Former Notre Dame and current Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman had a standout performance on Monday Night Football, helping lead the Chargers to a 27-6 victory over the New York Jets. Gilman made a significant impact on the game, recording four tackles, forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble, and breaking up a pass. He nearly scored a touchdown on his fumble recovery but was ruled out of bounds inside the 5-yard line.
Gilman’s performance was even more impressive considering he had been dealing with a heel injury for the past month. However, he is now healthy and showcasing his versatility, coverage skills, and tackling ability, which make the Chargers’ defense stronger.
Fans and analysts have taken notice of Gilman’s impact on the field. Daniel Popper, a reporter for the Chargers, tweeted, “This defense is just different with Alohi Gilman on the field. He is a difference-maker.”
In addition to Gilman, several other former Notre Dame players made their mark in Week 9 of the NFL season. Here’s a rundown of how they performed:
– Brandon Aubrey, who played for Notre Dame from 2013-16 and is now a kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, set an NFL record for most field goals made to begin a career with 19. He made his lone field goal attempt in a 28-23 loss to the Eagles.
– Aaron Banks, an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, had a bye week.
– Miles Boykin, a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, caught his only target for 6 yards in a 20-16 win over the Titans.
– Chase Claypool, a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, was not targeted in a 21-14 loss to the Chiefs.
– Scott Daly, a long snapper for the Detroit Lions, had a bye week.
– Liam Eichenberg, an offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins, played 14 snaps at center and allowed one quarterback hit in a 21-14 win over the Chiefs.
– Isaiah Foskey, a defensive end for the New Orleans Saints, did not appear on defense in a 24-17 win over the Bears.
– Blake Grupe, a kicker for the New Orleans Saints, went 1-for-2 on field goals, including a career-long 55-yarder, in a 24-17 win over the Bears.
– Robert Hainsey, an offensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not allow a pressure but finished with a 65.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade in a 39-37 loss to the Texans.
– Kyle Hamilton, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, blitzed three times, pressuring the quarterback on two of them. He also made two defensive stops and allowed only one catch on three targets for five yards in a 37-3 win over the Seahawks.
– Kurt Hinish, a defensive tackle for the Houston Texans, was held off the stat sheet in a 39-37 win over the Buccaneers.
– J.J. Jansen, a long snapper for the Carolina Panthers, successfully snapped the ball seven times (four punts and three kicks) in a 27-13 win over the Panthers.
– Khalid Kareem, a defensive end for the Chicago Bears (practice squad), was released but re-signed to the practice squad after the Bears traded for another defensive end.
– Cole Kmet, a tight end for the Chicago Bears, caught six passes on seven targets for 55 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 24-17 loss to the Saints.
– Julian Love, a defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks, made four tackles and gave up two receptions on two targets for 20 yards in a 37-3 loss to the Ravens.
– Zack Martin, an offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, gave up a sack and two additional quarterback hits in a 28-23 loss to the Eagles.
– Michael Mayer, a tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders, caught both of his targets for 11 yards in a 30-6 win over the Giants.
– Nick McCloud, a cornerback for the New York Giants, played a season-high 34 snaps, made one tackle, and gave up one catch on two targets for six yards in a 30-6 loss to the Raiders.
– Mike McGlinchey, an offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos, had a bye week.
– Sam Mustipher, an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, played for the first time since Week 4 and earned a 60.2 overall Pro Football Focus grade in a 37-3 win over the Seahawks.
– Quenton Nelson, an offensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts, received a 34.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, his lowest of the season, in a 27-13 win over the Panthers.
– Julian Okwara, an edge rusher for the Detroit Lions, had a bye week.
– Romeo Okwara, a defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions, had a bye week.
– Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, made four tackles, including one for loss, in a 27-0 win over the Cardinals.
– Jarrett Patterson, an offensive lineman for the Houston Texans, allowed one hurry and graded at 65.1 in the run game in a 39-37 win over the Buccaneers.
– Isaac Rochell, a defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, made one tackle for loss in a 30-6 win over the Giants.
– Ben Skowronek, a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, was not targeted in a 20-3 loss to the Packers.
– Durham Smythe, a tight end for the Miami Dolphins, caught all three of his targets for 17 yards in a 21-14 loss to the Chiefs.
– Harrison Smith, a safety for the Minnesota Vikings, made six tackles, including two defensive stops, and allowed three receptions for 31 yards on five targets in a 31-28 win over the Falcons.
– Ronnie Stanley, an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, allowed a sack and an additional hurry in a 37-3 win over the Seahawks.
– Jerry Tillery, a defensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders, had one quarterback pressure in a 30-6 win over the Giants.
Overall, it was a successful week for many former Notre Dame players in the NFL, with standout performances and contributions across various positions.Former Notre Dame and current Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman showcased his skills on Monday Night Football, playing a crucial role in the team’s 27-6 victory over the New York Jets. Gilman’s outstanding performance included creating two turnovers, making four tackles, forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble, and breaking up a pass.
One of the standout moments of the game came when Gilman nearly returned his fumble recovery for a touchdown, but unfortunately, he was ruled out of bounds just inside the 5-yard line. Despite this, his impact on the Chargers’ defense was undeniable.
Gilman had been dealing with a heel injury for the past month, but he has now fully recovered. His versatility, coverage skills, and tackling ability make the Chargers’ defense stronger and more formidable.
In a tweet, Daniel Popper praised Gilman, stating, “This defense is just different with Alohi Gilman on the field. He is a difference-maker.”
Let’s take a look at how other former Notre Dame players performed in Week 9 of the NFL:
Brandon Aubrey, who played for Notre Dame from 2013-16 and currently serves as the kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, unfortunately, experienced a 28-23 loss to the Eagles. Aubrey, as reported by BlueandGold.com’s Tyler Horka, set an NFL record by making 19 consecutive field goals at the start of his career. However, he only attempted one field goal in this game.
Aaron Banks, an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, had a bye week and did not play.
Miles Boykin, a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, contributed to their 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans by catching his only target for a gain of 6 yards.
Chase Claypool, a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, did not receive any targets in their 21-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Scott Daly, a long snapper for the Detroit Lions, also had a bye week and did not play.
Liam Eichenberg, an offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins, played 14 snaps at center and allowed one quarterback hit in their 21-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Isaiah Foskey, a defensive end for the New Orleans Saints, did not appear on defense in their 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Blake Grupe, a kicker for the New Orleans Saints, went 1-for-2 on field goals, with his successful attempt being a career-long 55-yarder. Notre Dame kickers in the NFL are having an impressive season.
Robert Hainsey, an offensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not allow any pressure in their 39-37 loss to the Houston Texans. However, he received an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 65.0.
Kyle Hamilton, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, played a significant role in their dominant 37-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Hamilton blitzed three times, pressuring the quarterback on two occasions. He also made two defensive stops and allowed only one catch on three targets for a mere 5 yards.
Kurt Hinish, a defensive tackle for the Houston Texans, did not make any notable contributions in their 39-37 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
J.J. Jansen, a long snapper for the Carolina Panthers, successfully snapped the ball seven times (four punts and three kicks) in their 27-13 win over the Panthers.
Khalid Kareem, a defensive end for the Chicago Bears (practice squad), was released after the team acquired defensive end Montez Sweat from the Commanders. However, the Bears re-signed Kareem to their practice squad.
Cole Kmet, a tight end for the Chicago Bears, had an impressive performance in their 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Kmet caught six passes on seven targets for 55 yards and scored two touchdowns. He has consistently played at a high level this season, establishing himself as one of the top tight ends in the NFL.
Julian Love, a defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks, made four tackles and allowed two receptions on two targets for a total of 20 yards in their 37-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Zack Martin, an offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, allowed a sack for the second consecutive week and two additional quarterback hits in their 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Michael Mayer, a tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders, caught both of his targets for a total of 11 yards in their 30-6 win over the New York Giants.
Nick McCloud, a cornerback for the New York Giants, played a season-high 34 snaps, making one tackle. He only allowed one catch on two targets for six yards in their 30-6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Mike McGlinchey, an offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos, had a bye week and did not