Pro Bears Week 10: Marvin Jones Jr is Balling Out
In another week of NFL football, several former Golden Bears had big impacts for their teams. The biggest performances came from wide-receiver Marvin Jones Jr, who scored his 4th touchdown in three games; quarterback Aaron Rodgers who secured the win with two touchdowns; and wide-receiver Keenan Allen who caught his third straight touchdown in consecutive games.
Aaron Rodgers had a solid outing against the Jaguars in a 24-20 victory. On the day, he completed 24 out of 34 passes for two touchdowns, 325 yards, and one interception. He also added four yards and a score on the ground. His highlight of the day was a 78-yard dime for the TD to Scantling, Rodgers’ longest score of the season.
In 2020, Rodgers has looked like a frontrunner for the MVP race, and it’s based on his elite level of production and lack of errors. Through nine games, the 36 year-old has thrown for 26 touchdowns and three interceptions, along with 2,578 yards on a 67.8 Cmp%. Rodgers has aged like fine wine, and is projected to have one of the best seasons of his career.
Marvin Jones Jr has been terrific as the number one wide-receiver for the Lions over the past three games, getting his fourth touchdown over that span along with eight receptions for 96 yards in the 30-27 win over Washington. His highlight of the day was easily his 27-yard touchdown where he leapt up in the corner of the endzone to haul in the pass and then stick his toes as he fell out-of-bounds. The technically gifted player showed yet again that he’s still got it in a contract year.
Jared Goff came out with a much-needed 23-16 win in a divisional matchup against the Seahawks. On the day, he completed 27 of 37 passes for no touchdowns nor interceptions and 302 yards. It wasn’t a very exciting performance for the 5th year pro, but he helped move his team to 6-3.
Goff has shown to be solid enough to get the Rams wins this season, with thirteen touchdowns and six interceptions through nine games. His defense has helped him a lot though, allowing just 152 points on the season, second-lowest in the league. We’ll see how his season continues to unfold next week against the talented Buccaneers.
Keenan Allen struggled in a slow pace contest Week 10 versus the Miami Dolphins. Allen was able to salvage his day with a late touchdown, marking his third straight game with one, but finished the game with just three catches for 39 yards on seven targets. Allen has been Justin Herbert's favorite option and should be able to get back on track versus the New York Jets in a tasty matchup in Week 11.
Tyson Alualu had himself a day with three tackles in the Steelers’ 36-10 stomping over Cincinnati. Coming back from a knee injury that held him out the week before, Alualu returned to the undefeated Steelers’ defensive front, making an impact off the bench. In a contract year, Alualu has made his case known with 19 tackles and a sack in seven games played. Given that he’s playing on the best defensive line in the NFL, his production might be limited by the playing time and consistency of others. Still, he’s got the second-highest grade on that unit per Pro Football Focus.
Devante Downs continued to make his presence known this season with a career-high-tying five tackles in the 27-17 victory over the Eagles. Downs has become a regular fixture at ILB for the Giants this year, starting six of ten games and making 25 tackles after garnering just five in the three seasons prior. His lone fumble recovery and pass deflection this year are career-firsts.
Richard Rodgers caught four of his five targets for 60 yards in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Giants. After going without a target in his previous outing, Rodgers bounced back to lead the team in receiving yardage. The 28-year-old now has at least 60 yards in two of his last three games. His time in the limelight may not last long however, as Zach Ertz could be back as soon as Week 11.
Patrick Laird finally made an impact on the ground with two rushes for 19 yards in Miami’s 29-21 victory over the Chargers. Laird has been featured rarely this season, with just one rushing attempt and three receptions before Sunday. When given playing time however, he’s been efficient, averaging 6 yards per carry and 7 yards per catch. He’ll look to do more next week when the Dolphins play the Broncos on Nov 22.
Cameron Jordan produced three tackles while playing 86 percent of the snaps on defense in last week's win over the 49ers, but he's dealing with a back injury to start Week 11. The 2011 first-round pick has never missed a game in his NFL career, so if he's able to practice by the end of the week, he should have a good chance to play Sunday against the Falcons.
Other Cal Bears that took the field:
- Stephen Anderson, TE, Los Angeles Chargers, 8th Season
- Played in 22 snaps off the bench (1 offensive, 21 special teams) but did not have any stats other than participation
- Bryan Anger, P, Houston Texans, 10th Season
- 3 punts, 168 yards, season-high 56.0 average, season-high 45.7 net average, 1 touchback, 64 long
- Jordan Kunaszyk, LB, Washington Football Team, 2nd Season
- 16 special teams snaps in season debut … no stats other than participation
- Patrick Mekari, G, Baltimore Ravens, 2nd Season
- Played in all 66 offensive snaps … no stats other than participation
- Nick Sundberg, LS, Washington Football Team, 11th Season
- 8 snaps (8 special teams) … no stats other than participation
Other Stories:
Pro Bears Week 9: Rodgers Leads the NFL in Passer Rating
Keenan Allen is Still Really Good