Photo courtesy of Denver Broncos Media Services
Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall (54) makes a tackle during the Broncos’ 42-17 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. Marshall is leading the team in tackles with 47.
By Chris Boline
Each week The Nevada Sagebrush will take a look at former Wolf Pack players in the National Football League. The week seven edition spotlights the Sunday night blowout between the Den- ver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers.
1.BRANDON M.MARSHALL Linebacker, Denver Broncos
Once again, Marshall turned in a masterful performance for the NFL’s best team. The linebacker led the Broncos with eight total tackles in Denver’s 42-17 evisceration of San Francisco on Sunday night. Already the team’s leading tackler through five games, Marshall cleared the way for the Denver defense to shut down former Wolf Pack star Colin Kaepernick and the rest of the 49ers’ offense. The former Jacksonville Jaguars castoff has established himself as one of the most consistent threats on one of the NFL’s most brutal defenses.
2. JOSH MAUGA
Linebackers, Kansas City Chiefs
The former all-Western Athletic Conference performer led the way for the Chiefs’ defense in Kansas City’s biggest win of the season over the high-octane San Diego Chargers. Mauga was third on the team in tackles with five and was part of a Chiefs’ defense that held one of the league’s most explosive offenses to 251 total yards. Additionally, the fourth-year pro helped the Kansas City front seven limit Chargers’ rookie star Branden Oliver to only 67 yards on the ground.
3. Duke Williams Safety, Buffalo Bills
Even though Williams lost his starting spot to Da’Norris Searcy, he still managed to clean up in spot duty for the Bills’ secondary. The second-year pro combined for five tackles in Buffalo’s 17-16 win over the Vikings. The 5-foot-11 safety has made tremendous growth this season and has more than quintupled his career tackle total this year with 35 total stops. With Searcy returning from injury Williams’ immediate future as a starter for the 4-3 Bills might be up in the air, but he has proved that he belongs as a starter in the NFL.
HONORABLE MENTION
Colin Kaepernick
Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
One of the biggest reasons why the Broncos outclassed the 49ers was that Kaepernick did not have his best performance of the year against the league’s hottest team. Even though the quarterback passed for 263 yards and a touchdown against the vaunted Denver defense, he was picked off once and was held to just 18 yards on the ground.
Chris Boline can be reached at cboline@sagebrush.unr.edu.