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Hawkeyes in the NFL: Week 11 Top Performers

On3 imageby: Kyle Huesmann8 hours agoHuesmannKyle
George Kittle had a huge game for the 49ers on Sunday. (Photo by Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images)
George Kittle had a huge game for the 49ers on Sunday. (Photo by Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images)

Week 11 of the NFL season is nearly complete, with Monday Night Football still to come, but Dallas and Las Vegas are two of 12 teams without an Iowa player. This past week, 27 former Hawkeyes were on active rosters, while 13 players are listed atop the depth chart at their position. With the season starting to hit the home stretch, it’s worth noting that 21 players (active and practice squad) are on teams that currently hold a playoff position. With that in mind, we take a look at the top five performances from the weekend.

1. San Francisco TE George Kittle

This could go down as the top performance of the season by a former Hawkeye. It would take a third touchdown, multiple sacks or multiple interceptions to knock it off of the top spot. In the 49ers 41-22 win over Arizona on Sunday, George Kittle caught six passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. It’s his eighth career multi-touchdown game and his first since week six of last season.

On the season, in six games, Kittle has caught 27 passes for 251 yards, 16 first downs and five touchdowns. Although he missed five games due to injury, George is still on track for 54 receptions, 502 yards and ten touchdowns.

2. New York Giants RB Tyrone Tracy

Oh yeah, yeah, he transferred and didn’t finish his career at Iowa. What happened to once a Hawkeye always a Hawkeye? Although the Giants fell to the Packers on Sunday afternoon, the former Iowa wide receiver Tyrone Tracy had a productive game. He rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries (4.6 ypc) and caught four passes for 51 yards. His combined 139 scrimmage yards are the second-most for a single-game in his career. On the season, Tracy has rushed for 336 yards and one touchdown on 88 carries (4.0 ypc), while he has caught 18 passes for 138 yards (7.7 ypr).

3. Chicago P Tory Taylor

It’s been a while since we’ve highlighted Tory Taylor in this weekly article. It’s mostly because the Chicago Bears are 7-3 and have gone from averaging 4.8 punts per game to 3.5 punts per game this season. In the Bears 19-17 win over the Vikings on Sunday, Taylor punted six times for 286 yards (47.7 AVG), including two punts inside the 20-yard line. Early in the second quarter, Tory nearly flipped the field with a 45-yard punt to pin Minnesota at the 12-yard line, but a kick/catch interference call gave the Vikings breathing room. On the season, Taylor has punted 35 times for 1,683 yards (48.1 AVG), including 11 punts inside the 20-yard line.

4. Philadelphia CB Cooper DeJean

An interception in the Super Bowl and an interception on Sunday Night Football. Pretty good way to get your first two career interceptions. Of course we’re talking about former Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean. In Sunday night’s win over Detroit, DeJean tallied three tackles, two passes defended and intercepted a deflected pass that led to an Eagles field goal. In coverage, Cooper allowed just three catches on eight targets for 31 yards (3.88 ypt). On the season, DeJean has totaled 60 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and eight passes defended. In coverage, he has allowed 30 catches on 48 targets (62.5%) for 278 yards (5.79 ypt).

5. Tampa Bay OT Tristan Wirfs

The Buccaneers didn’t get it done on Sunday afternoon, falling to Buffalo 44-22, but offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs had a solid performance. He played 71 snaps in the loss, allowing two pressures on 35 passing snaps. His 79.6 game grade by Pro Football Focus ranked 9th-best amongst all offensive lineman for the week, while his 81.2 run blocking grade ranked 7th-best. Tampa Bay rushed for 202 yards on 39 carries (5.2 ypc) in the loss. On the season, Wirfs ranks 8th in the NFL with an 83.5 overall grade, while his 81.5 run blocking ranks 16th-best. He has allowed just 16 pressures on 268 pass blocking snaps and his 80.5 pass blocking grade ranks 12th-best.

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