Teams have started to reach the midpoint of the 2020-21 NFL schedule. In a season like no other in league annals, it’s been pleasantly competitive.
Don’t be surprised if former Helix High School standout (and Bonita Vista Middle School graduate) Alex Smith has his name come up for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Smith, who has been out of action for nearly two years while recovering from a horrible leg injury during his first season with the Washington Football Team in 2018, has apparently received the call from Washington head coach Ron Rivera to start the rest of the team’s games this season following an injury to starter Kyle Allen in Sunday’s 23-20 NFC East loss to the visiting New York Giants.
It was Smith’s first game action in a month after making one relief appearance earlier this season.
Ironically, the 15-year NFL veteran was handed the reins following a gruesome ankle injury to Allen after being sacked by the Giants. Smith completed 24 of 32 passing attempts for 325 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in relief duty against the Giants.
Sunday’s game went much better for Smith than his first taste of action this season after entering the game following an arm injury to Allen in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams. Smith finished the game with nine completions for just 37 yards while being sacked six times.
Smith connected with Washington receiver Trevor McLaurin on a 68-yard touchdown pass to bring the hosts to within three points on the scoreboard with roughly 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter in Sunday’s match-up. But the game did not end in storybook fashion for the former Utah Ute.
Smith’s third pick in the game came at an untimely juncture when the Giants’ Logan Ryan intercepted the ball on Washington’s final drive.
With Allen expected to undergo ankle surgery and possibly be out for the remainder of the season, Rivera is leaning on Smith as the team’s starter over top draft pick Dwayne Haskins.
Besides drawing on his previous years of experience as a starter with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, Smith is expected to serve a mentoring role for Haskins, the MVP of the 2018 Big Ten championship game. Haskins completed 50 touchdown passes during his lone season as a starter with Ohio State but had a lackluster NFL rookie season in 2019 with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven starts while being sacked 75 times.
Smith also served in a mentoring role for current Kansas City signal-caller Patrick Mahomes, who led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl championship last season.
Washington is 2-6 on the season but is in second place in the NFC East standings behind the Philadelphia Eagles (3-4-1). The Giants and Dallas Cowboys are both 2-7.
Still kicking
Mater Dei Catholic alum Jason Myers is enjoying a solid season as member of the Seattle Seahawks.
Myers has collected 54 kicking points in eight games so far for the Seahawks, who lead the NFC West standings with a 6-2 record.
Myers is a perfect seven-for-seven in field goals and has been successful on 33 of 34 extra point attempts (97.1 percent). He’s averaging 63.9 yards on kickoffs.
The Seahawks, who got off to a meteoric 5-0 start, have been featured on national television three times this season.
Myers kicked five extra-point conversions in a breathtaking 35-30 win over the visiting New England Patriots in a game on Sept. 20 that was decided on the final play of the contest.
He contributed three PAT conversions in a hair-raising 27-26 home field win over the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 11 and booted two field goals and tacked on four PAT conversions in a 37-34 overtime loss at the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 25.
The Seahawks got back in the win column the following week (Nov. 1) when Myers converted four extra-point attempts and one field goal in a 37-27 win over the 49ers, the reigning Super Bowl runner-up.
Myers kicked four extra-point conversions and two field goals in Sunday’s 44-34 loss at the Buffalo Bills, the leaders in the AFC East.
Myers must owe a lot of field action to Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who has thrown for 2,541 yards and 28 touchdowns this season.
Wilson had notched 22 touchdowns in his first six games to tie a mark set by Peyton Manning in 2013 for most touchdowns in the first six games of the season.
Manning went on to set a single-season NFL record with 55 touchdowns that season.
Mount Miguel High School alumnus Cory Littleton recorded eight tackles in a harrowing 31-26 AFC West victory against the host Los Angeles Raiders on Sunday in which a potential Chargers touchdown was negated on the final play of the game.
Littleton has recorded 48 tackles, including 31 first hits and three tackles for a loss, in eight games this season for the Raiders (5-3).
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the NFL’s lone remaining unbeaten team (8-0) at the midpoint of the season.
