Eastern Washington Professional Athletes

Cooper Kupp's Week from Hell

Eastern Washington's most prominent NFL name had a week he'd like to forget — twice over.

First came Sunday, October 11, when a disputed fourth-down spot call ended Seattle's comeback bid against San Francisco. With the Seahawks trailing the 49ers and needing a first down to extend the game, Kupp was ruled short after a catch on fourth-and-10. Officials marked him down just shy of the marker, and the game was over. Seahawks fans erupted. Replay angles were inconclusive enough to make everyone miserable, and the NFL subsequently stepped in to explain why the call stood — pointing to the limitations of RFID tracking chips and Hawk-Eye technology, neither of which can definitively adjudicate a spot in real time. FOX Sports officiating analyst Dean Blandino backed the ruling, noting that without clear video evidence to overturn the on-field decision, officials had no grounds to reverse it. Kupp, to his credit, publicly agreed with that logic — but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

He caught just 2 passes for 15 yards in that loss.

Before Seattle could exhale, Thursday Night Football arrived. The Seahawks erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Denver Broncos — and still lost, 17-14. Kupp bounced back statistically with 5 catches for 50 yards, but the result was the same. Afterward, he made no effort to hide his frustration. Head coach Mike Macdonald's postgame message was blunt: there are no moral victories in the NFL. Kupp echoed that sentiment. Earlier in the week, between the two losses, Kupp had publicly defended quarterback Sam Darnold, expressing confidence that the offense could find its footing. That confidence hasn't yet translated into wins.

With the November 10 trade deadline approaching, the Seahawks' receiver situation is already drawing outside attention — analysts have floated Jerry Jeudy as a potential addition to play alongside Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Whether Seattle pursues that or not, the pressure on this offense is real and building.

Chism Forcing the Question in New England

While Kupp was weathering the storm in Seattle, fellow EWU product Efton Chism III was quietly making a case for himself 3,000 miles away. The Patriots wide receiver caught 5 passes for 57 yards in New England's 45-17 blowout win over the Raiders on October 11 — his second consecutive week as a genuine factor in the Patriots' offense.

Back-to-back impactful performances have raised an uncomfortable question for New England's coaching staff: when injured receivers return, does Chism's production earn him sustained playing time, or does he get squeezed out? Sports Illustrated put the question directly to its readers, and the underlying point is hard to argue with — Chism has done the work. The undrafted path from Eastern Washington to a legitimate NFL role is never a straight line, and right now, he's on the right side of the depth chart conversation.

Around the Rest of the Eagles Abroad

Kendrick Bourne had a quietly solid afternoon for Arizona on October 11 — 5 receptions, 70 yards — in a blowout loss to Detroit, 45-21. The production was there; the team result wasn't. And Samson Ebukam recorded a sack for Atlanta in their 30-23 loss to Baltimore, providing a small bright spot in a tough outcome for the Falcons.

It was a week that showcased both the highs and lows of life in the NFL for Eastern Washington alumni — none more viscerally than Kupp's.

Chism Steals the Weekend

Efton Chism III didn't just make a catch on Sunday. He made a moment.

The Eastern Washington product and undrafted second-year receiver hauled in a one-handed, 29-yard touchdown with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter to lift the New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills, 29-26, in one of Week 4's most stunning results. Chism finished with 2 receptions for 42 yards and the score — modest on paper, seismic in context. The NFL's own social media account amplified the grab, which drew wall-to-wall coverage through the week and put a former FCS standout from Cheney, Washington at the center of the league's conversation.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who orchestrated the game-winning drive, revealed after the game that he had long predicted Chism's fearlessness in big moments — calling the receiver exactly the kind of player you want with the game on the line. The catch also went viral for a second reason: Chism's girlfriend's sideline reaction became its own highlight reel.

The noise didn't stop there. Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson publicly dismissed Chism as a "practice squad player" following the loss, suggesting the catch was a fluke that couldn't be replicated. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel fired back, defending his receiver without hesitation. The back-and-forth only amplified Chism's profile heading into the rest of the season.

For Eastern Washington fans, the moment carries extra weight. Chism went undrafted. He scratched his way onto a roster, stuck through a second season, and delivered the most-talked-about play of the NFL week on the road against one of the AFC's perennial powers. SB Nation called it a catch that "might have saved the Patriots' season," given New England's rocky 2026 start and the stakes of avoiding a 1-3 record.

The Rest of the EWU Board

Elsewhere around the league, Cooper Kupp continued his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, logging 1 catch for 13 yards in a 30-23 win over the Chargers. It was a quiet day for the veteran receiver, but a win nonetheless for his new squad.

Samson Ebukam suited up for the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, recording a sack in a dominant 45-24 blowout of the New Orleans Saints. The defensive end, whose availability had been in question heading into the game, delivered in a Falcons performance that wasn't particularly close.

Kendrick Bourne was held without a stat line for the Arizona Cardinals in a 36-24 loss to the New York Giants.

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It was Chism's week, start to finish. For a program that has quietly sent players to the league for years, Sunday was a reminder that Eastern Washington doesn't just produce NFL players — it produces NFL players capable of the most memorable play of any given week.

Eastern Washington's NFL alumni had a week to talk about — Cooper Kupp is making noise in Seattle, and Samson Ebukam is doing everything he can to stay on the field in Atlanta.

Kupp Named Captain, Delivers in the Clutch

Cooper Kupp's transition from Los Angeles to Seattle is looking more legitimate by the week. The Seahawks named Kupp one of four Week 4 captains ahead of Sunday's home matchup against the Chargers — a nod from head coach Mike Macdonald to Kupp's leadership presence in a relatively new locker room. The other captain selections included Uchenna Nwosu, Nehemiah Pritchett, and Mike Morris.

Kupp earned that honor with his performance on the field, too. Against Washington in Week 3, he hauled in 4 catches for 46 yards and punched in a touchdown — a vintage Kupp performance that reminded anyone who needed reminding why Seattle made the move to bring him aboard. The Seahawks dropped that game 33–31, so the stat line didn't come with a win, but Kupp's output was one of the few bright spots.

The captaincy is particularly telling. Macdonald has framed his weekly captain system as merit-based and situational, which makes Kupp's selection in just his fourth week as a Seahawk a meaningful signal.

Ebukam in a Race Against the Clock

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Samson Ebukam is grinding through what's shaping up to be a genuine game-time decision situation. The Falcons' defensive end returned to practice Thursday ahead of Monday night's game against the Saints in New Orleans, but remained a limited participant on Friday. Atlanta listed him as questionable on the final injury report, leaving his status uncertain going into the week's highest-profile NFC matchup.

Ebukam's persistence in pushing toward the game rather than sitting out entirely says something about his value to a Falcons defense that has leaned on him as a pass-rush contributor. Whether he suits up Monday night remains to be seen, but the fact that he practiced at all late in the week puts him in the conversation.

Around the Rest of the Eagles Nation Alumni

It was a quieter week for other EWU products. Kendrick Bourne caught 2 passes for 22 yards in Arizona's 36–30 loss to San Francisco — serviceable production in a difficult matchup. Efton Chism III logged 1 reception for 1 yard in New England's blowout loss to Jacksonville, a 35–6 defeat that didn't offer much opportunity for anyone in a Patriots uniform.

The headline story for Eagle Nation this week, though, belongs to Kupp's captaincy and Ebukam's grind — two veterans navigating very different circumstances and both showing exactly why EWU keeps producing players who stick in the league.