Michigan State Spartans in the NFL: Week 3 edition

By Connor Muldowney | Sep 29, 2015

Every week, we get to see products of Mark Dantonio’s tenure at the professional level. This week’s edition of Michigan State Spartans in the NFL is much more action-packed than it has been in the past seeing as some players have finally been given a shot, while others may have been quiet in week three.

More from Spartans Football

Let’s start it off with the first game that took place last week, the New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins battle. Kirk Cousins got the Thursday night start for the Redskins, finishing the game 30-for-49 with 316 yards, a touchdown and two picks in a loss.

Cousins’ teammate, Trenton Robinson, had a solid game of his own, finishing near the top of the team with seven total tackles. He’s putting together a pretty solid season — quietly.

A former receiving target of Cousins, Keshawn Martin played in his first game since getting traded from the Houston Texans to the Patriots. Martin caught three passes for 33 yards and a touchdown, already showing he can be productive as more than just a return man.

Must Read: MSU Football: 5 takeaways from win over Central Michigan

Martin’s former teammates, Keith Mumphery and Brian Hoyer didn’t record any stats for the Texans this week. Hoyer is still backing up Ryan Mallett while Mumphery wasn’t targeted at all.

Four more guys that didn’t record any stats this week were Tony Lippett and Dion Sims of the Dolphins, who were both inactive, Darqueze Dennard of the Bengals and Jeremy Langford of the Bears. Langford scored his first NFL touchdown last week.

Dennard’s Bengals’ teammate Domata Peko, did have a productive day at defensive tackle, however. He recorded three total tackles and also batted down a ball for a pass deflection.

Aug 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes (26) on the field before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Minnesota won 28-14. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Trae Waynes has received criticism from basically anyone with a pulse who has watched the Vikings this preseason, but he shocked the world — and nearly broke Twitter — when he came in for the injured Xavier Rhodes on Sunday and helped secure a win over the Chargers.

Waynes played great in coverage and looked like an entirely new player, recording five total tackles and nearly picking a ball off, but it resulted in a pass deflection in the fourth quarter.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have developed William Gholston tremendously in the past couple of years after he looked like a bust right out of college. The former Spartan defensive end had another quality game for the Bucs, recording four total tackles, two for loss and two quarterback hurries.

Tight end Garrett Celek led the 49ers in receiving on a Sunday to forget for quarterback Colin Kaepernick, snagging three passes for 29 yards.

Peyton Manning has finally found a receiver he can trust to be the No. 3 guy in former MSU wide out Bennie Fowler. In his first action of the year, production-wise, Fowler’s Broncos defeated the hometown Lions, 24-12, behind a number of receptions of his. He caught four Peyton Passes for 50 yards and was third on the team in receiving.

Last, but certainly not least, Steelers‘ star running back Le’Veon Bell played in his first game of the season after sitting out the first two with a suspension. He finished with 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries as well as seven catches for 70 yards. He may need to be relied on more heavily in the coming weeks with Ben Roethlisberger out.

Check back next week for another edition of Spartans in the NFL.

Next: Josh Jackson Rumors: 5-star SG trending toward Michigan State?

More from Spartan Avenue

Home/Spartans Football