Week eight was a challenging week for NFL Cougars with multiple blowout losses but there were some winners. Diayan Henley and the Chargers defense found a way to get it together and put on a dominant showing. Cam Ward and the Titans struggled once again. Ward made headlines once again for yelling at interim head coach Mike McCoy. 

Cam Ward – In a blowout loss to the Colts without his No.1 wide-out Calvin Ridley, Ward went 22/38 on passes with one touchdown and one interception. Turnovers have been an issue all season for him and it doesn’t help that he is playing with a below-average offensive line and skill players. Ward’s frustration with playcalling blew over on the sideline. The Titans elected to punt while down 17-7 on the Colts’ side of the field on fourth and three. After the game, Ward talked about the sideline yelling. 

“I think I’m a competitor. Our whole offense is like that. Our whole defense is like that. I just think the biggest thing is we want to be an aggressive team,” Ward said. “Especially with the record we have right now, we have to be an aggressive team at the end of the season to get where we want to be. If it was up to me, I’d want to go for it every chance I could,” he said.

Chau Smith-Wade – In a blowout loss to the Bills 40-9, there wasn’t much Smith-Wade or the Panthers defense could do. Smith-Wade had two solo tackles and one assisted tackle, while only playing 43% of the defensive plays for the Panthers. He also gave up a couple of completions but his coverage was tight. Josh Allen placed passes perfectly.  The Panthers’ defense overall has been much improved from last season, partly due to Smith-Wade’s coverage on the outside. 

Frankie Luvu – In a loss to the Chiefs, Luvu was ineffective and almost unnoticeable on the field. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt decided to let Luvu rush the player as a defensive end on 48 snaps, the only issue being that Luvu is a blitzing linebacker, he is not TJ Watt. The Commanders’ defensive scheme relies on a Micah Parsons-type of rusher and that simply is not who Luvu is and has made him go from a second-team all-pro to a fringe top 30 linebacker. 

Jaylen Watson and Jaden Hicks – After being in the doghouse with Steve Spagnoula, Hicks showed up big time against the Commanders. While he only had two tackles, Hicks was everywhere he was in the game. Jaylen Watson was good as usual, with three tackles and one assisted tackle. Watson received a PFF grade of 80.2/100 third-highest on the Chiefs. 

Watson had an amazing play on a screen pass where he shed his blockers and made the tackle. Hick and Watson had great weeks in the NFL and Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells had a great week in the NBA. Cougar tandems seem to be the key to winning in the Pros. 

Daiyan Henley – A quiet week for the young star linebacker with only one solo tackle and three assisted tackles. Henley has been inconsistent as of late, starting out the season with Pro-Bowl potential but after the disappointing couple of weeks not shining. However, the Charger defense as a whole dominated, winning 37-10 against the Vikings. Henley talked about what led to their success post-game. 

“We built this edge room for days like this,” Henley said.

Two other notable Cougars were on bye weeks– Cardinals Jalen Thompson and Seahawks Abraham Lucas. On Saturday, Lucas was back in Pullman watching WSU vs Toledo and tailgating with fans pre-game. Some work is needed for the NFL Cougs, who had a down week across the board, but there is a clear path to improvement.