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#StanfordNFL Week 1: Rare Company

by gostanford.com
Sep 15, 2020

Highlights

McCaffrey Hits Another Milestone

Christian McCaffrey rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, marking his seventh career game with at least two rushing touchdowns and his 13th career multi-TD game. McCaffrey's seven games with at least two rushing touchdowns are tied for third-most among all players since he entered the league in 2017. McCaffrey joined Chuck Foreman (37 rushing, 18 receiving) as the only players with 25-plus rushing touchdowns and 15-plus receiving scores in their first 50 career games.

Ertz Dangerous In The Red Zone

Zach Ertz caught a touchdown on the opening drive, finishing with three catches for 18 yards on seven targets in the Eagles' 27-17 loss at Washington. Ertz now has 21 red zone touchdowns since 2017, second in the NFL behind only Devante Adams (24).

Four Cardinal Named Captains

Four Stanford Men are representing their NFL teams as captains during the 2020 season: Blake Martinez (New York Giants), Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers), Richard Sherman (San Francisco 49ers) and Michael Thomas (Houston Texans). 

Trent Murphy Takedown

Trent Murphy started in the Bills' 27-17 win over the New York Jets, with a Pro Football Focus grade of 88.9, fourth-highest among 129 NFL edge defenders. He totaled two tackles, one sack and two hurries on 25 defensive snaps. Over his last seven games, Murphy has seven sacks and two forced fumbles.

Michael Thomas Leading The Way

Michael Thomas played 16 special teams snaps in the Texans' loss at KC, but his off-the-field contributions made the biggest impact in week one.

Four Cardinal Start For New York Giants

The New York Giants are one of three franchises, joining the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans, with four Cardinal on the roster. In its season-opener on Monday Night Football, all four Cardinal alumni on the Giants roster started against the PIttsburgh Steelers. Blake Martinez led the defensive efforts from the linebacker position, while Cameron Fleming (right tackle), Kaden Smith (wide receiver) and Levine Toilolo (tight end) all started on offense. 

Quick Hitters

  • Henry Anderson made three tackles and added three hurries in a 27-17 loss at Buffalo.
  • J.J. Arcega-Whiteside played on 28 offensive snaps in the Eagles' 27-17 loss at Washington.
  • Jake Bailey punted three times, landing all three inside the 20, with a net of 40.7. He also kicked off four times with four touchbacks in the Patriots' 21-11 win over the Dolphins.
  • David DeCastro was inactive for the Steelers in their win on Monday night over the New York Giants.
  • Cameron Fleming started at right tackle in his first game with the Giants, playing all 68 offensive snaps in the 26-16 loss to Pittsburgh.
  • Nate Herbig made his first career start (right guard) playing all 68 offensive snaps in the Eagles' loss at Washington.
  • Austin Hooper was targeted just twice in the Browns' loss at Baltimore, totaling two catches for 16 yards and a tackle.
  • Peter Kalambayi played 16 special teams snaps in the Texans' loss on Thursday night to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
  • Bryce Love was inactive in Washington's 27-17 win over Philadelphia.
  • Blake Martinez, the NFL's second-leading tackler over the last three seasons, picked up right where he left off despite being with a new team. In his debut with the New York Giants, Martinez led New York with 12 tackles (eight solo), including one tackle for loss, and a team-leading Pro Football Focus grade of 83.9, in a 26-16 loss to Pittsburgh.
  • Ty Montgomery played four offensive snaps and 23 special teams snaps, recovering a key onside kick to secure a 34-23 season-opening win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
  • Bobby Okereke totaled one tackle on 19 defensive snaps in the Colts' loss at Jacksonville.
  • Andrus Peat started at left guard, playing all 68 offensive snaps in the Saints' 34-23 win over the Bucs.
  • Harrison Phillips returned from last season's injury to make two tackles with two hurries and one QB hit in the Bills' win over the Jets.
  • Jordan Richards was elevated to the active roster prior to Sunday's game, playing on 17 special teams snaps in the Ravens' 38-6 win over Cleveland.
  • Justin Reid played on 100% of defensive snaps, making five tackles with one pass defended in the Texans' Thursday night loss at KC.
  • Brennan Scarlett made two tackles for Houston on Thursday night, playing 41 total snaps (26 defensive, 15 special teams).
  • Dalton Schultz was targeted four times, making one catch for 11 yards in the Cowboys Sunday night loss at SoFi Stadium against the Rams.
  • Richard Sherman began his 10th season on Sunday, starting at cornerback and made four tackles (all solo) for the 49ers in their loss to the Cardinals. Sherman, who switched between left cornerback and right cornerback throughout the game, allowed just one catch for nine yards on two total targets in 53 snaps in pass coverage.
  • Kaden Smith started for the Giants, making two catches for 17 yards in New York's Monday night loss to Pittsburgh.
  • Solomon Thomas started for the 49ers, playing 40 defensive snaps in the 24-20 loss to Arizona.
  • Levine Toilolo started and made one catch for 13 yards in his team debut, a 26-16 loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football.
  • Casey Toohill was inactive in Sunday's loss to Washington.
  • James Vaughters made two tackles and one for loss in the Bears' come-from-behind victory at Detroit.

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