Six teams were on bye in week seven of the NFL season. However, despite less football, several Gators stepped up in big ways for their teams.
Here’s how some former UF players performed in week seven:
TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Through seven weeks of the season, it’s still unclear whether Kyle Pitts’ unique athleticism will ascend him as the focal point of the Falcons’ offense, or if he will continue to battle tight end Jonnu Smith for targets.
Sunday’s game pointed toward the latter. Smith and Pitts almost evenly split targets — the former Gator had four, and Smith had three. However, Pitts made a crucial 39-yard catch late in the fourth quarter to set up the Falcons’ game-winning field goal.
In addition to the game-deciding grab, the former Gator made an exceptional behind-the-back, left-handed catch in the first quarter.
WR Brandon Powell, Minnesota Vikings
It’s been two weeks since All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson went down with a hamstring injury and was put on the injury reserve. Since then, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has turned toward various other wide receivers, and Powell stepped up and played a crucial role in Minnesota’s upset victory against the San Francisco 49ers.
The former Gator receiver made four receptions for 64 yards against the 49ers. Powell made a sliding grab on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter to pick up the first down and preserve the Vikings’ drive. He was Cousins’ fourth-most targeted player Monday night.
DT Gervon Dexter Sr., Chicago Bears
Gervon Dexter hasn’t received as much playing time as one might expect a second-round rookie to log playing for a team in the midst of a rebuild. The rookie appeared in 42% of defensive snaps and recorded one tackle in the Bears’ 30-6 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday.
Dexter received a 72.3 Pro Football Focus rating versus Las Vegas despite a limited snap count, which is his second-highest grade in a game this season. On Friday, he ranked No. 10 in win rate among all NFL defensive rookies, which measures how often a pass-rusher gets past a blocker in less than 2.5 seconds, and No. 10 in pressure rate. Dexter is fifth among rookie defensive tackles in both statistics.
CB Marco Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
The 2023 season has not been kind to Marco Wilson, and Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks wasn’t any sweeter for the former Florida defensive back. Wilson allowed undrafted rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo to haul in a 31-yard reception in the first quarter and struggled in coverage throughout the entirety of the contest.
Cardinals third-round rookie Garrett Williams made his first start at cornerback and could battle Wilson for playing time as cornerback No. 1 as the season progresses.
LB Brenton Cox Jr., Green Bay Packers
Former Gators linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. — who was dismissed from the program his junior season — is still yet to record a tackle through three games played. Cox appeared in just three snaps against the Broncos and received a 74.8 grade by PFF.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @lukeadrag.
Luke Adragna is a third-year journalism student and the Florida Gators football reporter at The Alligator. He is a cat ethusiast and completes the NYT Daily Mini in less than a minute each day.
