Multiple Gators in the NFL made contact this past weekend. Among the 40 former Gators in the NFL, the crew totaled 38 tackles and seven receptions. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper led the pack with four receptions for 33 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown grab. Cooper’s longest reception of the night was for 14 yards. Sunday’s second quarter touchdown was Cooper’s first of the season. Cooper’s catch redeemed a critical drop he made in the end zone during the Eagles’ 26-21 fourth quarter loss to San Francisco on Sept. 28 that would have put the Eagles ahead
"There was no excuses, I dropped the ball," Cooper told CSNPhilly.com. "It was a perfect throw, right on the money, couldn’t have been a better throw from Nick (Foles) and that’s definitely a ball that needs to be caught 10 out of 10 times."
Cooper admitted catching that fourth quarter pass would have changed the outcome of the game. This weekend, Cooper’s performance changed the outcome of the game for the better for the Eagles.
The Eagles defeated the St. Louis Rams 34-28 on Sunday in Philadelphia. Fellow Eagles and former Gators tight end Trey Burton was active for the game while defensive back Jaylen Watkins was inactive.
Closer to Gainesville, Louis Murphy had three receptions for 35 yards and a 20-yard touchdown catch on Sunday for Tampa Bay. The wide receiver’s efforts were not enough to secure the win for the Bucs, as they were defeated by the New Orleans Saints in overtime 37-31.
Former Gators cornerback Major Wright notched four tackles and one pass deflection while wide receiver Solomon Patton returned three tackles and one pass deflection.
One of the Swamp’s most recent exports — New England Patriots defensive end Dominique Easley — made his first professional start on Sunday. He recorded one tackle in New England’s 43-17 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to the Boston Globe, Easley left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury in the first half.
Not so much contact: Four of the 40 former Gators currently in the NFL did not record any stats this past week. The Denver Broncos’ Andre Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts’ Loucheiz Purifoy, Kansas City Chiefs’ Frankie Hammond and St. Louis Rams’ Marcus Roberson made no significant impact on the field for their respective teams.
No Gators contributed to the Denver Broncos’ 41-21 win against the Arizona Cardinals.
Coming up short: Former Gators linebacker Jon Bostic recorded four tackles for the Chicago Bears, but it wasn’t enough. The Carolina Panthers defeated the Bears 31-24 on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Viking defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd recorded two tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits on Thursday. The former Gators efforts were not enough to carry the Vikings to a win. The Green Bay Packers went on to defeat the Vikings 42-10.
Former Gator David Nelson notched one tackle and one reception for nine yards for the New York Jets on Sunday while fellow Florida teammate Jermaine Cunningham remains on injury reserve with a torn Achilles. Cunningham is expected to miss the entire season to recover from his injury. The Jets could not manage a single touchdown or field goal against the San Diego Chargers, who scored 31 points at home.
Jacksonville defensive back Josh Evans recorded two tackles but the Jaguars ended up being defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-9.
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Philadelphia Eagles' Riley Cooper (14) pulls in a touchdown pass against St. Louis Rams' Janoris Jenkins (21) on Sunday.
