Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 1.
There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.
Week 1 results
Tennessee def. Denver (Anderson, Callahan), 16-14
Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. New York Giants, 26-16
Seattle (Willson) def. Atlanta, 38-25
Los Angeles Chargers def. Cincinnati (Covington), 16-13
Chicago def. Detroit (Fox), 27-23
Kansas City def. Houston (Gaines), 34-20
Baltimore def. Cleveland (Sendejo), 38-6
Offense
Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos
Anderson was active for the team’s Monday Night Football game against the Titans. This was the first game he was active since signing with Denver last year. The Broncos visit the Steelers in Week 2.
Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers
Pittsburgh had their way through the air against the Giants in Week 1. McDonald caught one of two targets for three years with most of the offense running through receivers Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson. The Steelers host the Broncos in Week 2.
Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks
Russell Willson connected with nine different pass catchers on Sunday but did not complete a pass to Willson. The Seahawks host the Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.
Defense and Special Teams
Chris Boswell – K, Steelers
Boswell connected on field goals of 36- and 41-yards against the Giants on Monday Night Football. He made two of three extra points with the miss hitting the right upright. Last season Boswell was a perfect 28-of-28 on point-after tries. The Steelers host the Broncos in Week 2.
Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos
Callahan finished second on the team in tackles with eight in his debut game with Denver. Six of those were solo tackles. The Broncos visit the Steelers in Week 2.
Christian Covington – DL, Bengals
Covington had three tackles in his Cincinnati debut, playing on 51 percent of the defensive snaps. Earlier in the week, he had this to say about learning the ropes with a new team:
Bengals DL Christian Covington on any difficulty picking up the playbook: "Not too hard. I went to Rice."
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 10, 2020
The Bengals visit the Browns on Thursday Night Football in Week 2.
Jack Fox – P, Lions
Fox shined in his NFL debut, blasting a 55-yard punt and a 54-yard punt, both of which were downed inside the 15-yard line. He also registered his first career tackle. The Lions visit the Packers in Week 2.
Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans
Gaines saw all of his action on special teams in his 2020 debut with Houston, playing seven snaps on Thursday night against the Chiefs. The Texans host the Ravens in Week 2.
Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns
Sendejo finished fourth on the Browns in tackles in Week 1 with four. Fellow safety Karl Joseph was the only member of the Cleveland secondary who had more (five). The Browns host the Bengals in Week 2.
More Owls in the NFL
From practice squads to current free agents, there are others Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.
