Patriots QB Mac Jones will be seeing the Colts’ Dayo Odeyingbo in his dreams for a while yet
Dayo Odeyingbo was easily the African player of the week in the NFL, with three crunching sacks in the Indianapolis Colts’ 10-6 win over the New England Patriots.
It was a supremely strong week for Africa from a defensive perspective, with BJ Ojulari, Foyesade Oluokun, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Nate Landman all having strong games.
However, there was cause for celebration from attacking players too, notably Brandon Aiyuk and Gus Edwards.
Odeyingbo, the son of Nigerian immigrants, not only sacked Patriots quarterback Mac Jones three times, but did all that in the first half of a 10-6 win for the Colts.
The sacks were hugely consequential for Jones, who was substituted with 1:52 remaining on the clock for Bailey Zappe. Will his career recover after an abysmal run of form in his third season with the Patriots, after replacing Tom Brady as quarterback in 2021?
Odeyingbo earned his first sack with the scores still at 0-0. Then, after the Colts took a 7-3 lead through a Jonathan Taylor touchdown, he made two more in quick succession in the second quarter.
The Patriots were unable to recover, with the Colts defensive line repeatedly finding ways to pile pressure on the quarterback. Odeyingbo was undoubtedly the player who set the tone for the rest of the game and had the biggest part to play in the win.
The Colts are now 5-5 for the season and third in the AFC South with two wins in a row under their belt. Meanwhile, the Pats sit bottom of the AFC East at 2-8 with three straight losses.
While Odeyingbo dogged Jones throughout the first half of the Colts v Patriots clash, fellow Nigerian-American BJ Ojulari had the most impactful singular moment.
In a tightly-fought contest between the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons, which featured several key moments from African players on both sides, he made two sacks, one of which came at a critical point in the game as it sat on a knife-edge.
With the Cardinals holding a slender 15-14 lead in the third quarter, the edge rusher set his sights on Taylor Heinicke, barely giving him a moment to breathe as he snuck round the corner and charged inside to pin the quarterback 11 yards backwards.
The rookie from LSU stretched his arms in celebration, realizing the magnitude of the moment, and although the Falcons fought valiantly until the end, they were never fully able to swing momentum back in their favor. The Cardinals clinched a much needed second win of the NFL season.
After getting his first career sack against the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago, Ojulari added two more to his tally and now has more for the season than even Houston Texans prodigy Will Anderson Jr, who has two in total for the season.
Anderson was the third overall pick of the 2023 draft, while Ojulari went 41st. Against the Falcons, Ojulari managed a total of eight tackles – almost half of his career total of 20 in the NFL.
Zimbabwe’s Nate Landman was a strong contender for both Player of the Week and Moment of the Week, as he once again led from the front on defense for the Falcons and almost took them to victory.
Landman not only made eight tackles and a sack, but also picked up his first career interception in the NFL.
The Chicago Bears, like the Cardinals, were in desperate need of a win, and Yannick Ngakoue, who has a Cameroonian father, made a sack to help them get it in a 16-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Fellow Cameroonian-American Brandon Aiyuk got a touchdown as the San Francisco 49ers returned to winning ways 34-3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite an impressive performance from Foyesade Oluokun, who led the Jags defense with two sacks.
In a 29-26 win over the Washington Commanders, the Seattle Seahawks’ Boye Mafe, who has roots in Nigeria, made yet another sack to set a franchise record – sacks in seven straight games – another strong contender for Moment of the Week.
With seven tackles and half a sack, Ghanaian-American Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was one of the Cleveland Browns’ standout players in a 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Justin Madubuike, who is of Nigerian heritage, had a big impact for the opposition defense with a sack of his own to continue his incredible season.
The Houston Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 and Dare Ogunbowale, who is of Nigerian descent, starred on special teams and put in a huge tackle to preserve his team’s lead heading into half-time.
Ogunbowale had starred last week as an emergency kicker and once again showed his versatility and commitment to the Texans’ cause.
Odeyingbo was not the only African player who starred for the Colts in their win over the Patriots. Guinea-born Liberian Kwity Paye also picked up a sack.
His fellow Liberian, Gus Edwards, picked up a touchdown for the Baltimore Ravens in their defeat to the Cleveland Browns.
South Africa’s Greg Joseph kicked nine points for the Minnesota Vikings as they beat the New Orleans Saints 27-19.
Ultimately, however, Zimbabwe’s Landman was the standout performer out of those born on African soil for his heroics for the Atlanta Falcons against the Arizona Cardinals. They may not have produced a win on this occasion, but his teammates will definitely be looking to him to be one of the leaders of future victories after that display.