With my favorite team floundering this year, I'm glad I've been keeping track of all these NFL players with ties to the area. It allows me to be more engaged with the rest of the league and find small victories when these guys do well. So, how well did they do?

Joe Dahl - LG - Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions v Philadelphia Eagles
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WSU (born in Spokane)

Bye week

Grade: N/A

Kellen Moore - Offensive Coordinator - Dallas Cowboys

Miami Dolphins v Dallas Cowboys
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Born in Prosser

Please don't give the Cowboys any more primetime games. They always find a way to disappoint, and their offense hums during afternoon games. The final score may indicate this game was close, but it really wasn't. The Cowboys couldn't do anything right at all during the first half. Amari Cooper did have an unreal game, though. Cooper hauled in a touchdown and 226 yards of Dak's 463 yard total on 11 receptions. Even though the Cowboys had over 200 more yards of total offense than the Packers, it was because they were playing catchup pretty much out of the gate. The Packers dominated on time of possession, running all over the Cowboys, including 4 touchdown runs by Aaron Jones. Even though he had a ton of yards passing, Dak Prescott didn't have a great game with 3 interceptions. He was also sacked 3 times and hit 5 times.

Grade: C+

Greg Olson - Offensive Coordinator - Oakland Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 Headshots
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Richland High School Class of 1981

Wow, with all the Antonio Brown drama, Vontaze Burfict's season-ending suspension, and rookie safety Jonathan Abram missing the rest of the season with injury, the Raiders are only one game out of the AFC West division lead. A lot of credit should be given to the Raiders' very unsexy, but effective offense. The Raiders were able to hold off a 21-point third quarter from the Bears to win 24-21. They got plenty of first downs, plenty of yards, and stuck with their running game. They did give up 2 fumbles, however. Derek Carr hit 25 of 32 throws, and stayed upright. He wasn't sacked and was hit once all game. I'm sure Luke Falk wishes he was behind that Oakland line right now.

Grade: B+

Jacksonville Jaguars v Carolina Panthers
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WSU

Gardner Minshew had a career game, but I'm sure he'd rather have the win. He posted his first career 300-yard game, hitting 374 through the air. He found the endzone twice and seemed to keep the Jaguars in the game. He still hasn't thrown an interception since his week 1 debut, but there's still one glaring thing we need to talk about. Gardner Minshew fumbles a lot. He's 7 fumbles this year. On Sunday, he gave up 3 fumbles (all recovered by the defense) including one with 2:33 left in the fourth. The Jaguars still had a chance to tie the game until literally the final seconds. A Panthers penalty negated what would have been an interception thrown by Gardner Minshew, giving the Jaguars one final shot with the clock at 00:00. From 24 yards out, however, the miracle was not to be. His 105.6 passer rating is good for 6th in the league. Russell Wilson tops the list with 126.3.

Grade: A-

New York Jets v Philadelphia Eagles
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WSU

The Jets are probably overjoyed to learn that Sam Darnold has been cleared to return to the field after being diagnosed with mono before week 2. The Luke Falk experiment has been a painful display of putrid quarterbacking. But, it's not all Luke's fault. Apparently, he hadn't even been getting first-team reps in practice until Friday. Adam Gase (well-documented idiot and jerk) bet the house this week on Sam Darnold being cleared for week 5 and lost. Just how bad was week 5 for Luke Falk? Well, he had 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles, and got well acquainted with the ground; being sacked 9 times. Unless Sam Darnold gets chickenpox, Luke Falk will not be seeing meaningful playing time for the rest of the year.

Grade: F

Los Angeles Rams v Seattle Seahawks
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Born and raised in Yakima. Drafted out of Eastern Washington University.

Cooper Kupp is doing that thing again. The Yakima product logged his third straight game with over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. This is Kupp's fourth straight game with over 100 yards receiving as well. He's been prolific this season. He's second in the league in receptions, fourth in yards, and tied for fourth with seven other players in touchdowns. It was a great game for Seahawks fans. The local kid had a great game, but the home team won.

Grade: A+

Jalen Thompson - Safety - Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals v Cincinnati Bengals
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WSU

The WSU Cougars social media crew named Arizona safety Jalen Thompson their 'Coug Pro of the Week' after he made his first career start against the Bengals. Thompson declared for the supplemental draft this summer after losing his final year of college eligibility at WSU. The Cardinals got their first win of the season, and Thompson's 8 tackles were a big reason why.

Grade: A

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