Purdue Boilermakers in the NFL: 2014 Season, Week 4

Here at Boiling With Bias, not only do we love to show out bias for the Purdue Boilermakers, but we also love to show our bias towards former Purdue athletes who have gone on to play professionally. With that said, each week we will bring you “Purdue Boilermakers in the NFL”, a recap column of what former Boilermakers did in their respective games.

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It was a very rough week for former Purdue Boilermakers and their respective NFL teams. Only one player who stepped on the field walked away with a victory – Mike Neal of the Green Bay Packers – while the other seven suffered defeats.

Because so many Boilers were on losing side this week, it made choosing our weekly award winners even tougher. Just for a refresher our two awards are the Boiler Up, which goes to the player with the best week-over-week performance, and the Hammer Down, which goes to the player with the best weekly performance.

The Boiler Up Award goes to Ryan Kerrigan for his performance against the New York Giants. While his team lost, Kerrigan made sure to wipe away his one tackle performance from Week 3 from everyone’s mind.

The Hammer Down Award goes to Kawann Short who is starting to make a name for himself among NFL circles. Like Kerrigan, his team lost, but Short finished with five tackles and was all over the field.

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Now let’s see how our former Purdue Boilermakers fared this week.

Drew Brees – QB – New Orleans Saints

It was another typical game for Brees; 32-of-44 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. And, sad to say, it was another typical game for the New Orleans Saints. Their defense got lit up for 38 points and the offense could barely move the ball down field. Both teams were in the redzone three times, but Brees and the Saints couldn’t capitalize on each attempt, going 2-of-3. Brees has now thrown for 1,203 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions on the season.

Ryan Kerrigan – LB – Washington Redskins

It’s tough to say Kerrigan played a great game on Thursday, but then again the entire Washington Redskins defense was a joke compared to the New York Giants offense. Kerrigan finished with three tackles and a sack, giving him the five sacks for the season and 29.5 for his career.

Dennis Kelly – OL – Philadelphia Eagles

The offensive line shuffling continued in Philadelphia after the Eagles lost Jason Kelce this week due to a sports hernia. They input their third different starting lineup in only four weeks, including two players getting their first career starts. Kelly moved from left guard to right guard, but it appears that as long as the offensive line continues to change, the Eagles will continue to struggle, even if they find a way to win.

Kelly and the Eagles lost their first game of the season this week to the San Francisco 49ers. The offensive line allowed four sacks, seven total quarterback hits and helped the rushing game compile a total of 22 yards.

Mike Neal – LB – Green Bay Packers

A quiet day for Neal and the Green Bay Packers defense stats wise, except for the one stat that matters: opposing team’s total points scored. Neal finished with two tackles and the team finished with one sack and two interceptions, but only gave up 17 points to a potent Chicago Bears offense. For the season Neal has 12 tackles and a sack.

Sep 21, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich (50) during the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Ninkovich – DE – New England Patriots

Ninkovich and the Patriots defense had a rough night trying to stop the Kansas City Chiefs running backs. They gave up 207 rushing yards and one touchdown – Kniles Davis ran for 107 yards and Jamaal Charles ran for 92 yards and a touchdown. Ninkovich now has 16 tackles and one sack on the season.

Shaun Phillips – LB and Bernard Pollard – SS – Tennessee Titans

Rough day for the Tennessee Titans defense as Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts decimated them for 41 points. Phillips finished with three tackles and Pollard had two. They allowed Luck to pick them apart for 393 yards and four touchdowns. Phillips has seven tackles and Pollard has 23 tackles on the season.

Kawann Short – DT – Carolina Panthers

Short record five total tackles in the Carolina Panthers loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately the Panthers defense was unable to get much pressure on Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco – zero sacks and two quarterback hits – and Flacco torched the Panthers’ secondary for 327 yards and three touchdowns.  Short now has 12 tackles on the season.