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Hoos in the NFL: Recapping NFL Week 5 for Former Virginia Football Players

Matt Newton

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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There was little chance of topping the action-packed week 4 that saw four former Virginia football players deliver incredible performances in the NFL, but week 5 was still a pretty good one for former Cavaliers in the NFL. Let's recap all the action.

Olamide Zaccheaus didn't have a ton of targets as a receiver, but still had a busy day and was all over the field helping the Washington Commanders beat the Cleveland Browns 34-13 for their fourth-straight win. In 34 offensive snaps (51% of Washington's offensive snaps) and seven special teams snaps (23%), Zaccheaus had one reception for 10 yards on three targets, but also returned two punts for 33 yards and had a great hustle play to recover a fumble.

Also playing in that game was former Virginia safety Rodney McLeod Jr., who registered seven tackles, including six solo stops, two tackles for loss, and one pass defended in the Browns' loss. McLeod played 52 of Cleveland's defensive snaps (78%) and 12 snaps on special teams (39%).

Charles Snowden is just getting better every week and this could very well turn out to be a breakout year for him. The former Cavalier defensive end earned the start for the Las Vegas Raiders for the fourth time in five games and posted a career-high five tackles, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hit in a 34-18 loss to the Denver Broncos. Snowden played 29 defensive snaps for the Raiders (46%) and hasn't played a single special teams snap in the last two weeks, which is a good sign that Las Vegas is beginning to value his role on defense more and more. According to Pro Football Focus, Snowden was the fourth-highest graded Raiders player in week 5.

One week after snagging two fourth-quarter touchdowns, Dontayvion Wicks was targeted seven times and caught two passes for 20 yards in the Green Bay Packers' 24-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Wicks played 45 offensive snaps, 76% of Green Bay's offensive snaps.

Brent Urban again made the most of limited on-field action, making two tackles in just 12 defensive snaps (18%) and six special teams snaps (17%) to help the Baltimore Ravens win a 41-38 overtime thriller over their division rival Cincinnati Bengals.

Joey Blount played no defensive snaps, but was on the field for 19 special teams snaps (79%) and made one solo tackle in the Arizona Cardinals' big 24-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

In his second-career NFL game, Malik Washington was not targeted at all and played 20 offensive snaps (25.6%) and three special teams snaps (11.5%) for the Miami Dolphins in their 15-10 victory over the New England Patriots.

Morgan Moses was out for the second week in a row as he continues to deal with an MCL sprain suffered in week 3. The New York Jets' offensive line has suffered in his absence, losing both games with Moses out, including a 23-17 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday morning.

There are three former UVA football players on the Injured Reserve:
- Safety Juan Thornhill (Browns) - injured in week 1
- Cornerback Bryce Hall (Buccaneers) - injured in week 1
- Tight End Jelani Woods (Colts) - injured in preseason

Read last week's edition of Hoos in the NFL here: Hoos in the NFL: Recapping NFL Week 4 for Former Virginia Football Players

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.