Week nine of the NFL season saw many former Bulldogs enjoy great success across the league. On both offense and defense, you could count on a Dawg making a big play for their team.
Brock Bowers has spent most of the 2025 season dealing with a knee injury. It was severe enough for him to miss the entire month of October, much to the detriment of the Las Vegas Raiders. This Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, however, he made his return in a big way.
Bowers impressed, catching 12 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns, plus a six-yard run reminiscent of his Georgia days under Todd Monken and Mike Bobo. Though the Raiders lost 30-29 in overtime to the Jaguars, having their top offensive weapon back should encourage head coach Pete Carroll for the rest of the season.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before in a Dawgs in the NFL article: Matthew Stafford had a huge game for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Our favorite Texan Dawg is on pace for the best season of his 16-year career in the NFL. Against the New Orleans Saints, Stafford went 24-for-32 with 281 yards and four touchdowns. He currently boasts an impressive 21-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and continues to maintain his place in the MVP conversation.
On the defensive side of the ball, Baltimore Ravens’ rookie Malaki Starks picked up his first career interception in a 28-6 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins. The 27th overall pick in this year’s draft also netted five tackles on the day. His teammate and fellow Dawg, Roquan Smith, led the Ravens with 12 tackles.
Here are some other notable stats and news from former Dawgs in the NFL:
- Rookie Jalon Walker recorded two sacks for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. He currently leads all rookies with the most sacks this season, with three so far. Unfortunately for him, the Falcons would go on to lose to the New England Patriots.
- The Indianapolis Colts made a big move yesterday by acquiring former Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. The Colts traded away two first round picks and former Georgia/Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. The 2024 second-round pick will look for a fresh start in New York, as he has yet to record his first career NFL touchdown. At least he’ll always be remembered by Georgia fans for two of the biggest touchdown catches in Bulldog history.
- The 11th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Mykel Williams, sadly suffered a torn ACL on Sunday. Williams, who was beginning to see more and more play time as the season progressed, became the latest 49er to suffer an injury. Best wishes to Mykel for a speedy recovery.
That’s all for this week! Tune in next time to see what your favorite former Dawgs are up to in the NFL.
Go Dawgs!
