Iowa State Professional Athletes

It was a turbulent week across the NFL for Iowa State alumni, with three of the program's most prominent pros dealing with setbacks that range from a stumble in the MVP race to season-ending surgery.

Brock Purdy's Unbeaten Start Comes Undone

The MVP conversation around Brock Purdy took a meaningful hit Sunday in Atlanta. The 49ers, riding a 6-0 start and Purdy's near-flawless early-season play, ran into a Falcons defense that exposed a depleted San Francisco receiving corps — and Purdy couldn't bail them out. He finished with 288 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 29-20 loss, San Francisco's first of the season.

The game underscored just how much Purdy's MVP case depends on his supporting cast. With Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel both ruled out, Purdy was leaning on Christian Kirk, Jacob Cowing, and Brandin Cooks as top targets — and the offense never found a rhythm. QB rankings that had Purdy near the top entering the week slid him down after what FanSided called his "first dud of the campaign." His MVP odds, while still intact, have taken a measurable dip.

San Francisco's GM publicly backed Purdy in the aftermath, and the 49ers head into their Week 8 bye with time to regroup — and, ideally, get healthy. But the loss was a reminder that Purdy's ceiling is tied directly to the talent around him.

Breece Hall: Quad Injury, Trade Buzz, and Cryptic Posts

The situation in New York around Breece Hall is messy on multiple fronts. Hall has been sidelined with a quadriceps injury that has kept him out of the lineup for nearly a month, and heading into the Jets' Week 8 home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, he was listed as questionable after returning to practice. Whether he suits up or misses a fourth straight game remains in doubt.

The injury storyline is complicated by something bigger: trade buzz. With the NFL trade deadline approaching and the Jets sitting at 2-5, Hall's name has surfaced in trade speculation — and Hall himself stirred the pot by sharing a cryptic social media post amid the rumors. At 2-5, New York is in an increasingly difficult position, and whether Hall is part of their future or dealt before the deadline is a legitimate open question.

Fellow Iowa State alum Will McDonald IV is in a similar boat. The Jets' defensive end has an uncertain role in New York's plans, and his name is also generating trade deadline chatter, with Sports Illustrated reporting the team has real pros and cons to weigh in any potential deal.

Jaylin Noel Lost for the Season

The most definitive blow came out of Houston. Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after requiring surgery for a turf toe injury, per multiple reports. Noel — who caught just two passes for minus-3 yards in what turned out to be his final game against the Giants — had been emerging as a contributor in Houston's offense before the injury derailed his year.

It's a brutal outcome for the former Cyclone, who now faces a lengthy recovery. The Texans are already thin at receiver, and Noel's absence puts more pressure on Xavier Hutchinson, who did find the end zone in that same Giants game (three catches, 17 yards, one touchdown), to step up and fill the void.

For Iowa State fans, it's a week better forgotten — though the bye gives Purdy and the 49ers a chance to reset before things get any worse.

Iowa State alumni had one of their biggest NFL weeks in recent memory, with Brock Purdy rewriting the record books in San Francisco and Jaylin Noel announcing himself as a legitimate weapon in Houston.

Purdy Owns the Record Books

Monday Night Football belonged to the Cyclones. Brock Purdy engineered a 23-17 win over the Washington Commanders at Levi's Stadium, throwing for 264 yards and a touchdown while adding 28 rushing yards — lifting San Francisco to a 6-0 start, one of just three unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL alongside Kansas City and Minnesota.

The performance did more than pad the win column. Purdy broke Lamar Jackson's record to become the highest-rated passer in NFL history by career passer rating, cementing a historic efficiency run that has the quarterback firmly in the MVP conversation. It's a remarkable arc for the former Mr. Irrelevant, who bounced back from an injury-plagued 2025 season to look, by most measures, like the best quarterback in football right now.

Steve Young, who knows a thing or two about running that offense, had already made a "strong statement" about Purdy's performance heading into the week. The results backed it up. San Francisco now turns its attention to a road trip to Atlanta, where Purdy will operate a receiving corps thinned by injury — Deebo Samuel is out, Mike Evans is battling Achilles soreness — but where Christian Kirk is expected to be a full participant.

Noel's Breakout Moment in Houston

While Purdy was making history in prime time, second-year wideout Jaylin Noel was quietly delivering the most eye-catching stat line of his young career. The former Iowa State standout hauled in 4 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown as the Texans held off the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-31. It was a coming-out performance for a receiver who had been building toward this kind of output, and it arrived on a day when the Texans needed every point. Fellow Cyclone Xavier Hutchinson also dressed for Houston and contributed 2 catches for 10 yards in the win.

David Montgomery, the Texans' veteran running back and another ISU product, was sidelined for the contest, leaving Houston's backfield to others while the passing game picked up the slack.

Hall's Injury Watch

In New York, Breece Hall's week was defined by what didn't happen on the field. The Jets running back was listed as questionable heading into their Week 7 matchup against the Miami Dolphins after missing time with an injury, though he did return to practice late in the week and fired off a characteristically confident message to fans before game day. His status kept fantasy managers and Jets observers on edge throughout the week, with the team's offense clearly less dangerous without its feature back healthy and available.

Three Cyclones on the same Texans roster, Purdy rewriting league history, and Hall dominating the injury news cycle — it was a week that reminded the NFL just how deeply Iowa State's pipeline runs into the league.

Purdy Is Playing Like the Best QB in Football

Five weeks in, the MVP conversation around Brock Purdy is no longer a debate — it's a headline. The Iowa State product leads the San Francisco 49ers to an undefeated start, including a hard-fought 32-29 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. Purdy finished that game with 189 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, but the numbers only tell part of the story.

Historic statistical markers are emerging around his early-season performance, and his reaction to the attention has been characteristically understated — which, per those around him, is precisely the point. Former 49ers QB coach Brian Griese went on record saying Purdy's MVP-level play is no surprise, adding that there's still room for improvement. Drew Brees echoed that sentiment ahead of Week 6, calling Purdy's performance elite. After the Seahawks win, Purdy's MVP odds made a massive jump, and he now shares the top spot in the league with an AFC quarterback.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted he's been surprised by how quickly Purdy has built chemistry with receiver Mike Evans — a connection that's already paying dividends for an offense that looks increasingly hard to stop. Purdy has also credited defensive coordinator Raheem Morris for helping him sharpen his own preparation by understanding defensive schemes at a deeper level.

The 49ers are one of just three undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. For Cyclone fans, Purdy is no longer just a feel-good story — he's the front-runner.

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Montgomery's Injury Clouds Houston's Backfield

Across the league in Houston, the story is far less celebratory. David Montgomery left the Texans' Week 5 blowout win over the Tennessee Titans (26-3) with an injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, finishing with just 11 rushing yards. The Texans subsequently added a replacement running back to the roster ahead of their Week 6 game against Jacksonville, signing Jawhar Jordan, signaling real concern about Montgomery's availability going forward.

The situation has grown complicated enough that The Sporting News outlined two reasons why Houston may have "no choice" but to bench Montgomery — whether due to injury or performance concerns — putting his starting job in genuine jeopardy. Woody Marks is the name now circulating as a potential starter if Montgomery can't go.

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More Cyclones in Action

The week wasn't without other Iowa State contributors. In Houston's win over Tennessee, wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was productive with four catches for 65 yards, while fellow Cyclone Jaylin Noel had a standout game: five receptions for 41 yards and a receiving touchdown to go along with a rushing yard. Two ISU alumni catching passes in the same Texans win is a fun footnote for Ames faithful.

In New York, pass rusher Will McDonald IV continued to make his presence felt for the Jets, recording a sack in their 17-12 win over Cleveland. Meanwhile, Breece Hall — himself a Cyclone — was ruled out for the Jets' Week 6 game against New England with an injury, adding to what's been a frustrating stretch for the former Iowa State star. Trade rumors have already surfaced linking Hall to a potential move to Washington.

In Los Angeles, tight end Charlie Kolar hauled in three catches for 37 yards in the Chargers' 23-17 loss to Denver — a quiet but steady presence in an offense still finding its footing.

Brock Purdy Is the NFL's MVP Conversation

The former Iowa State signal-caller isn't just winning games — he's rewriting the historical record books alongside them. Through four weeks of the 2026 NFL season, Brock Purdy has emerged as the clear front-runner for league MVP, topping Patrick Mahomes in ESPN's weekly QB rankings and posting a statistical rarity that puts him in Peyton Manning territory. The specific feat, tracked by The Sporting News, underscores just how efficient Purdy has been: this isn't a volume-stat padded performance, but a precision operation that Manning-level completeness once defined.

The 49ers enter Week 5 undefeated at 4-0, a run that has made NFL history — the franchise hasn't achieved this particular milestone in 21 years, according to Heavy Sports. In Week 4, Purdy completed the job against the Broncos in a 24-14 victory, throwing for 218 yards and two touchdowns while adding 29 rushing yards. It wasn't gaudy, but it was surgical — the kind of performance that has Kyle Shanahan publicly praising Purdy's in-game mentality as a competitive edge in itself.

Wide receiver Mike Evans, who left Tampa Bay in the offseason specifically hunting for a winning culture and a franchise QB, has found exactly what he was looking for. "He gets me the ball," Evans said ahead of Sunday's matchup, a quote that sounds simple but carries significant weight coming from a future Hall of Famer who spent years in a quarterback carousel.

The Week 5 test, however, may be the most demanding of the season: a road trip to Seattle to face the Super Bowl champion Seahawks defense, currently ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Leonard Williams, Seattle's star DT, has been confirmed healthy and active — bad news for San Francisco. Purdy himself made an honest admission about the matchup, acknowledging that the Seahawks gave him two of his worst games last season, including a 13-3 loss in the regular-season finale that cost the 49ers seeding. The rematch carries stakes on both sides.

Storylines Elsewhere in the League

Breece Hall's Injury Scare was the other major Iowa State subplot of the week. The Jets RB's status for Week 5 against the Browns remained uncertain heading into the final injury report, with Heavy Sports reporting that the Jets were making last-minute decisions on Hall and receiver Adonai Mitchell simultaneously. Hall's absence would punch a significant hole in a Jets offense already navigating a turbulent stretch — New York lost to Chicago 23-12 in Week 4, a game in which Hall was held without notable production.

Will McDonald IV, the Jets' edge rusher, generated trade deadline buzz of his own. With his role in New York uncertain, Sports Illustrated identified three likely trade destinations for the Iowa State pass rusher, and Heavy Sports floated a specific proposal sending him to the Detroit Lions — a team that could use his 22.5-career sack potential in a defensive upgrade push.

On the Texans side, Jaylin Noel turned in the most eye-catching stat line among Iowa State's Houston contingent, hauling in three catches for 85 yards in a 34-30 loss to Dallas — a performance that signals growing chemistry with Houston's passing game despite the defeat. David Montgomery contributed modestly with 24 rushing yards and 19 receiving yards in the same game.