NFL football is officially back. There are 27 former Hawkeyes rostered on NFL teams, including four rookies. Of those four rookies, Chicago Bears punter Tory Taylor was the only one who really made his presence known.
The former All-American and Ray Guy Award winner amassed six punts for 270 total yards, including a long of 60 yards and three punts landing inside the 20 yard line, in the 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Although not a rookie, safety Amani Hooker of the Titans led his team with five solo tackles and one assisted tackle in the loss.
Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean appeared on special teams but didn’t get any defensive reps in the 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Hawking down on defense
Among the former Iowa defensive stars is Riley Moss of the Denver Broncos. The cornerback anchored the Denver defense with eight solo tackles and four assisted tackles, while Broncos linebacker Kristian Welch provided one solo tackle and two assisted tackles, in the 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
On the flip side, Seahawks tight end Noah Fant caught two passes for 11 yards.
The New Orleans Saints dominated the Carolina Panthers, 47-10, though linebacker Josey Jewell had a solid individual performance with three solo tackles and four assisted tackles.
And Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone logged three solo tackles in the 16-10 upset loss to the New England Patriots.
On the quieter side, defensive end Chauncey Golston notched one assisted tackle in the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-17 defense-driven win over the Cleveland Browns. Buffalo Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa logged the same statline in the 34-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Primetime Hawks
Another former Hawkeye to lose the first game is defensive end Lukas Van Ness of the Green Bay Packers, more notably the first game played in Brazil in a rare Friday night game.
Van Ness logged two solo tackles in the 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
After Carrie Underwood’s iconic Sunday Night Football intro, a pair of former Hawkeyes — linebacker Jack Campbell and tight end Sam LaPorta — contributed to the Detroit Lions’ 26-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams.
LaPorta didn’t perform as expected due to a lack of targets but still had a solid outing, reeling in four catches for 80 yards. As for Campbell, he furnished two solo tackles and five assisted tackles.
Another standout tight end, George Kittle, caught four passes for 40 yards in the San Francisco 49ers’ 32-19 win over the New York Jets on Monday.
Hawks on the Line
Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum finished the 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a 99.0 pass-block rate, playing 51 pass-blocking snaps and allowing just one pressure with no sacks. He was also a huge part of the Ravens’ 185 rushing yards.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran for a sub-par 112 yards on 30 rushing attempts, but offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs — who signed a five-year, $140.63 million deal, making him one of the highest-paid tackles in the league — didn’t let up a single sack in the 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders.
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ insufficient receiving game was the primary reason for its 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Guard Brandon Scherff earned a pass block grade of 72.4 but a run block grade of 47 — almost a non-factor in the run game for Jacksonville.
Pittsburgh Steelers guard James Daniels allowed one pressure and was accused of letting up a sack but wasn’t credited for it in the 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.