Here are the top games featuring former Penn State football players on the 2021 NFL schedule
The NFL released its 2021 schedule Wednesday night, finalizing the first 17-game regular season. Several former Penn State football players will take the field with their teams.
Let’s take a look at the five most intriguing matchups featuring Nittany Lions football players heading into the 2021 NFL season.
1. New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys, Week 5
The NFC East rivalry matchup is the obvious choice for the top of this list. Five former Nittany Lions are currently on the Cowboys’ and Giants’ rosters — including the only two players to go in the top 15 in the past decade. The obvious matchup here is between Giants RB Saquon Barkley and Cowboys LB Micah Parsons. Assuming Barkley is back at full strength, the two could be meeting in the hole more than once when the two teams meet for the first time on Oct. 10.
Dallas OL Connor McGovern and current Giants Cam Brown and Austin Johnson round out the five former Penn State players who could be in the matchup. All five could see the field.
2. Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 13
Another divisional rivalry makes for an easy second choice on the list. Two Nittany Lions who were taken in the first two rounds will be featured in this one with Pittsburgh TE Pat Freiermuth — who went in the second round — and Baltimore EDGE Jayson Oweh — who went No. 31 overall in the first round — set to battle it out for the first time on Dec. 5. Freiermuth and Oweh were teammates for three seasons but will now be opponents in one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL.
This will be their first chance to meet as rivals, and they’ll potentially be joined by two more Steelers, Marcus Allen, who plays mostly on special teams and Lamont Wade, an undrafted free agent who will have an uphill battle to making the roster.
3. Philadelphia Eagles at Denver Broncos, Week 10
Two of Penn State’s most prolific recent playmakers will take the field when the Broncos and Eagles meet on Nov. 14. Broncos WR K.J. Hamler was dynamic as a returner and a receiver in his time at Penn State and should be looking to make a major leap in his second year in the NFL. Across the field will be Miles Sanders, who has quickly established himself as a dynamic offensive player for the Eagles and is in line to be the workhorse for Philadelphia this season. Hamler and Sanders could both have a massive impact when the Broncos and Eagles meet in November.
Hamler will have a familiar face on the sideline with him as fellow former PSU WR DaeSean Hamilton is also on the roster.
4. Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 7
Two of the NFL’s best wide receivers also happen to be two of Penn State’s best wide receivers from the last decade. Tampa Bay WR Chris Godwin and Chicago WR Allen Robinson will once again face off this season. Godwin will be catching passes from the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady while Robinson may be hauling them in from a player with some Penn State ties of his own. Chicago QB Justin Fields — who could be starting when the Bears and Buccaneers play on Oct. 24 — faced the Nittany Lions twice while he was at Ohio State, but was also a former Penn State commitment when he was a recruit in high school.
The secondary connection with Fields is interesting, but at the end of the day, this matchup is about Godwin and Robinson trying to outdo one another as pass catchers.
5. Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins, Week 9
The Texans and Dolphins aren’t littered with former Nittany Lions and don’t have high-profile names like other teams, but this matchup could see two former Penn Staters lining up across from one another. Miami TE Mike Gesicki frequently lines up in the slot because of his size and athleticism and that could pit him against CB John Reid. Reid excelled in the slot at Penn State and should find himself in a similar spot in Houston as the Texans enter the beginning stages of a complete roster overhaul.
Gesicki and Reid lining up may not have the name recognition of other matchups, but it would be an interesting battle between two players who contributed quite a bit to Penn State when the teams face off on Nov. 7.
This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 8:23 PM.
