BySEAN BOCK 10 hours ago (September 14, 2021)
Week one of the NFL season
concluded on Monday night.
There were a handful of former Hawkeyes in action throughout the
weekend and a good amount of them put together strong performances.
Here were some of the highlights of week one.
TJ Hockenson is poised for a breakout
year after strong week one
Detroit dropped a tough loss to San
Franciso, but Hockenson at the tight end position was a big bright spot for the
Lions.
Hockenson finished the game with eight
receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. Detroit's wide receivers are not as
strong this year, so the Lions could rely on Hockenson a lot in the passing
game.
Jared Goff with his first TD as a Lion, courtesy of TJ Hockenson! #OnePride pic.twitter.com/deBjCqyPl9
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) September 12, 2021
Fellow former Iowa tight end George Kittle's team might've won the
game, but Hockenson had the better stat line in the game.
“There’s plenty of meat
still on the bone,” Detroit tight ends coach Ben Johnson said previously of Hockenson. “We’re
looking forward to getting even more from him. The sky’s the limit for this
kid. I really look forward to seeing him take that next step.”
Former
Iowa linebackers making plays
Kansas
City should be one of the best teams in the NFL this year and likely the Super
Bowl favorite.
Niemann and Hitchens have played key roles for the Chiefs at the linebacker spot the past few years and teamed up on Sunday against. Hitchens forced a Cleveland Broncos' fumble in the third quarter and Niemann recovered it. The Chiefs ended up winning the contest, 33-29.
#NFLHawks@AnthonyHitchens causes the fumble 🤝 @bniemann95 recovers it!pic.twitter.com/EEOFSYUU0E
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) September 12, 2021
In other former Iowa linebacker news, Josey Jewell also forced a fumble in the Denver Broncos' 27-13 win over the New York Giants.
James
Daniels holds his own against one of the league's best
There
wasn't a lot going for the Chicago Bears on Sunday night in the 34-14 loss to
Los Angeles Rams, but former Iowa offensive lineman James Daniels did a good
job of taming arguably the NFL's most dominant player in Rams' defensive tackle
Aaron Donald.
“I’m
stronger,” Daniels said previously. “I feel like my technique is better and so
I feel like right now, I’m a way better player than I am when I got hurt last
year.”
Riley
Reiff plays well in Cincinnati debut
The story
of Cincinnati's Sunday afternoon win against the Minnesota Vikings was the
return of quarterback Joe Burrow. The Bengals' run game was also effective, and
a big reason for that was the play of former Iowa offensive lineman Riley
Reiff.
However,
the biggest impact he had was in the passing game.
Per Pro
Football Focus, Reiff had a pass-blocking grade of 78.8 with no pressures
allowed.