Texas Longhorns in the NFL: Week 3

Week 3 was by far the best week for former Texas Longhorns in the NFL thus far this season. Strong performances from Saints teammates Kenny Vaccaro and Alex Okafor led group, while Jamaal Charles had his first touchdown as a Bronco and D’Onta Foreman had two 30-plus-yard receptions. Keenan Robinson also made a major impact in his season debut.

Here’s how they all performed in Week 3.

Jamaal Charles (RB-DEN): The 30-year-old veteran running back reached the endzone for the first time since 2015 on Sunday. Charles stayed patient and followed his blockers en route to a 12-yard rushing touchdown. He finished the day as the Broncos’ leading rusher with 56 yards on nine carries. He continues to be a consistent backup running back as Sunday was his third straight game over 40 rushing yards. Charles is averaging 5.1 yards per pop this season.

D’Onta Foreman (RB-HOU): The Deshaun Watson-Foreman combo looks to be the future of the Houston Texans after three weeks. Foreman only totaled eight carries for 25 yards but was very effective catching the ball out of the backfield in the Texans valiant 36-33 loss to the Patriots. He had two receptions for 65 yards. It’s encouraging to see him having an impact in the passing game as this was a major flaw according to NFL scouts. Watson did a tremendous job of escaping pressure and finding Foreman in the play below.

Fozzy Whittaker (RB-CAR): Whittaker had two carries for 12 yards during garbage time in the Panthers’ 34-13 defeat.

Marquise Goodwin (WR-SF): On the big stage on Thursday night, Goodwin made a spectacular 50-yard catch. He also made a beautiful toe-tap catch on the sideline. Overall, he tallied 62 yards on those two receptions in the 49ers’ wild 41-39 loss.

Malcom Brown (DT-NE): After barely cracking the stat sheet in Week 2, Brown had five solo tackles in the Patriots 36-33 win. He had a QB hit, a pressure, a run stuff, and drew a holding penalty in Sunday’s game. The defensive tackle took a big step with this performance.

Alex Okafor (DE-NO): Okafor had his first sack and forced fumble as a Saint on Sunday. He totaled five total tackles and continues to impress as the opposite defensive end of Cameron Jordan in this Saints defense.

Brian Orakpo (DE-TEN): Orakpo followed up last week’s big game with another solid performance. He totaled two tackles, a pass deflection, and had three QB hits in the Titans 33-27 win over the Seahawks.

Sam Acho (LB-CHI): Acho had one solo tackle in the Bears 23-17 overtime victory over the Steelers.

Keenan Robinson (LB-NYG): After suffering a very significant concussion early in training camp, Robinson made his 2017 debut on Sunday and made the most of it. The linebacker had 10 total tackles, seven of which were solo tackles in the Giants heartbreaking 27-24 loss. With the Giants having a depleted linebacking core this season, Robinson came in and provided a much-needed impact.

Jordan Hicks (MLB-PHI): Hicks had one total tackle in the Eagles 27-24 thrilling victory.

Derrick Johnson (ILB-KC): Johnson made the most of his snaps on Sunday in the Chiefs 24-10 win over the Chargers. He totaled four tackles and had a tackle for a loss. Johnson’s production and impact continues to go up as his snaps increase each week.

Quandre Diggs (Nickel CB-DET): The red-hot nickel corner had a solo tackle and a pass deflection in the Lions controversial 30-26 loss on Sunday. Diggs was the highest rated cornerback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus after week two with an 89.7 PFF rating.

Adrian Phillips (SS-LAC): The safety had a season-high two solo tackles in the Chargers 24-10 loss.

Kenny Vaccaro (SS-NO): After a week filled with rumors on possibly being traded, Vaccaro had one heck of a performance on Sunday. He totaled five tackles, had two pass deflections, and an interception. He returned that interception for 30 yards as well. This was a much needed performance from Vaccaro and the Saints defense as a whole to achieve their first victory of the year.

Earl Thomas (FS-SEA): Thomas had three total tackles and had a very nice tackle for loss in the Seahawks 33-27 loss.

Phil Dawson (K-ARI): Dawson connected on 1-of-2 field goal attempts (37 yards) and went 2-for-2 on extra points in the Cardinals’ disappointing Monday night loss.

Justin Tucker (K-BAL): With the Ravens offense having a very sluggish performance in London on Sunday, Tucker barely got the chance to crack the stat sheet. He had a one lone extra point in their demoralizing 44-7 loss. The Ravens offense has to be more efficient and protective with the ball to give Tucker opportunities to hit field goals.

Earl Thomas and Brian Orakpo did a jersey swap after Sunday’s game in Tennessee.

Stats via NFL.com/gamecenter