UConn in the NFL: Week 11

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we ready ourselves for a day full of turkey and football, let’s take a look back at this past week in the NFL for former UConn football players.

We’ve got to start with Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones. He had a big game against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, recording 7 tackles, including one tackle for a loss and deflected pass.

That was enough to push him past the 300 career tackle mark; a particularly impressive stat when you take his senior-year injury into account. As you may recall, Jones missed the second half of the 2014 season after having shoulder surgery and really only salvaged his status as a first-round draft pick after an amazing combine.

The Dallas Cowboys are, of course, Thanksgiving Day staples and they’ll be competing with the Washington Redskins for a spot atop the NFC East. This year’s only other Thanksgiving Day competitor is cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, though it’s unclear whether he’ll play.

Wreh-Wilson has only played in three games for the Atlanta Falcons, most recently taking the field in week 9. As the Falcons ready themselves for the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints, we could catch a glimpse of one of UConn’s finest.

Around the league, Anthony Sherman took part in one of the best games of all time. The two best offenses (excluding the Saints) went head-to-head on Monday Night Football and the game delivered on the hype. Though the Kansas City Chiefs fell short to the Los Angeles Rams, the Chiefs still put up a ridiculous 51 points on offense.

Sherman was reserved to the blocking role this week, receiving zero targets from Patrick Mahomes. Yet it’s looking more likely that the Chiefs are Super Bowl bound each passing week; even in a loss.

Tight End Ryan Griffin failed to receive a target in the Houston Texans’ win over the Washington Redskins. Things have gone south for Griffin in the second half of the year. He missed week 7 and 8 with an undisclosed illness and returned for a one catch performance in week 9.

The Texans were on a bye for week 10, and Griffin received zero targets in week 11. In fact, he hasn’t started a game since week 6, as Jordan Thomas continues to overtake Griffin as the top tight end option.

Finally, Shamar Stephen recorded a tackle in an important win for the Seattle Seahawks. Defeating the Green Bay Packers 27-24, the Seahawks find themselves in the heart of a heated NFC Wild Card chase.

We could have a lot of Huskies in the playoffs come January.