Terps in the NFL: Quinton Jefferson puts pressure on Giants

See how former Maryland football players in the NFL performed this past week.

New York Jets defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson had an impressive Sunday against the New York Giants, helping lead a defensive line that devoured its opponent’s pass attack.

Jefferson was graded as one of the best pass rushers this week by Pro Football Focus, with an 86.9 pass-rush grade — which ranked fourth among defensive linemen.

Jefferson registered five tackles, four quarterback hurries and a sack in an overtime win. According to PFF, he had a pass rush win rate of 33.3%, the third-best win rate among defensive linemen this week. Jefferson has 10 quarterback hurries and five sacks on the season.

Cardinals linebacker Josh Woods came out of week eight as another former Terp graded highly by PFF, with an 88.5 coverage grade that ranked second among linebackers. Woods registered three tackles in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Giants rookie cornerback Deonte Banks had a rude awakening against Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Banks was targeted 13 times on Sunday, allowing seven receptions for a total of 100 yards, according to PFF. In his past two games, Banks has allowed 196 yards — more than the previous six weeks combined.

Also struggling in coverage was New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson, who played the Miami Dolphins for the second time after previously playing them with the Los Angeles Chargers. Now with the Patriots, Jackson could not figure out how to deal with Tyreek Hill, earning his worst PFF coverage grade this season.

Jackson was targeted nine times and surrendered five receptions, 94 yards and two touchdowns. For comparison, Jackson surrendered an 84.9 passer rating in his first try against the Dolphins. Over the past two weeks, he’s surrendered 119.2 and 131.5 passer ratings, respectively.

In Patriots kicker Chad Ryland’s first five games, he only made four of his eight field goal attempts. But Ryland has made his past 11 kicks, including two extra points and a field goal in the Patriots’ loss to the Dolphins.

Star wide receivers Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills) and D.J. Moore (Chicago Bears) both had serviceable performances to their standards.

Diggs has been one of the most targeted receivers in the league, only being targeted fewer than 11 times in two games this year. On Thursday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had nine receptions on 11 targets for 70 yards.

Moore, on the other hand, has seen a little more than half of the number of targets that Diggs has this year. He was only thrown to six times in a loss to the Chargers on Sunday night, totaling 55 yards. Since his monster 230-yard performance four games ago, Moore has not had a game with over 60 receiving yards.

Other players

• Tennesee Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo had four receptions for 23 yards in a win over the Atlanta Falcons.
• Buccaneers wide receiver Rakim Jarrett had a nine-yard reception in a loss to the Bills.
• Bears defensive tackle Yannick Ngakoue registered three pressures against the Chargers.
• Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross saw 26 snaps in a loss to the New Orleans Saints.
• Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett only played three snaps Monday night. He was credited with a missed tackle.
• Bills running back Ty Johnson was elevated from the practice squad and saw 10 snaps on Thursday against the Buccaneers. He is listed as the team’s starting kick returner.
• Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Jaelyn Duncan has not seen a snap since the second week of the season.
• Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Spencer Anderson has not seen a played in over a month.
• Three Maryland alumni are currently on injured reserve: Steelers running back Anthony McFarland Jr., Packers safety Darnell Savage and Cleveland Browns guard Michael Dunn.
• Three Maryland alumni remain on practice squads: Tyler Mabry (Seahawks), Jake Funk (Dolphins) and Byron Cowart (Dolphins).