Although he recorded 34 total touchdowns as a Quaker, on Thursday night, Justin Watson might've just caught the biggest one of his football career.
Here's a look at how Watson and the rest of Penn's alumni in the NFL performed during week two of the regular season.
Justin Watson — Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
With 7:28 left in the third quarter, the Chiefs trailed the Chargers 17-7 and were stuck with a third-and-10 on Los Angeles' 41-yard line. Kansas City was also faced with the loss of starting wideout Mecole Hardman, who was temporarily sitting out with an ankle injury. In his place came Watson, who himself had a chest injury the week before the game.
As the 26-year-old stepped in for the crucial play, he noticed the Charger cornerbacks line up in a way he remembered them doing when he still played for the Buccaneers.
“Two years ago, I played the Chargers, and they were sitting on my out routes — sitting on my out routes,” Watson said to USA Today. “In that game, I wanted to run a double move — out and up — and it didn’t get done, and they ended up taking [an out route] for a pick-six.”
This time, however, Watson eyed the coverage and instead of running an out route, he hit a double move that sent him deep across the middle of the field, where quarterback Patrick Mahomes found the Penn grad for a 41-yard score.
Watson later secured another catch for nine yards to bring his total for the evening up to 50 yards. The touchdown marked Watson's first since 2019, when he was catching balls from Jameis Winston.
“There’s been a lot — a lot — of work from Texas with [Mahomes] from the offseason to go in and make that catch,” he said. “I’m just glad to see the work show.”
Greg Van Roten — Guard/Center, Buffalo Bills
While Watson might've had the star performance for the Quakers in week two, Van Roten stepped up in a big way for the Bills during the team's week-two Monday-night game against the Tennessee Titans.
On the first drive of the game for Buffalo, starting center Mitch Morse suffered a right elbow injury that sat him out. Van Roten, who managed just one offensive snap in week one and has played largely at guard through his entire career, subbed in for Morse.
"It just seemed like it was a new player every series, if you will, whether it was Van [Roten], stepping in when [Morse] went down," Bills coach Sean McDermott said via Bills.com. "The thing I love about it is there's no hesitation. I look up and Van [Roten] is already there, which is awesome."
Van Roten played a total of 38 offensive snaps, manning the middle, as the Bills routed the Titans 41-7.
Kevin Stefanski — Head Coach, Cleveland Browns
Following a close victory last week over the Carolina Panthers, Stefanski and the Browns were unable to repeat their success, falling short to the Jets on Sunday, 31-30.
The loss came after two Jets touchdowns in the last two minutes arose from a coaching miscue by Stefanski. With 2:02 left to play and the Browns up seven and with the ball on the Jets' 12-yard line, all Cleveland had to do was play it safe by not reaching the end zone, causing the clock to run out with the Browns in the lead.
Instead, running back Nick Chubb marched into the end zone for a touchdown that precipitated two Jets touchdowns in the final two minutes to give New York the win.
“Obviously, with retrospect, you want to do anything to secure the win,” Stefanski said after the game. “That is something that is my responsibility to communicate to that huddle. Putting yourself up potentially 14 points inside of two minutes, you should close out that game. Yes, I wish I had said that to [Chubb], and [Chubb] would have done it, but it does not change the fact that we had plenty of opportunities to win that game.”
Prince Emili — Defensive Tackle, Buffalo Bills
After being cut by the Bills at the end of August, Emili earned a spot back with the team on Sep. 14 when Buffalo signed the 24-year-old to its practice squad.
The move came after starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver suffered an angle injury in week one, prompting the Bills to seek increased depth.
Emili could be called up to the active roster if Oliver, who missed the Bills' week-two game against the Titans, remains unable to play.
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