at the half. The second half was a different story, though, as the Rams scored 20 unanswered points and won 26-9, pushing the Cardinals down to 1-5 on the season. The Rams improved to 3-3 after the strong win.