As of Sunday, the halfway point of the NFL season has passed. While that may induce dread in the hearts of most fans, at least Alabama fans can find solace in the continued performance of Alabama alumni. Week 9 included two career-high games from a rookie and a second-year player and three standout games from established veterans.
-Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake had nine carries for a career-high 69 yards against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. He also caught six passes for 35 yards after making just three catches in his first seven games this year. His 104 yards from scrimmage nearly doubled his previous career best of 56.
Drake’s 42-yard run in the third quarter was three yards short of his career long, and was the Dolphins’ longest run this season, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel‘s Omar Kelly:
With the Dolphins having traded running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles a week ago, it appears that Drake will continue to receive more playing time.
-San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Reuben Foster, playing in just his third career NFL game, made 14 total tackles on Arizona Cardinals ball carriers, surpassing his eight tackles made in his previous two games. Throughout the week there was doubt that Foster would even be able to play, but his 13 solo tackles are the second most in a single game this year.
-Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones caught six balls for 118 yards Sunday, as many yards as the next three Falcons receivers amassed combined.
-Former Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram, now with the New Orleans Saints, continued to benefit from an increased workload, carrying the ball 16 times for 77 yards. Sunday marked the third time in his career that he had 15+ carries in four straight games. New Orleans’ increased commitment to the run game has paid dividends for the surging Saints, winners of six straight games.
-Los Angeles Rams linebacker Mark Barron, who played safety at Alabama from 2008 to 2011, recorded eight tackles, seven of which were solo, and also broke up a pass in a lopsided 51-17 victory over the New York Giants. Barron ranks sixth in the NFL in solo tackles with 51.
-Arie Kouandjio, a second-team All-American guard at Alabama in 2014, was signed by the Washington Redskins on Oct. 28 and started at left guard on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
