Top Dawgs in the NFL (Week 9)
UGASports continues its series highlighting the top NFL performances by former Georgia players for the week, entering the Monday night game(s). With our most outstanding performer for the week—or the Top Dawg—revealed towards the end, we spotlight the top NFL performances by Bulldogs from October 30 through November 2 and preview those participating in tonight’s Monday night game.
Malaki Starks
Starks had the best game of his young pro career in Thursday night’s 28-6 win by the Baltimore Ravens over the Miami Dolphins. Playing all 64 snaps from his safety position, he totaled five tackles, all solo, and made an acrobatic interception midway through the final quarter, which essentially clinched the win. For the game, Starks had a lofty 91.2 PFF grade and allowed just one reception for five yards (2.8 passer rating). The interception was the first of Starks’ NFL career and occurred in the same stadium, Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, in which he intercepted his fifth of six career picks in college (vs. Florida State in the 2023 Orange Bowl).
Jalon Walker
Speaking of a rookie defender with his best pro game occurring over the weekend, Walker was one of the defensive standouts in the Atlanta Falcons’ 24-23 setback to the New England Patriots. Making his second career start at defensive end after missing two games with a groin injury, he played 44 of 68 snaps, making five tackles, four of which were solo, two sacks—his second and third sacks of the season—and broke up a pass. Walker’s first sack resulted in a forced fumble and ultimately a touchdown for Atlanta just prior to halftime. In three seasons at Georgia, Walker totaled 12.5 sacks, including a team-high five in 2023 and a team-tying high of 6.5 last season.
Matthew Stafford
In the Los Angeles Rams’ 34-10 win over the New Orleans Saints, Stafford continued his MVP-like season with his highest-rated passing game (140.8) since Week 11 of last year. The 17th-year veteran completed 24 of 32 passes for 281 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, as the Rams improved to 6-2 on the season. The 37-year-old quarterback, who is having the best season of his career passer-rating wise (113.2), currently leads the league with 21 passing touchdowns. According to BetMGM, Stafford presently has the fourth-best odds to be named MVP of the league this season at +500.
The TOP DAWG: Brock Bowers
Despite it resulting in a 30-29 overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, there’s little doubt that Bowers’ performance yesterday was tops among all Georgia players-turned-pros. Returning for the Las Vegas Raiders after missing three games with a knee injury, the second-year tight end made 12 receptions—his most since Week 11 of last season—for 127 yards—his most since Week 13 of last season—and three touchdowns, Bowers’ first three touchdowns this season. He also carried the ball once for a 6-yard gain. Last year, when he had one of the top receiving seasons ever by an NFL rookie, Bowers made five touchdown receptions the entire campaign, and never more than one in a game. According to ESPN, his 43.3 PPR Fantasy Points yesterday are the most from any player this season, and the most from a tight end since 2020.
Other notable performances by former Georgia players over the weekend include from tight end Darnell Washington, who was Pittsburgh’s second-leading receiver with a career-high four catches for 43 yards, in the Steelers’ 27-20 upset win over the Indianapolis Colts. After being targeted just once with zero catches through the first three games of the season, Washington has been targeted 19 times with 13 catches in the last five games.
In Houston’s 18-15 last-second loss to Denver, cornerback Kamari Lassiter led the Texans with nine tackles and had a game-high two passes defended. Through eight games this season, Lassiter leads Houston with 54 total tackles and is second on the team with seven passes defended.
Finally, we certainly won’t forget about Buffalo’s James Cook, who, although kept out of the end zone, kept on cooking in the Bills’ 28-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Cook rushed 27 times for 114 yards. (Buffalo is 6-0 when Cook rushes for 100+ yards; 0-2 when he rushes foe less than 100.). He also made a late-game 11-yard reception for a critical first down while staying in bounds, forcing Kansas City to call a timeout. For the season, Cook has rushed for 867 yards, the second-most in the league, while making 13 receptions for 100 yards.
Monday Night Football
Starting at 8:15 pm ET tonight, the lone Monday night game features the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals at the 3-4-1 Dallas Cowboys, with the home Cowboys a 3.5-point favorite. Arizona has no former Georgia players on its active roster, while Dallas has one: standout wide receiver George Pickens, who entered the week ranked third in the league in both receiving yards (685) and receiving touchdowns (6).
BYE teams this week: Browns, Eagles, Jets, and Buccaneers