Boise State’s footprint in the NFL stretches across Sunday’s Week Three slate, with nine former Broncos and one head coach set to be in action. The day brings a few familiar matchups, including George Holani and DeMarcus Lawrence on one side against John Bates, plus an afternoon meeting between Ashton Jeanty and Kellen Moore.
Later, Kage Casey and JL Skinner will be part of the Denver Broncos’ Sunday night game against the Los Angeles Rams. All times are Mountain.
The most notable Boise State connection of the weekend comes in the Raiders-Saints game, where Jeanty and Moore will share the same field. Jeanty, one of only two players in program history to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, was honored along with Moore with orange hashmarks on the 2 and 11-yard lines of Boise State's latest edition of The Blue.
On the field for Las Vegas last week, Jeanty ran for 48 yards and added four receptions for 15 yards in a 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Through two games, he has 150 rushing yards, 10 receptions and two receiving touchdowns, making him the only player in the league to reach those marks in all three categories.
The Raiders are 2-0 for the first time since 2021.
Moore’s Saints also come in hot after a 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens. New Orleans scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, with Tyler Shough throwing for 252 yards and pushing his season total to a league-high 662. Chris Olave finished with eight catches for 86 yards and now ranks second in the league with 18 receptions and 268 receiving yards.
Earlier in the day, Seattle heads to Washington with Holani and Lawrence facing Bates. Holani logged 13 rushing yards, caught a 2-yard pass and made a tackle on the opening kickoff in Seattle’s 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
He played a career-high 35 total snaps, including 18 on offense and 17 on special teams. Lawrence recorded a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup on Arizona’s opening play of the second half, and he finished with 31 total snaps.
Bates started at tight end in Washington’s 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and has now made 38 career starts for the Commanders.
Khalil Shakir kept making plays for Buffalo in the Bills’ 41-31 win over the Detroit Lions. He caught three passes for 38 yards, and two of those grabs moved the chains.
One was a 16-yard catch that helped set up Buffalo’s final touchdown. He also recovered an onside kick in the fourth quarter and returned it 11 yards.
The Bills are 2-0 and averaging a league-best 38.5 points per game.
Ezra Cleveland played every offensive snap for Jacksonville in its 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos. He was the Jaguars’ second-highest graded run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus, with a 66.5. Ahmed Hassanein was inactive for Detroit in its loss to Buffalo.
Denver’s Sunday night game will feature Skinner and Casey. Skinner played 16 total snaps between defense and special teams in the Broncos’ 20-13 win over Jacksonville, and he added a solo tackle on punt coverage in the first quarter, giving him 23 career stops. Casey was inactive in that victory.
In Other News...
Boise States Top Spot Comes With One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
Boise State kept its place in the Pac-12 race with a 38-24 win over South Dakota, part of a solid Week 3 showing for the leagues remaining members. Oregon State and Washington State also handled their business, giving the conference a much-needed round of positive results against FCS opponents and other non-conference matchups.
For the Broncos, though, the margin of comfort still feels slim. They got the win they needed, but the performance left just enough to wonder whether the top spot is as secure as it looks heading into next Saturdays games, when the pressure will pick up again for all three teams trying to build momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Needs More From Jayden Virgin-Morgan For This Defense to Hold Up
Jayden Virgin-Morgan has long been one of the more important pieces of Boise States front seven, and as a fifth-year edge rusher and team captain, his value has never been measured only by sacks. Through three games of the 2024 season, though, his production has been quieter than the Broncos likely need from a player in his role. Coaches continue to point to the ways he affects the run game and disrupts opposing offenses, even when the box score stays modest.
Still, Boise States defense is looking for more pressure on quarterbacks, and that puts a spotlight on Virgin-Morgans next stretch of games. He has acknowledged the need to be more consistent, and the Broncos would benefit if his edge play starts showing up more often in the backfield. With the pass defense already under strain, getting more from one of its most experienced defenders feels less like a luxury and more like a requirement. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Has A Chance To Silence Doubts And Protect Its Edge
Boise States College Football Playoff path still looks sturdy on paper, even after a close call against South Dakota. DraftKings Sportsbook left the Broncos at +230 to make the field, unchanged from the previous week, a sign that the market is still treating them as the Group of Six team with the best shot to break through.
That edge, though, is going to get tested quickly. The Broncos head to Western Michigan this weekend with the betting race still very much in play, and every week like the one they just survived matters when other Group of Six hopefuls and even a few Pac-12 teams are lingering in the mix behind them. [Read more 🡒]