Continuing our new series for this season, UGASports highlights the top NFL performances by former Georgia players for the week entering the Monday night game. With our most outstanding performer for the week—or the Top Dawg—revealed towards the end, we spotlight the top NFL performances by Bulldogs for December 14 through December 17.

Jacksonville SAM linebacker Travon Walker was one of the standouts for the Jaguars last night in a 23-7 loss to Baltimore, a game a lot closer than the score indicates. Playing 52 of 70 defensive snaps, Walker registered a deep sack of quarterback Lamar Jackson for a loss of 15 yards and had three other tackles (all of which coming on plays netting only five combined yards). In 14 games this season, Walker has totaled 39 tackles, six sacks, two passes defended, and 14 quarterback hits.

With Las Vegas running back Josh Jacobs out with an injury, Zamir White filled in admirably in a 63-21 win by the Raiders over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night. White rushed for a game-high 69 yards on 17 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. For the second-year veteran, it was his first touchdown scored in the NFL. He also caught three passes for 16 yards. White entered the game having never attempted more than four rushing attempts and having never rushed for more than 28 yards during his 27-game NFL career.

Perhaps there’s no former Georgia player who has been hotter down the stretch of the regular season than Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford. Completing 25 of 33 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, Stafford had a 118.0 passer rating in a 28-20 win yesterday over the Washington Commanders. For the 15-year veteran, it was his fourth consecutive game with a passer rating exceeding 100. In his last four games, Stafford has completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,060 yards, 12 touchdowns and only one interception, while achieving a passer rating of 100-plus in four straight games for the first time since he did so for his last game of the 2020 season through the first three games of 2021.

It’s safe to say that James Cook’s performance yesterday for the Buffalo Bills ranks among the league’s top individual outings by a former Georgia running back in recent memory. The Top Dawg for the third time this season, and for the second consecutive week, Cook rushed for 179 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown in a 31-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys. He also caught two passes for 42 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown. Cook’s 221 tandem yards (rushing + receiving) are 34 more than anyone else totaled for Week 15 in the NFL. Consider that two of the top Georgia-turned-NFL tandem backs in history, Nick Chubb and Rodney Hampton, have yet to/did not total as many tandem yards in a single game than Cook’s 221, whereas others did so in limited fashion: Herschel Walker (2 NFL games where he totaled more than 221 tandem yards), Terrell Davis (2), Todd Gurley (2), and Garrison Hearst (1).

Notably, Zamir White wasn’t the only former Georgia player who scored his first career touchdown in Thursday’s Raiders-Chargers game. Resulting in his 12th season and 130th career game, Las Vegas defensive tackle John Jenkins registered his initial league score via a 44-yard fumble return on the final play of the third quarter. When asked about his return for a touchdown following the game, the 330-pound Jenkins joked with a smile, “Hopefully, next time, I’ll be a little faster.”

The Monday night game tonight pits the Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) at the Seattle Seahawks (6-7). Of course, for the Eagles, there’s a slew of former Georgia players on their active roster: running back D’Andre Swift and defensive tackle Jordan Davis are listed as starters, while defensive tackle Jalen Carter, linebacker Nolan Smith, and cornerback Kelee Ringo are currently reserves on the depth chart. For the Seahawks, rookie Kenny McIntosh is currently recognized as the team’s No. 4 running back.