Philadelphia Eagles rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean took social media by storm on Sunday as he flattened Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry in a textbook tackle.

In a dump-off pass, Henry — at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds — faced the 6-foot and 200-pound DeJean alone in open field. But where many might have expected DeJean squashed and many yards gained after the catch, DeJean lowered his shoulder into Henry’s bottom half, picked him up, and planted him into the ground to force fourth down.

Cooper DeJean: 6′0″, 198 lbs
Derrick Henry: 6′3″, 247 lbs

WHAT A STOP FROM THE ROOKIEpic.twitter.com/TcT9BclswW

— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) December 2, 2024

DeJean’s five solo tackles and one deflected pass contributed to the Eagles’ 24-19 win over the Ravens in what could be a Super Bowl preview.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell grasped another week as the leading tackler among former Hawkeyes after his 10-tackle performance in the 26-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

He logged two tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hit along with the six solo tackles and four assisted tackles on the day.

Meanwhile, in the same game, fellow former Hawkeye and current Bucs linebacker Anthony Nelson logged five solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and three quarterback hits in the win — one of his, if not the, best performances from him thus far this season.

The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a 44-38 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers despite safety Geno Stone’s seven-tackle effort — four solo and three assisted. Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker matched Stone’s statline along with one deflected pass in the 42-19 blowout loss to the Washington Commanders.

The Detroit Lions’ 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears featured linebacker Jack Campbell’s three solo tackles and one quarterback hit. But the Bears’ loss featured consistently solid play from punter Tory Taylor — four punts for 223 yards and a long of 58 in the game. 

Defensive end Chauncey Golsten furnished two assisted tackles, one deflected pass, and one quarterback hit as his Dallas Cowboys tamed the New York Giants in a 27-20 victory.

Sub-par receiving …

That contest between the Lions and Bears did see Sam LaPorta continue to reverse what was a slower start to his sophomore season. In fact, he caught just three passes for six yards yet two touchdowns. 

Sam LaPorta gets to the end zone for his SECOND TD of the game 😤pic.twitter.com/aqW7qXhBgS

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 28, 2024

Beyond that, though, the Hawkeye tight ends did not quite stand out with their hands this weekend despite some wins.

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson reeled in just three of six targets for 28 yards in the 23-22 clutch win over the Arizona Cardinals, and tight end Noah Fant’s just three catches for 26 yards still aided the Seattle Seahawks’ 26-21 victory over the New York Giants. 

But tight end George Kittle had his least-productive performance of the season thus far, catching one pass for seven yards in a snow-filled San Francisco 49ers loss to the Buffalo Bills in New York. 

… but Supreme Rushing

The Panthers statistically hold the worst run defense in the league, and that was certainly the case this weekend.

With the Bucs’ backfield duo of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White and quarterback Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay combined for for 236 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown — and that was much behind offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and his offensive line. 

The Los Angeles Rams toppled the New Orleans Saints, 21-14, through their rushing game too as offensive tackle Alaric Jackson guided four different players to 156 total rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on an average of 5.4 yards per carry. 

The Ravens’ loss to the Eagles came without a rushing touchdown — an odd occurrence for one of the NFL’s best rushing teams behind the dominant Henry. Despite the lack of scores on the ground, though, five different players went for 166 yards on 32 carries behind center Tyler Linderbaum leading the charge up front. 

But in another week came another sub-100-yard rushing performance from the Jacksonville Jaguars behind guard Brandon Scherff. The lack of ground attack continues to be the Jags’ demise as they took the 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans.

But give Scherff some credit for sticking up for his quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, when Azeez Al-Shaair clocked Lawrence on a scramble in a scary collision. Scherff confronted Al-Shaair and took his own helmet off, unafraid for a fight.