Bulldogs in the NFL: Week 2

As Week 2 of the NFL comes to a close, there were many standout performances from Georgia alumni. The Red & Black highlighted some of the best outings from former Bulldogs across the NFL.

James Cook, Buffalo Bills

The Bills embarrassed their division rival Miami Dolphins 31-10 behind a stellar display from former Bulldog running back James Cook on Thursday Night Football. Cook caught an 11-yard touchdown pass on the Bills’ opening drive and added two more touchdowns on the ground to complete his “hat trick” in the first half. He finished the day as Buffalo’s leading rusher with 11 carries for 78 yards. Cook’s performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. 

The Bills’ defense nullified Miami’s normally high-powered offense, intercepting Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times and shutting it out in the second half. The Bills improved to 2-0 on the season, now having beaten Miami in 12 of their last 13 matchups.

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders upset reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 26-23 in their own stadium on Sunday. Former Bulldog tight end Brock Bowers was at the center of it all, bringing in all nine of his targets for 98 yards, 82 of which came in the second half. The Raiders’ 2024 first round pick now sits atop the tight end rankings in both receptions and receiving yards.

It was a bad beat for the Ravens, who came into the game with the most favorable spread of any NFL team in Week 2 but surrendered a game-winning field goal to the Raiders with 27 seconds left to fall to 0-2.

Kamari Lassiter, Houston Texans

Former Bulldog cornerback Kamari Lassiter has emerged as one of the best players of the 2024 rookie class, and he showed exactly why in the Texans’ 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. Lassiter was targeted seven times, allowing just 20 yards on two receptions, and recorded his first-career interception in the fourth quarter, all while playing every single defensive snap.

Lassiter also picked off Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in the third quarter, but the play was called back because of a defensive holding penalty away from the play. He finished with four tackles in addition to his interception, as the Texans moved to 2-0.

Devonte Wyatt, Green Bay Packers

Former Bulldog defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt made two huge plays to help the Packers defeat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10. In the second quarter, Wyatt threw a Colts offensive lineman aside and hawked down running back Jonathan Taylor for a loss of one yard. The next quarter, Wyatt pulled a stunt to get around the edge and dragged down quarterback Anthony Richardson, recording the Packers’ only sack of the day.

In his first two seasons in Green Bay, Wyatt didn’t quite live up to the expectations set when the Packers selected him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. However, with a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Hafley, Wyatt could be poised for a breakout year.

Wyatt and the Packers’ defense created all sorts of problems for Richardson, hurrying him four times and intercepting him three times. Green Bay improved to 1-1 with the victory.

Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens fell to the Raiders after being 8.5 point favorites heading into the contest, but it certainly wasn’t due to a lack of effort from Roquan Smith. The former Georgia linebacker and Butkus Award winner was all over the field on Sunday, tallying a team-high 11 tackles.

Smith, who is now in his seventh NFL season, has cemented himself as one of the premier linebackers in the league. He has garnered the most tackles of any player since he was drafted in 2018 and became a Pro Bowl selection in each of the past four seasons.

His efforts on Sunday were not enough, though, to keep Baltimore from starting the season 0-2 for the first time since 2015.