Takeaways: Big Days Again for Blackmon and Patrick
Week 6 of the NFL season saw one Ute return, another move back to a backup role, and watched another seal a comeback victory with an interception.
The Buffalo Bills’ Zack Moss returned to action after missing three weeks, but it’s becoming readily apparent for him to do anything significant, he needs to not have his carries so spaced out. We’ll see if that changes and he slowly gets integrated back into their game plans.
One week after making a miraculous return to live game action, Alex Smith was backing up Kyle Allen, after Allen was cleared to play. Something tells me his comeback is far from over in 2020, though.
Oh and then there’s Julian Blackmon… well, let’s get to that in a moment…
Here are the takeaways for Week 6:
Penisini the Lions’ Run Stopper? Yep
Former Ute John Penisini isn’t going to ever generate a ton of stats, but as Ute fans have seen with so many great defensive tackles, that doesn’t mean he can’t leave his mark on a game. The Lions have been looking for an answer with obvious run or short yardage plays and so far Penisini has provided that answer. As evidenced by the clip below, he’s making a quick adjustment to the size and speed of the NFL game. So much so, that offenses could soon be adjusting their run game when lining up against him.
Rowe shines at safety
The former Ute has always been a dependable NFL corner, but after the Dolphins moved him to safety mid way through 2019, everything clicked. Rowe continued his strong 2020 season on Sunday with nine tackles, two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and only one receiving yard allowed on two targets. Also something to note from the week before, Rowe held All-Pro San Francisco tight end George Kittle to just 44 yards. He’s quickly becoming known as a “tight end stopper.”
Twice as nice for Patrick
Tim Patrick continued his rapid rise on Sunday with another 100 yard game. He hauled in four receptions for 101 yards and a long of 41. The best part about those stats, this week? It was with regular Denver starter Drew Lock, back under center. Patrick now has 20 receptions for 310 yards and two touchdowns on the year, as he’s suddenly emerged as the Broncos’ go-to target.
Blackmon has become a NFL game-changer
The Indianapolis Colts looked like they were headed to a .500 record, as they were down 21-0 just seconds into the second quarter. From that point on, however, their passing attack was shut down. Blackmon didn’t have a huge game statistically, but his interception with 39 seconds left to go in the game, thwarted a Cincinnati Bengals comeback attempt. Not bad for the no. 85 overall pick in the NFL Draft, who many thought the Colts overreached for as he was recovering from a torn ACL.