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Penn State NFL Roundup: Pat Freiermuth lights up Monday Night Football

IMG_1698 5 (1)by: David Eckert11/09/21davideckert98

Between Pat Freiermuth’s Monday Night heroics and Mike Gesicki’s one-handed acrobatics, tight ends emerged as the theme of this week’s Penn State football NFL roundup.

Let’s recap week nine in the NFL in full, starting by ranking the top five performances by Nittany Lions this week.

1.) Pat Freiermuth (Played at Penn State 2018-20), TE, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Freiermuth introduced himself to the national Monday Night Football audience with what turned out to be a game-winning performance in a narrow Steelers victory over the Bears.

Freiermuth came down with five receptions for 43 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

His second score was particularly impressive, fighting through tough coverage in the right side of the end zone to come down with the score. He now has four touchdown receptions through his first eight games as a pro.

2.) Micah Parsons (2018-19), LB, Dallas Cowboys 

It was a rough week for the Dallas Cowboys, falling 30-16 to the Denver Broncos at home, but Parsons still came to play.

He racked up 2.5 sacks on the day, doubling his season total, and made 10 total tackles, putting him in double digits for the second consecutive week.

He is the first rookie in Cowboys history with five sacks through the first eight games of a career.

3.) Mike Gesicki (2014-17), TE, Miami Dolphins

Former Penn State TE Mike Gesicki didn’t find the end zone this week with an offense struggling to compensate for the absence of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins did find a way to win, though, with Gesicki accumulating four receptions for 54 yards, including this ridiculous one-handed effort:

4.) Blake Gillikin (2016-19), P, New Orleans Saints

Gillikin proved a bright spot for the Saints in an otherwise difficult loss to the Falcons, punting three times for 122 yards, including one punt downed at the 8-yard line.

5.) Adrian Amos (2011-14), S, Green Bay Packers

Amos helped the Packers defense hold the high-flying Kansas City offense to just 13 points this week, but it wasn’t enough to get the win without Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

Amos played every snap on defense for the eighth game in a row, and finished the game with four tackles.

Let’s roundup the rest of the NFL action:

Jesse James (2012-14), TE, Chicago Bears 

Former Penn State TE Jesse James played 22 snaps and started for the Bears in a loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football but he did not receive a target in the passing game.

Yetur Gross-Matos (2017-19), DE, Carolina Panthers 

Gross-Matos played 44 percent of Carolina’s snaps in a loss to the Patriots — his highest snap total of the season. He finished the game with two solo tackles.

Nick Scott (2014-18), S, Los Angeles Rams

Scott played 10 snaps on defense for the Rams in their loss to the Titans, coming away with one solo tackle.

Chris Godwin (2014-16), WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Godwin and the Bucs had their bye this week.

Amani Oruwariye (2014-18), CB, Detroit Lions

Oruwariye’s Lions were on a bye this week.

Miles Sanders (2016-18), RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Former Penn State RB Miles Sanders remains on the injured reserve.

Odafe Oweh (2018-20), DE, Baltimore Ravens 

Oweh did not register a tackle on 30 defensive snaps in the Ravens’ comeback win over Minnesota.

Austin Johnson (2012-15), DT, New York Giants

Former Penn State defensive lineman Austin Johnson came away with four total tackles in a surprising Giants win over the 5-2 Las Vegas Raiders.

RELATED: Penn State progress report: Offensive players taking developmental steps

Saquon Barkley (2015-17), RB, New York Giants 

Saquon Barkley did not play for a third consecutive week due to an ankle injury.

Carl Nassib (2011-15), DE, Las Vegas Raiders

Nassib tied a season high with three solo tackles and also registered his second tackle for loss of the season in the loss to the Giants.

Juwan Johnson (2015-18), TE, New Orleans Saints

Johnson was a healthy scratch for the Saints in their loss to the Falcons this week.

Robbie Gould (2001-04), K, San Francisco 49ers

Former Penn State kicker Robbie Gould returned from a five-week absence on the injured reserve to connect on two field goals and an extra point for the 49ers in their loss to Arizona.

Allen Robinson II (2011-13), WR, Chicago Bears

Robinson put up a season high 68 receiving yards for the Bears in their loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football. He has not found the end zone since Week Two.

Connor McGovern (2016-18), OL, Dallas Cowboys

McGovern did not see any action in the Cowboys’ loss to Denver this week.

Jason Cabinda (2014-17), FB, Detroit Lions

Cabinda’s Lions were on a bye this week.

DaQuan Jones (2010-13), DT, Carolina Panthers 

Jones played 39 snaps and did not make a tackle in this week’s loss to New England.

Cam Brown (2016-19), LB, New York Giants

Brown did not play on defense, but did contribute on special teams against the Raiders, making a tackle.

Ryan Bates (2015-18),OL, Buffalo Bills

Former Penn State OL Ryan Bates played one snap on offense in a loss to the Jaguars.

Marcus Allen (2014-17), LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Allen continues to contribute exclusively on special teams for the Steelers. He played 23 snaps on ST this week, and has yet to see the field on defense this season.

Kevin Givens (2015-18), DT, San Francisco 49ers 

In his second game back from injury, Givens played roughly a third of the 49ers’ snaps on defense, picking up a pair of tackles.

Donovan Smith (2011-14), OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Smith and the Bucs were on their bye this week.

Dan Chisena (2015-19), WR, Minnesota Vikings 

Former Penn State wideout Dan Chisena played 21 snaps on special teams for the Vikings in their loss to the Ravens.

Troy Apke (2014-17), S, Washington Football Team 

Apke’s Washington Football Team was on its bye this week.

Nick Bowers (2015-19), TE, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers is currently on injured reserve with a neck injury.

Will Fries (2016-20), OL, Indianapolis Colts 

The seventh rounder is still waiting to make his season debut for the Colts.

John Reid (2015-19), CB, Seattle Seahawks 

Reid’s Seahawks were on their bye this week.

Shaka Toney (2016-20), DE, Washington Football Team 

The former Penn State DE and the rest of the Washington Football Team were on their bye this week.