Bulldogs in the NFL: Week 9

From a former first round pick in the NFL Draft to a special teams player who went undrafted, multiple Georgia football alumni recorded in strong performances in Week 9 of the NFL season. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders Brock Bowers missed the first two games of the 2026 season. Since then, he has been a force to be reckoned with, ranking in the top 10 in numerous stats, including receiving yards and touchdowns caught. This past Sunday, Bowers had seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. This was Bowers’ third game over 100 receiving yards and his fifth game with a touchdown. One of the league’s best tight ends is up to 48 catches, 658 receiving yards and six touchdowns in just seven games this season. Bowers will have a new man throwing him the football next week since the Raiders traded Kirk Cousins back to his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, giving the keys to the quarterback position to first-overall pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza. Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith Jr., Philadelphia Eagles The duo of national champions continued to wreak havoc as they faced a division rival in the New York Giants. Davis and Smith combined for five tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Although the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Giants 19-11, the Eagles defense held the Giants to just 243 total yards. Despite their success together, the pair was separated at the trade deadline when Davis was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, leaving the Eagles to continue to navigate a tough  season. Davis will join fellow Bulldog alum, Travon Walker, as the Jaguars push toward the Lombardi Trophy. James Cook, Buffalo Bills After a down week by his standards, Cook returned to the dominant running back that he is, recording a season-high 31 carries on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. Cook turned those 31 carries into 107 yards and a touchdown, continuing his strong first half of the season. Cook ranks in the top 10 for plenty of major categories for running backs, including carries, rushing yards, touchdowns and yards per carry. Brett Thorson, Minnesota Vikings Yes, a punter stood out in the NFL this week. With the Minnesota Vikings at the bottom of the league in total offense, undrafted rookie Brett Thorson got plenty of chances to boot the ball on Monday. Thorson averaged 48 yards per punt while pinning the Buffalo Bills inside their own 20-yard line four times. After winning the Vikings punter job in training camp, Thorson is averaging 44.8 yards per punt and forcing opponents inside their own 20-yard line 56% of the time.