Washington Huskies Alumni in the NFL: NFC – October 2021
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Week 2: The Falcons lost to Tampa Bay 48-25. Kaleb McGary‘s job at right tackle is to be sure quarterback Matt Ryan is protected and getting the running game going. Atlanta only had 55 yards on the ground.
Week 3: Atlanta beat the G-Men in New York, 17-14. The pass protection was better; Ryan threw for 243 yards two touchdowns without an interception. He completed 27 of 36 passes for 243 yards. Again the Falcons had to depend on the pass, as they ran only for 69 yards.
Week 4: The Falcons lost a back and forth game to Washington 34-30. Again Kaleb McGary started at tackle, and, again, the running game was not something to write with 99 total yards. Ryan threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns.
Week 5: Call them Hotlanta because the Falcons won their second game of the season, this time over the New York Jets 27-20. As 2021 continues, the Falcons’ offensive line has steadily improved, including McGary. Ryan was not sacked and didn’t get picked off as he threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
Carolina Panthers
Week 2: The Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints 26-7. Shaq Thompson had four tackles in the game. Keith Taylor only got in a few plays at cornerback but had a tackle on special teams.
Week 3: Three in a row for Carolina after beating the Houston Texans 24-9. Thompson had six tackles, while Taylor again played primarily on special teams.
Week 4: Carolina lost their first game of the season against Dallas, 36-28. They also lost Thompson to a late foot injury. He had five tackles before leaving the game. Taylor did get in on ten defensive snaps this week while also playing more on special teams.
Week 5: Thompson was a no-go in Carolina’s 21-18 loss to Philadelphia. Taylor saw his most playing time this season, participating on 70 percent of defensive plays, though he didn’t start. The rookie defensive back had four tackles.
New Orlean Saints
Week 2: Dwayne Washington had a tackle on special teams, while recently acquired Desmond Trufant played more in his second game with the Saints. He picked up a pair of tackles.
Week 3: The Saints beat New England 28-13. Washington only played on special teams. Trufant was inactive.
Week 4: New Orleans lost to the previously winless Giants 27-21. Washington played in the backfield for the first time this year. He finished with one carry for five yards and a reception for six. On the other side, Trufant fell out of favor with the organization and was inactive again.
Week 5: Dwayne Washington was in on a pair of offensive plays but didn’t touch the ball during a 33-22 win over Washington. Desmond Trufant remained on the inactive list. On Tuesday, October 12, he was released by New Orleans.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 2: Vita Vea had three tackles in the Bucs win over Atlanta; however, a deflection he made turned into an interception by Shaq Barrett. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had two tackles in the game. Jaydon Mickens had a kickoff return for 24 yards but no punts or catches in the game.
Week 3: In Tampa’s loss to the Rams, Vita Vea had a couple of tackles, but the Bucs’ entire D-Line struggled. Tryon-Shoyinka also made two tackles in this game. Mickens sat out with an abdominal injury.
Week 4: It was a breakthrough week for Tryon-Shoyinka in the “Brady Bowl” against New England. Joe sacked Patriots quarterback Mac Jones a couple of times. The Pats quarterback won’t forget about the Washington Huskies pass rusher for some time. Mickens was back this week. He returned a kickoff for 13 yards and picked up 12 more on a pair of punt returns. For his part, Vea missed the stat sheet.
Week 5: Tryon-Shoyinka didn’t play as much in the Bucs win over Miami Dolphins, coming off an injury. Vea had another good game though his play doesn’t show up in the stats sheet often. He was only credited one tackle though he helped hold the Dolphins’ run game to 39 yards. Mickens played 18 offensive snaps with no ball thrown his way and fair caught a punt.
Gene Deckerhoff calls Shaq Barrett and Vita Vea absolutely demolishing Jacoby Brissett #GoBucs #MIAvsTB pic.twitter.com/HeIyMO8jEL
— Bucs Rays Bolts (@BucsRaysBoltsYT) October 10, 2021