Clemson in NFL: Did a former Tigers star actually intercept a QB spike?

For a while, the best former Clemson Tiger on the Atlanta Falcons defense has been Vic Beasley Jr., the All-Pro sack machine. But this season, Beasley has been battling injuries and is nowhere near the top form he displayed last year.

But in his place, another Clemson alum has emerged as a defensive star for Atlanta: defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

Sunday marked a perfect example of this new dynamic as Beasley recorded one tackle against the New York Jets, while Jarrett racked up seven, three behind the line of scrimmage, and half a sack.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave Jarrett and his fellow rushers on the defensive line an A grade for their performance Sunday, and that did not even take into account one of the most impressive plays Jarrett made.

Late in the game, with the Falcons leading by five points and the Jets scrambling to make up the difference, the New York offense set up to spike the ball and stop the clock in order to be able to run one more play. As quarterback Josh McCown took the snap and attempted to throw the football to the turf, Jarrett burst through the line and appeared to intercept it.

Ultimately, Jarrett’s interception, which would have been the first of his three-year career, did not count, as the referees called New York for a false start penalty that ended the game. Still, the play was evidence of Jarrett’s ability to wreak havoc in the Jets’ backfield all game long.

On the other sideline, former Tiger and Jets kicker Chandler Catanzaro struggled in rainy conditions, going 2-for-4 on field goals. Those six points left on the table represented his team’s margin of defeat, as the Jets lost, 25-20.

In the immediate aftermath of the loss, Catanzaro said he felt “awful,” and fellow kicker Ross Martin, who lost out on the Jets’ kicking job in training camp to Catanzaro, appeared to troll him by posting a video to Twitter of him kicking three consecutive field goals from 50 yards out in the pouring rain.

Martin later said he had not meant to mock Catanzaro’s performance.

Across the country, not practicing seemed to work out well for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver DeAndre Hopkins. After skipping practice earlier this week in protest over Texans owner (and South Carolina grad) Bob McNair’s controversial statements seemingly comparing players to inmates, Hopkins caught eight passes for 224 yards and a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.

Hopkins now ranks tied for first in the NFL in touchdown receptions, third in receiving yards, third in targets and tied for fifth in receptions. Obviously, a large part of that success is due to the emergence of rookie sensation Watson, the former Tiger who four touchdowns against the Seahawks to set an NFL record for most TDs through seven career games.

Watson is in fierce competition with Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt for Rookie of the Year and has made his way to the fringes of the MVP race, with OddsShark putting his chances at sixth best in the league right now.

Meanwhile, the Martavis Bryant soap opera in Pittsburgh continued, as the receiver was listed as inactive for Sunday’s game at the Detroit Lions and coach Mike Tomlin said he was not confident Bryant would be able to produce for the team down the stretch. While the team has not outright said it is looking to deal Bryant to another team, all reports seem to indicate a trade is likely.

CLEMSON

Dwayne Allen, TE, New England Patriots: Recorded no catches on no targets, has zero receptions on six targets for the year

Stephone Anthony, LB, New Orleans Saints: DNP

Mackensie Alexander, CB, Minnesota Vikings: 2 tackles after missing last week with a hip injury

Isaiah Battle, OT, Seattle Seahawks: DNP

Vic Beasley Jr., LB, Atlanta Falcons: 1 tackle, 11 on the season

Andre Branch, DE, Miami Dolphins: DNP after injuring his groin last week

Bashaud Breeland, CB, Washington Redskins: DNP with a knee injury

Jaron Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Bye week

Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: DNP

Chandler Catanzaro, K, New York Jets: 2 for 4 on field goals with a long of 46 yards, 2 for 2 on extra points

Kevin Dodd, LB, Tennessee Titans: Bye week

Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Bye week

Wayne Gallman, RB, New York Giants: Bye week

Marcus Gilchrist, S, Houston Texans: 3 tackles, 1 pass defended, his first since Week 4

B.J. Goodson, LB, New York Giants: Bye week

T.J. Green, S, Indianapolis Colts: 4 tackles, all solo, got his first start of the season since Week 1

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans: 8 catches on 11 targets for 224 yards and 1 touchdown

Adam Humphries, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4 catches on 6 targets for 26 yards

Grady Jarrett, DT, Atlanta Falcons: 7 tackles, tied for a career high, and 0.5 sacks, his first of the season

Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Kansas City Chiefs: Yet to play

Jayron Kearse, S, Minnesota Vikings: 1 solo tackle, his first mark on the stat sheet since Week 2

Shaq Lawson, DE, Buffalo Bills: Started for third conseuctive game but recorded no stats

Jordan Leggett, TE, New York Jets: Once again did not play while battling with a knee injury

Byron Maxwell, CB: Released by the Miami Dolphins early this week after reported issues with injuries, attitude and motivation

Charone Peake, WR, New York Jets: DNP, on the injured reserve

Bradley Pinion, P, San Francisco 49ers: 8 punts for 364 yards, both season highs, with an average of 45.5 yards, two downed inside the 20-yard line

D.J. Reader, DT, Houston Texans: 6 tackles, a season-high, 2 solo

Coty Sensabaugh, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Appeared on special teams, did not record any stats

Tyler Shatley, G, Jacksonville Jaguars: Bye week

Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Miami Dolphins: 1 tackle, 1 pass defended, started his fifth straight game

Sammy Watkins, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Bye week

Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans: 19 completions on 30 attempts for 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, a season high

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: 1 catches on 2 targets for 7 yards