Local NFL players roundup: Joseph locks down secondary for Houston

Houston Texans defensive back Johnathan Joseph had an excellent Sunday during his team’s 19-9 win over Tampa Bay.

Joseph, the former Northwestern Trojan and South Carolina Gamecock, was targeted 12 times but allowed just two catches for 24 yards, while breaking up three other passes. The Pro Football Focus website gave Joseph the second-highest grade in the league among defensive backs for the weekend.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien said he was pleased with the play of Joseph and his corner partner, Kareem Jackson, who were tasked with slowing down Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans, both 6-foot-5 receivers.

“I thought our guys won more than they lost in the one-on-one matchups,” he said in the Houston Chronicle. “J-Joe came up big for us. He was really in tight coverage where he was able to get his arms up through the bread basket and break up throws, or maybe their guys landed out of bounds.”

Every week in the NFL provides a challenge for cornerbacks like Joseph. The Texans face Atlanta and Julio Jones next week, with a good chance Joseph draws that defensive assignment for much of the game.

Clowney makes monster tackle

Joseph’s teammate, Jadeveon Clowney, made two tackles against Tampa Bay; one really drew eyes. Early in the first quarter, he crashed down into Tampa Bay right guard Ali Marpet, shoving him out of the way before bouncing back to fill his gap and stuff running back Doug Martin for no gain. The quickness with which he completed the action was classic Clowney, and an encouraging sign following his return from knee surgery.

Gilmore relatively untested in Bills’ blowout of Miami

It’s a good game for an NFL cornerback when he only has to make one tackle, which constituted the total workload for South Pointe’s Stephon Gilmore during the Bills’ 41-14 win over Miami.

Rex Ryan’s team reacted to a heavy loss to New England with an excellent defensive effort against the Dolphins, who largely avoided Gilmore’s side of the field. Miami did make Gilmore pay when he slipped – was tripped? – on a 46-yard touchdown toss to Rishard Matthews, but otherwise it was a solid day for the Rock Hill native. He did put a nice hit on running back Damien Williams on an incomplete pass in the flat.

Falcons’ Adams makes 3 tackles in win at Dallas

Atlanta came from behind to beat Dallas and Rock Hill’s Phillip Adams played at corner for the Falcons. Adams made three tackles in the game for Atlanta (3-0).

Walker makes a stop in Broncos’ win

Fort Mill graduate Vance Walker made a tackle for the Denver Broncos during their 24-12 win over Detroit on Sunday.

Patterson a little more involved in Vikings’ win

Minnesota got to 2-1, beating San Diego 31-14, and Northwestern’s Cordarrelle Patterson was a little more involved with the offense than he had been in the first two games. Patterson carried the ball once for 9 yards and had a pair of kickoff returns for an average of 26.5 yards.

Watson featured in Saints’ offense against Carolina

Former Northwestern Trojan Benjamin Watson played 86 percent of the snaps against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, making four catches for 42 yards. He had a crucial fumble, though, when the Saints, without standout quarterback Drew Brees, were driving late to try and take the lead.

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Local NFL players roundup: Joseph locks down secondary for Houston."