Maryland is sporting a strong contingency in the NFL these days with around a dozen players on active rosters. TSR will be tracking the success of Terps in the pros this fall.
Here’s a look at their performances in Week 9:
Stefon Diggs (WR - Buffalo Bills)
Diggs kept his stellar season rolling in Week 9, taking advantage of a porous Seattle secondary along the way to help his team come away with a double-digit win over a hot team. Diggs’ quarterback Josh Allen threw for more than 400 yards on Sunday, and 118 of those yards went to Diggs, who added nine receptions to hit totals. Diggs now leads the entire NFL with both 63 receptions and 813 receiving yards this season.
Quinton Jefferson (DT - Buffalo Bills)
Playing against his former team, Jefferson had a quiet day in Week 9. The former Terps defensive tackle played 65% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps in Sunday’s 44-34 win over the Seattle Seahawks, but he did not record any stats.
DJ Moore (WR - Carolina Panthers)
Moore had one of his toughest days as a pro in Week 9’s 33-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The third-year wideout who burst onto the pro scene in his first two seasons is showing some signs of regression in 2020, but some of that could be due to a new head coach, new quarterback, and added offensive weapons. Robby Anderson has certainly cut into Moore’s production this season and seems to be the favorite target of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Curtis Samuel and Christian McCaffery each recently returning from injury have also affected the number of looks Moore is getting. On Sunday, Moore received just three targets and turned them into just two receptions and 18 yards — both are season-lows. He’ll look to bounce back in Week 10, but won’t have an easy matchup as Carolina welcomes Tampa Bay to town.
Jermaine Carter (LB - Carolina Panthers)
Carter doubled his season tackles total in one game on Sunday. He recorded four tackles in Carolina’s two-point loss to the defending Super Bowl champions and he now has eight tackles on the year. The biggest news here is that Carter played a season-high 30 snaps for the Panthers’ defense.
Darnell Savage (S - Green Bay Packers)
Playing through some injuries this season, Savage had a ho-hum day in Week 9, recording just one tackle in Green Bay’s 34-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Anthony McFarland (RB - Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh had a much closer call than it expected against the lowly Dallas Cowboys and, as a result, the Steelers were never able to get their running game going while playing from behind for most of the contest. Starting running back James Conner received just nine carries in the 24-19 Steelers win on Sunday. Benny Snell Jr. and McFarland were next in line with three carries apiece. McFarland did more with his limited work, rushing for 7 yards as opposed to just 1 yard on the ground from Snell. The rookie runner was also Pittsburgh’s most effective back in the passing game, hauling in two receptions for a career-high 15 receiving yards.
Antoine Brooks, Sean Davis, and Derwin Gray are all former Terps that join McFarland on Pittsburgh’s roster. Brooks is a practice squad member in Pittsburgh, while Davis and Grey are active players but did not enter the box score in Week 9.
Yannick Ngakoue (DE - Baltimore Ravens)
Despite playing 66% of the defensive snaps in Sunday’s 24-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Ngakoue did not record any stats and was left out of the box score as a result.
Josh Woods (LB - Chicago Bears)
Woods did not record any stats in Chicago’s 24-17 Week 9 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
J.C. Jackson (CB - New England Patriots)
Jackson now has a league-leading five interceptions this season after recording another in Week 9 against the New York Jets. Jackson’s interception of Joe Flacco helped turn the game around for the Patriots, who won the game on a field goal with time expiring. Jackson also added a tackle to his stats. The third-year cornerback is having an All-Pro type season so far.
Byron Cowart (DT - New England Patriots)
Cowart picked up two tackles in New England’s narrow win over the winless New York Jets. Cowart now has 17 tackles this season, including eight solo tackles.
Ty Johnson (RB - New York Jets)
Johnson continues to carve out his role on special teams for the Jets. He is currently serving as the team’s kickoff returner. However, he did not receive any offensive touches and did not enter the box score in New York’s 30-27 Monday Night Football loss to the New England Patriots.