Here’s the top NFL games featuring former Nittany Lions to watch in the 2020 season
The NFL released its 2020 schedule Thursday night with a three-hour special, and the season will feature plenty of matchups with former Nittany Lions facing off.
Let’s take a look at our top matchups that feature former Penn State football players in the 2020 NFL season.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears - Oct. 8
Our first matchup features two Nittany Lion wide receivers who have emerged as legitimate weapons in the NFL. The Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin took a step forward last season, catching 86 passes for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns in only 14 games with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Now, the former Nittany Lion will have one of the greatest passers ever, Tom Brady, getting him the ball.
Former Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson will take the field with the Bears’ offense, but will have a much shakier situation at quarterback. Chicago could have former No. 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, who has struggled in the NFL, or they could start Nick Foles, who has generally struggled when he wasn’t with the Philadelphia Eagles. Regardless, this matchup is noteworthy because it features arguably the two best Penn State wide receivers of the past decade.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos - Sept. 27
The No. 3 matchup to look forward to features Godwin once again, but this time he’ll be across the field from a more recent Penn State wide receiver than Robinson. Godwin will have a chance to take another step in 2020 with Brady at quarterback, but more importantly, he’ll have a chance to win more. The Buccaneers have yet to win more than seven games and get to a .500 record since they took Godwin in the third round in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The Broncos will be one of several teams that could have the firepower to match the explosive Tampa Bay offense in 2020. The Broncos have much less experience, but plenty of talent, and that includes newly minted Bronco K.J. Hamler. Hamler was Penn State’s top receiver in 2018 and 2019. He was selected by the Broncos with the 46th pick in last month’s 2020 NFL draft. Hamler will have a chance to show he can hang with some of the best receivers in the league when his Broncos take on Godwin and the Buccaneers.
2. Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sept. 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers - Nov. 15
The Buccaneers are a big part of this list, not only because of Godwin, but also because of their starting left tackle, former Nittany Lion Donovan Smith. Smith is the likely starter at that spot for Tampa Bay in 2020, and will have two chances to take on the Carolina Panthers and another former Nittany Lion who arrived at Penn State two years after Smith left.
Yetur Gross-Matos, who the Panthers took in the second round at the No. 38 overall pick, will line up at defensive end for Carolina in 2020 and could potentially lock horns with the veteran offensive tackle. If Gross-Matos can crack the starting lineup by the time these two teams face off in either matchup, it could come across from Smith in an intriguing battle of former Penn State linemen.
1. New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles - Oct. 22, Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants - Nov. 15
These yearly matchups could be No. 1 on this list for several years to come. Two former Penn State teammates will clash for the second year in a row when the Eagles take on the Giants. Saquon Barkley will line up in the backfield for New York as its starting running back while his former teammate and successor at Penn State, Miles Sanders, will do the same for Philadelphia.
The pair of running backs were teammates for two years, when Sanders backed Barkley up at running back in 2016 and 2017, before Sanders took the job over in 2018. Now in the NFL as divisional rivals in the NFC East, the duo will face off twice a year. Their yearly meetings will be must-watch television for Nittany Lions fans every NFL season.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 7:32 PM.
