Longhorns in the NFL: Week 3 — Devin Duvernay takes it all the way

Devin Duvernay, WR — Baltimore Ravens

It wasn’t the best night for the Baltimore Ravens on Monday against the Chiefs, but it was for Devin Duvernay.

Duvernay became the first player to return a kickoff this year while simultaneously scoring his first touchdown of his rookie season. NFL NextGenStats reported that Duvernay reached a top speed of 21.48 MPH on the return, the second-fasted speed by a ball carrier on a kickoff over the last two years. He also had two receptions for seven yards and has at least one catch in each of the three games this year.

Charles Omenihu, DE — Houston Texans

Omenihu picked up his second sack of the season with this absolute monster hit on Ben Roethlisberger.

Adrian Phillips, S — New England Patriots

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has moved Phillips to a hybrid safety-linebacker position (think Chris Adimora playing the Spur) where he has excelled. Phillips finished with seven tackles in the victory over Las Vegas and helped cause this fumble early in the game.

• Los Angeles Rams running back Malcolm Brown appears to have fallen behind Darrell Henderson Jr. in the pecking order. Brown did have seven carries in the Rams last-second loss the Bills, but for only 19 yards. LA was also down 28-3 and resorted to the throwing for most of the second half.
• Malcom Brown continues to be a strong force in the middle of the defensive line for New Orleans, adding two tackles on Sunday’s loss to the Packers. Brown grades as the 26th-best interior lineman, according to PFF. Malcolm Roach also added a tackle and has recorded at least one in the first three games of his rookie season.
• Michael Dickson punted seven times in the Seahawks victory over Dallas, including a long of 67 yards. Dickson leads the NFL with nine punts inside the 20-yard line.
• Quandre Diggs and the Seattle Seahawks managed to contain Dak Prescott and the Cowboys just enough to sneak out a victory on Sunday. Diggs finished with six total tackles while Poona Ford and the Seahawks defensive live held Ezekiel Elliot to just 34 rushing yards. Ford, who went undrafted in 2018, finished with two tackles and ranks as the 37th-best interior lineman, according to PFF.
• Let’s just say DeShon Elliott and the Ravens secondary are probably glad they won’t have to see Patrick Mahomes again until the playoffs. Elliott finished with five tackles and one pass deflection.
• Jordan Hicks had five tackles in the Cardinals 26-26 loss to the Detroit Lions. While this is a week old, Arizona had Hicks mic’ed up for the their Week 2 victory over the Redskins. Definitely worth six minutes of your time.

• Holton Hill finished Sunday’s loss to the Titans with seven total tackles and a pass deflection as the Vikings gave up 320 yards to Ryan Tannehill. Hill had an opportunity to seal the game with an interception late in the fourth quarter but it slipped through his hands. With Minnesota’s secondary still struggling, Kris Boyd picked up some playing time in the 31-20 loss to the Titans. Boyd captured his first two tackles of the season, but has allowed a catch on each target this year.
• Trey Hopkins and the Bengals offensive line had a tough go on Sunday, letting Joe Burrow get sacked eight times. Cincinnati also rushed for only 48 yards in the 23-23 tie with Philadelphia which begs the question: why does the NFL still have ties? Also, I swear the Bengals tie with someone every year.
• Collin Johnson had one reception for three yards in the Jaguars 31-13 loss to Miami. Jacksonville did run a fade route to Johnson in the end zone, but unfortunately CJ couldn’t make the catch. Hopefully he’ll get more of those opportunities to come.
• Speaking of Miami, Brandon Jones and the Dolphins did a fantastic job of shutting down the Minshew Mania for a week. Jones had five tackles in the victory while the Miami secondary only allowed 275 passing yards from Minshew.
• P.J. Locke picked up his first tackle in the Broncos loss to Tompa Bay on Sunday. Locke was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but signed with Denver after being released.
• While the Chiefs and Ravens were battling to decide who is the best team in the AFC, Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker were battling to decide who is the best kicker in the NFL. Spoiler alert: it’s Tucker. The G.O.A.T. went 2/2 on field goals and 2/2 on PAT’s while Butker missed a 42-yard FG and an extra point.
• Kenny Vaccaro finished with six total tackles in the Titans comeback victory over the Vikings.
• The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is a bit of a mess at the moment. Connor Williams failed to help on a three-man rush that allowed Dak Prescott to be sacked during the closing seconds of the Cowboys loss to Seattle. Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliot also had only 34 rushing yards.