NFL Hokies Week 6 recap

BLACKSBURG – The sixth week of NFL action wrapped up Monday evening, concluding a weekend full of exciting matchups and some impressive performances from former Hokies. Tech alums have continued to make fans proud by showing up and showing out for their teams each week both on offense and defense. In this edition of NFL Hokies, presented by Coca-Cola, we look at some of the league’s most impressive Hokie performances from Week 6 and anticipate some intriguing matchups in Week 7.  

LB Divine Deablo 
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo delivered for the defense in a big way Sunday afternoon. The former Hokie posted six tackles, alongside a sack and two tackles for loss in what would end up being a 32-13 Steelers win. Deablo was one of four players to register a sack on Steelers quarterback Justin Fields and had the second-highest tackles for loss total amongst the Raiders defense. While the game ultimately resulted in a second straight loss, Deablo earned a 90.6 coverage rating by Pro Football Focus (PFF) for his Week 6 performance. Through six weeks, Deablo’s average 74.3 PFF coverage grade is the highest on the Raiders’ defense and 16th highest across the league amongst linebackers.  

LB Tremaine Edmunds 
Deablo wasn’t the only former Hokie linebacker that shined Sunday. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Chicago linebacker Tremaine Edmunds tallied six tackles in the contest, four of which were for loss. The Danville, Virginia native’s six tackles and four TFLs were third highest for the defensive unit, earning him an 80.7 tackling grade from PFF. The linebacker’s work on defense was supplemented with a four-touchdown performance from Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams in what would lead to a 35-16 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

K Joey Slye 
New England Patriots placekicker Joey Slye fulfilled his role by drilling three of three extra point attempts against the Houston Texans Sunday. While the game resulted in a 41-21 Houston victory, Slye is now a perfect eight for eight on extra point attempts through six games. His 83.3 field goal rating on Pro Football Focus is currently the highest of his six-year career as the veteran has made 9 of 11 (81.8%) field goal tries this season.  

T Yosh Nijman 
After Carolina Panthers tackle Taylor Moton was sidelined with an elbow injury in Week 5, former Hokie Yosh Nijman did a solid job filling Moton’s vacancy. Playing all 66 offensive snaps for the Panthers last Sunday, Nijman failed to allow a single sack on quarterback Andy Dalton and only allowed three quarterback hits throughout the game. While the Panthers would go on to drop the game 38-20 to Atlanta, his 74.3 pass blocking rating on PFF exemplifies how Nijman stepped up to the plate when a struggling Panthers team needed it most. 

Notable Week 7 Matchups 

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams: Sunday, Oct. 20 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS 
The Raiders will travel one state west during Week 7 for a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The two teams will battle for West Coast supremacy when former Hokie and Las Vegas linebacker Divine Deablo looks to build off of his impressive Week 6 performance. The Rams, who are 16th in the league in yards per game (324.0), will look to get themselves back in the win column after their most recent competition was a Week 5 loss to Green Bay.  

Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers: Sunday, Oct. 20 at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX 
The undefeated Chiefs will visit the San Francisco 49ers during Week 7 for the first time since Super Bowl LVIII. Both teams look slightly different than when quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs hoisted the Lombardi Trophy last year, most notably the current season-long absence of star 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Former Hokie Chamarri Conner will suit up for a Chiefs secondary that has allowed the sixth-fewest yards to quarterbacks this season (224.4).