Christian McCaffrey kept the scoreboard moving for San Francisco in Week 5, punching in his fifth touchdown of the 2026 season as the 49ers moved to 5-0 with a win over the defending Super Bowl champions. That headline performance was part of another busy Sunday for former Stanford players scattered across the league, with several Cardinals seeing meaningful snaps and a few turning in notable individual efforts.
McCaffrey’s day was efficient and familiar: 11 carries for 68 yards and three catches for 15 yards, highlighted by an 11-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. It was one of two rushes of at least 10 yards in the game for him, and the first time that’s happened this season.
Elsewhere in the NFC, Elijah Higgins had one of the most productive receiving outings among Stanford alums. One of two starting tight ends for Arizona, he caught all three of his targets for 57 yards and hauled in a 38-yard pass on the first play of the second half, the longest reception of his NFL career. Michael Wilson also started at wide receiver for the Cardinals and finished with four catches for 30 yards, while Simi Fehoko added two special teams tackles, the first multi-tackle game of his career.
The Jaguars’ trip to London included a starting job for Walker Little, who logged 31 snaps at right tackle after stepping in for Anton Harrison, who is having knee surgery. On the other side of that 19-17 Jacksonville win over Philadelphia, Zach Ertz saw only seven snaps at tight end and did not catch either of his two targets, though he was targeted on 33% of his routes.
A few former Cardinal defenders and special teamers also made their marks. In Tennessee’s 26-3 loss to Houston, Elic Ayomanor caught one of two targets for 17 yards and also recorded a special teams tackle, the first of his NFL career. Solomon Thomas played 21 defensive snaps for the Titans and made three tackles for the second straight game.
The Patriots’ 45-17 win over the Raiders gave Thomas Booker IV his biggest workload of the season. He played 38 snaps on Las Vegas’ defensive line and finished with two tackles, setting a season-high in defensive snaps.
In New Orleans, Justin Reid started and played all 71 snaps for the Saints in a 23-13 loss to Minnesota, tying for the team lead with 10 tackles. It was his seventh NFL game with at least 10 tackles and his second as a Saint.
A couple more former Stanford defenders contributed in lower-volume roles. Harrison Phillips started at defensive tackle for the Jets and played 29 snaps in New York’s 17-12 win over Cleveland, recording one solo tackle. Kendall Williamson saw 21 special teams snaps for the Chargers in their 23-17 loss to Denver, third-most on the team that week.
The Falcons got solid work out of Jake Bailey in their 30-23 overtime loss to Baltimore. He punted four times and averaged 53.3 yards per kick, his best mark of the season and his fourth-best average in a game in which he has punted at least three times. Austin Hooper also appeared for Atlanta, playing 10 offensive snaps.