Oregon Professional Athletes

Bucky Irving Owns Thursday Night

No Oregon alumni had a better week in the NFL than Bucky Irving, and it wasn't particularly close. The Buccaneers' second-year back turned Thursday Night Football into a personal showcase, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 10 yards and another score in Tampa Bay's 24-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The performance cemented Irving as one of the more electric young backs in the league and gave Bucks fans something to talk about heading into the bye.

Irving's week actually started productively too — he carried for 61 yards in Tampa's narrow 17-14 loss to Green Bay on Sunday, Oct. 4, making him one of the most-used backs across the full week. Buccaneers teammate Tez Johnson also had a moment Thursday, hauling in a 64-yard reception, giving Oregon a full Duck showcase on TNF.

Herbert's Historic Struggles Continue

While Irving soared, Justin Herbert continued to sink. The Chargers quarterback threw for just 189 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 23-30 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 4 — a result that left Los Angeles in genuine freefall. According to The Sporting News, Herbert was one interception away from setting a deeply unflattering franchise record for picks, while Heavy Sports reported he leads the NFL in a painful turnover-related stat dating back to 2020.

The situation grew bleak enough that Sports Illustrated surfaced a wild-take segment from NFL writer Field Yates suggesting the Chargers may eventually need to consider moving on from their franchise quarterback — a sentence that would have sounded absurd a year ago. Herbert also took a controversial hit from a Seahawks defender that drew league punishment, a moment that underscored just how difficult his afternoon was.

At 0-4 (and facing Denver), Los Angeles and Herbert were staring at a potential 0-5 start. Fellow Duck and Chargers LB Troy Dye did provide a sack in the loss, giving the defense at least one bright moment.

Sewell Returns, Harmon Goes Down

On the injury front, the Bears activated linebacker Noah Sewell from reserve/PUP, clearing him to return after missing the season's first month. Sewell's activation gives Chicago's defense a needed boost as the team sits atop the NFC North with a 4-0 record — though Sewell did not appear in the stats from the Jets game on Oct. 4.

Not as fortunate: Steelers defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was placed on injured reserve, costing Pittsburgh the promising young Duck for at least four games.

Around the Rest of the Duck Nation

Marcus Mariota's shaky Commanders tenure took another hit — the veteran quarterback exited Washington's blowout 13-30 loss to the Colts with an injury, leaving the team in the hands of third-stringer Athan Kaliakmanis. Mariota had managed just 46 passing yards and 35 rushing yards before departing.

Christian Gonzalez was ruled out for New England's Week 5 matchup against the Raiders with a shoulder injury, missing his second straight game. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel offered little clarity on a timeline, and Gonzalez himself declined to speak on the matter.

In Green Bay, safety Evan Williams had himself a Sunday — recording a sack and an interception as the Packers edged Tampa Bay 17-14, meaning he directly contributed to the one Irving blotch of the week. Arik Armstead also posted a sack for Jacksonville in their 22-17 win over Cincinnati.

It was, in every sense, a week of extremes for the Ducks.

It was the kind of week that makes Duck fans stop scrolling and start texting. Four Oregon alumni made NFL headlines simultaneously — one winning a monthly award, one engineering a historic comeback, one announcing his arrival in New York, and one getting shut down before his rookie year could fully launch.

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Jevon Holland Is the NFC's Best Defender

The Giants' safety didn't just earn NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September — he dominated the criteria. Holland tied for the league lead with three interceptions through the first three games of the season, recording four total takeaways. His latest came in the end zone against the Titans in a 12-7 New York win on Sunday, snuffing out Tennessee's last real scoring threat and sealing the game. Holland's hot start has been one of the few unambiguous bright spots for a Giants team still searching for its offensive identity.

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Bo Nix and the Broncos Rewrite the Record Books

Down 16 points at halftime against the Rams on Sunday Night Football, Bo Nix didn't blink. The Oregon product rallied Denver to a 30-26 comeback win — and in doing so, helped the Broncos make NFL history. Coming in, Denver was 5-95-1 all time when trailing by 16 or more. Nix finished with 186 passing yards, two touchdown passes, one interception, and a rushing score. Troy Franklin, his former Duck teammate, contributed a 21-yard reception. The win was defined less by gaudy numbers than by competitive will — exactly the trait that carried Nix through a bumpy rookie season to this moment.

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Kenyon Sadiq Announces Himself

In just his third NFL game, Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq turned in a performance that demanded attention: 7 receptions, 105 yards, and a touchdown in a 31-24 loss to the Lions. The performance was historic — the details of which are noted in reporting from Yahoo Sports — and it arrived with genuine context. With wide receiver Adonai Mitchell ruled out, Sadiq stepped into a featured role and delivered. Fantasy managers are already circling. More importantly, the Jets have a credible receiving weapon at tight end for the first time in a while, and he went to Oregon.

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Terrance Ferguson Hits Injured Reserve

The week's shadow fell on Rams rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson, who was placed on injured reserve after being ruled out for the Week 3 game against Denver. Ferguson — who caught one pass for nine yards in that game before the move was made official — will miss an extended stretch during what was already a critical developmental season. Los Angeles has since added Alex Bachman and Larrell Murchison to fill out the roster. Ferguson's absence is a genuine setback for a Rams offense that had been counting on his upside as a pass-catching tight end.

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Elsewhere in Duck Country: Marcus Mariota made his second consecutive start for Washington in place of injured Jayden Daniels, throwing for 183 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-31 win over Seattle. DeForest Buckner recorded a sack for the Colts in a 19-17 win over Houston. Juwan Johnson was a bright spot in a rough night for the Saints, hauling in 8 catches for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 35-27 loss to Las Vegas. Justin Herbert and the Chargers dropped to 0-3 after a 24-16 loss to Buffalo, with Herbert finishing with 226 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Oregon has never produced two starting NFL quarterbacks in the same era before. This week, it's producing two of the most compelling storylines of the entire NFL calendar — and they're pulling in opposite directions.

Bo Nix Is Building Something in Denver

Through two weeks, Bo Nix has the Broncos at 2-0 after a 20-13 win over Jacksonville in Week 2, where he completed work for 288 passing yards, a touchdown, and one interception — a competent if not spectacular line that still got the job done. Now, according to Sports Illustrated, Nix heads into Sunday's showdown with the Rams with a chance to make Broncos history in two separate statistical categories. The specifics of what records are within reach weren't disclosed in full, but the framing matters: a second-year quarterback is being talked about in franchise-legacy terms before Week 3. That's not nothing.

It'll be Nix's first career matchup against Matthew Stafford, and he's been studying film on the veteran all week. The Rams, meanwhile, may be missing wide receiver Puka Nacua (listed as doubtful), which puts more pressure on their own Duck — tight end Terrance Ferguson, who posted a quietly dominant line in Week 2: 6 catches, 54 yards, and a touchdown in a 28-6 blowout of the Giants. Ferguson is becoming a real factor in the Rams' offense, and now that Nacua is banged up, he could be asked to carry even more weight against the Broncos' secondary. Duck vs. Duck. Circle it.

Justin Herbert's 0-2 Spiral Is Getting Ugly

Meanwhile, down the 405, things in Los Angeles have curdled fast. The Chargers dropped to 0-2 after a 26-14 loss to the Raiders in Week 2, a game in which Herbert threw for just 192 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. That two-interception day is the kind of performance FanSided noted in a broader roundup of high-paid players not earning their contracts — uncomfortable company for a quarterback on a top-tier deal.

The noise around Herbert is escalating beyond the usual early-season hand-wringing. Heavy Sports reports that the 0-2 start has quietly cracked open trade rumors — nothing official, nothing sourced from inside the building, but the kind of speculation that festers when a franchise quarterback and a $50M-a-year contract aren't producing wins. Herbert himself pushed back hard at the podium, going after media members questioning Jim Harbaugh's leadership, making clear the locker room isn't fracturing. Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel have also publicly resisted panic mode, per Bleacher Report. But at least one NFL scout, per Fox Sports, is already calling for McDaniel's dismissal.

None of this is fatal in Week 3. But the Chargers don't have a cupcake schedule waiting to bail them out.

The Rest of the Duck Report

Marcus Mariota is also in a starting role, stepping in for injured Jayden Daniels with the 0-2 Commanders. He went for 111 passing yards and a score in Week 2's loss to Dallas, and was named a team captain by Washington's players — a remarkable gesture of respect for a backup. He starts Sunday against Seattle.

Bucky Irving had the most dynamic performance of any Duck in Week 2: 89 rushing yards and four catches out of the backfield for Tampa Bay in a 23-19 loss to Cleveland. Juwan Johnson had a 4-catch, 66-yard day for New Orleans in a win over Baltimore. Evan Williams was in uniform for Green Bay's Week 3 blowout loss to Atlanta (35-14) and called out the team's "whole system" afterward — a sign that the Packers' problems run deeper than a single bad game.

Kenyon Sadiq Steals the Show

Oregon's biggest Week 1 story wasn't a veteran — it was a rookie tight end nobody was quite ready for. Kenyon Sadiq, the Jets' first-round pick, made NFL history in New York's 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans in his professional debut. Sadiq hauled in three receptions for 21 yards and added a rushing touchdown — a scoring method that made his debut historically unique among tight ends. Jets brass and teammates had been telegraphing Sadiq's upside all preseason, but his Week 1 performance made believers out of anyone still skeptical. As one report put it: everyone knew Kenyon Sadiq was different.

Herbert Struggles, Nix Takes His Medicine

The Oregon quarterback picture was considerably murkier elsewhere.

Justin Herbert and the Chargers were upset at home by the Arizona Cardinals, 26-14, in a loss that immediately put Los Angeles under pressure heading into Week 2. Herbert finished with 209 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and 29 rushing yards — numbers that look serviceable on paper but didn't hold up against scrutiny. Fox Sports noted the Chargers have yet to build an offense that truly maximizes Herbert's ability, and Heavy Sports reported he was publicly called out ahead of Week 2, with the team potentially facing a must-win against the Raiders. For a quarterback of Herbert's caliber and contract, a home loss to Arizona was exactly the kind of start that shortens leashes.

Bo Nix had it worse in Denver. The Broncos were dismantled by Kansas City, 31-10, with Nix completing just enough to throw one touchdown and one interception for 131 passing yards before the game got out of hand. Nix didn't hide from it — he took accountability publicly and made clear what changes need to happen before facing Jacksonville. The loss stings extra given a sideline story that emerged this week: Hall of Famer Drew Brees was reportedly approached about coming out of retirement to replace Nix after he broke his ankle in last season's playoffs. Nix is back and healthy, but the pressure is real.

Irving Runs, Johnson Catches, Both Score

Bucky Irving gave Buccaneers fans a reason to feel good even in a 33-27 loss to Cincinnati. The second-year running back carried for 45 yards and a rushing touchdown while adding seven catches for 48 yards — a workhorse performance that has fantasy managers and Tampa Bay's coaching staff both taking notice heading into Week 2.

In New Orleans, Juwan Johnson was one of the few Saints who showed up in a heartbreaking 31-30 loss to the Lions. The veteran tight end caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown — a performance that would have been a footnote in a win but stands as a bright spot in a game New Orleans nearly pulled off.

Elsewhere Around the League

DeForest Buckner and the Colts were carved up by Baltimore, surrendering 304 passing yards and 202 rushing yards in a 41-23 blowout loss. Buckner didn't mince words afterward, saying Indianapolis "didn't play up to our standards, whatsoever." Christian Gonzalez continued to build his case as one of the NFL's elite corners in New England. Jevon Holland picked off a pass in the Giants' 28-20 win over Dallas. And Packers safety Evan Williams was fined by the NFL for an unnecessary roughness penalty in Green Bay's 39-22 loss to Minnesota — a tough week compounded by a costly flag.

Oregon alumni touched down across all 16 active games. Week 1 was just the beginning.