BOCA RATON, Fla. – Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season is in the books with six former Florida Atlantic Owls seeing action. With one final week in the regular season to go, here’s a rundown of how each performed during the 17th week (All gametimes listed below are Eastern):
Active Owls (6)
#2 Azeez Al-Shaair | LB | Tennessee Titans
– Al-Shaair continues to add to his career season with a strong performance against the Houston Texans, making eight tackles, three of them stopping the opposing offense at a yard or less. Ultimately, he was bested by his former Owl teammate Singletary and the Texans by a score of 26-3.
Season Stats: In 16 games/16 starts, 153 tackles (77 solo, 76 assists, sixth place in NFL), eight tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass deflections
Titans’ Record: 5-11 (Fourth in AFC South)
Next Game: vs. Jacksonville – Sunday, 1 p.m. (CBS)
#88 Harrison Bryant | TE | Cleveland Browns
– Bryant kept seeing snaps and the ball, catching two passes for 14 yards, 12 of them coming from a run after the catch in Cleveland’s 37-20 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night. He contributed 41 total snaps, 28 coming on offense and 13 on special teams. With Joe Flacco under center, Cleveland is on a tear, winning four straight games and clinching Bryant’s second playoff appearance of his career.
Season Stats: In 16 games/eight starts, 13 catches for 81 yards (6.2 per catch with a long of 23), three touchdowns, four first downs
Browns’ Record: 11-5 (Second in AFC North, currently fifth seed in the conference)
Next Game: at Cincinnati (and Hendrickson) – Sunday, 1 p.m. (CBS)
#91 Trey Hendrickson | DE | Cincinnati Bengals
– Simply put, Hendrickson is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. His latest takedown of the opposing quarterback extended his streak of consecutive games with at least half a sack to eight and made him tied for the league lead in season sacks with 17. It came in impressive fashion, forcing the fumble on one of the top QBs in the league in Patrick Mahomes. To no one’s surprise, Hendrickson will head to Orlando after the season concludes for his third consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.
Season Stats: 16 games/16 starts, 17 sacks (tied for NFL lead), 41 tackles (27 solo, 14 assists), 16 TFL, three forced fumbles, 22 QB hits
Bengals’ Record: 8-8 (Fourth in AFC North)
Next Game: vs. Cleveland– Sunday, 1 p.m. (CBS)
#1 Greg Joseph | K | Minnesota Vikings
– Joseph tied his season long with a 54-yard field goal in the second quarter of a primetime matchup against the divisional rival Green Bay Packers. He also made his lone extra point attempt as the Vikings fell by a score of 33-10.
Season Stats: In 16 games, 22-28 on field goals, 34-36 on extra point attempts
Vikings’ Record: 7-9 (Third in NFC North, currently 10th seed in the conference)
Next Game: at Detroit – Sunday, 1 p.m. (FOX)
#42 James Pierre | CB | Pittsburgh Steelers
– The special teams ace Pierre played 10 total snaps on that side of the ball. He also came in for two plays on defense as Pittsburgh recorded the 30-23 win over Seattle.
Season Stats: In 15 games, eight tackles (six solo, two assists), played in career high 63% of Pittsburgh’s special teams snaps
Steelers’ Record: 9-7 (Third in AFC North, same record as two other teams in position to capture the conference’s seventh seed and final wild card spot, though due to tiebreakers are currently the ninth seed)
Next Game: at Baltimore – Saturday, 4:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+)
#26 Devin Singletary | RB | Houston Texans
– Make that three straight seasons for “Motor” with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage. In Houston’s 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans, Singletary took his 16 carries and turned it into 80 yards with seven of his rushes going for first downs. He also made his season-long rush with a 24-yard carry and made three catches for six yards.
Season Stats: 16 games/nine starts, 192 carries for 835 rushing yards (18th in NFL, 4.4 per carry with a long of 24), three touchdowns, 29 receptions for 191 yards (6.6 yards per catch), 45 total first downs
Texans’ Record: 9-7 (Third in AFC South, same record as three other teams in position to capture the conference’s seventh seed and final wild card spot, though due to tiebreakers are currently the eighth seed)
Next Game: at Indianapolis – Saturday, 8:15 p.m. (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+)
Inactive (1)
#73 Brandon Walton | OT | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
– Walton was inactive in the Buccaneers’ 23-13 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Season Stats: 10 games, 16 snaps
Buccaneers’ Record: 8-8 (Currently first in NFC South)
Next Game: at Carolina – Sunday, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Practice Squad (2)
#80 Zaire Mitchell-Paden | TE | Cleveland Browns
#27 Zyon Gilbert | CB | Green Bay Packers
Check back next Thursday to see how each Owl wrapped up their regular season, along with a preview of their respective team’s next game for those who qualified for the playoffs.
