Pro Dawgs Week 1: Shaq Thompson Shows Out

After being forced to endure two of the most horrific weekends of football in recent memory, Washington Husky fans finally got to take a break from their gridiron hardships with the arrival of the NFL’s regular season.

In the season-opening matchup between the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys, former Legion Of Zoom member Jaydon Mickens received praise from famed NBC commentators Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth as he returned 3 kicks for a total of 92 yards and 2 punts for 21 yards. In that game, Vita Vea also left the broadcast marveling despite not recording a stat, and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka impressed Twitter while also recording 2 tackles in his NFL debut. Tampa won 31-29.

Out of all the #ProDawgs that are in the league, the biggest performer in week 1 was Shaq Thompson. The Carolina Panther recorded 10 tackles, 1 being a sack, intercepted a pass, and broke up three passes en route to a 19-14 victory over the New York Jets.

The most viral play in the city of Seattle came when Seahawk Will Dissly left a Colt defender implanted in the turf after a vicious stiff arm. Dissly caught 3 passes for 37 yards and the Seahawks cruised to a 28-16 win in Indianapolis.

Of course, when talking about UW’s NFL alumni, the first thought always goes to the tandem of defensive backs they’ve seen drafted in recent years. Budda Baker has been the frontrunner for that group and he finished with 8 tackles and a pass deflection for the Arizona Cardinals while his teammate Byron Murphy had 4 tackles and 3 pass deflections of his own. The Cardinals punished the Tennesee Titans to a tune of 38-13 but Elijah Molden had 2 tackles in that game for Tennesee in his NFL debut.

Meanwhile, on Sunday night in Los Angeles, the Rams defense showcased flashes of brilliance against the Chicago Bears. In that game, Taylor Rapp came away with 10 tackles while Greg Gaines had 1 tackle of his own.

In the New Orleans Saints thrashing of the Green Bay Packers, Desmond Trufant recorded a tackle in his Saint debut while Kevin King mirrored those efforts but in a Packer jersey.

In a rough outing against the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants fell 27-13 but not before Danny Shelton was able to record a tackle. Over in New England, the Miami Dolphins came away with a 17-16 win with help from Myles Gaskin who ran the ball 9 times for 49 yards while catching 5 passes for 27 yards, and Salvon Ahmed who ran the ball 3 times for 4 yards but had 24 receiving yards on 2 catches.

But was there a more efficient effort than the one the Los Angeles Chargers received from Tristan Vizcaino? He went 2/2 on field goals and knocked in both extra points to help the Chargers down the Washington Football Team 20-16.