(CU Independent/Beth Schonberger) It was a sad day for many Colorado Buffaloes alumni in week five of the National Football League.
One standout player from the 2001 Big 12 Championship team suffered a serious injury, a second alum made a blunder at an inopportune time to cost his team a win for the second time in three weeks, and two players saw their respective teams lose in disgusting fashion.
Here are a few Buffs who made contributions Sunday:
Michael Lewis, San Francisco 49ers safety: Lewis recorded six tackles and recovered a fumble, but he left the 45-10 blowout loss with his third concussion of the season. He led with his helmet trying to tackle Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner and was face down on the field for several minutes while being examined. He eventually sat up and was helped off the field, appearing dazed. Lewis sustained two concussions within an 11-day span during the preseason in August.
Chris Brown, Houston Texans running back: It was a good, a bad and an ugly day for Brown. The good was Brown scored a 1-yard touchdown to give the Texans their first score of the day. The bad was Brown finished with four carries for two rushing yards. And the ugly was Brown failed to send the game into overtime as he was stopped twice at the 1-yard line, including on fourth down with 40 seconds left, as the Texans lost to the Arizona Cardinals 28-21. Two weeks ago, Brown fumbled the ball on the goal line with two minutes left in the game that helped give the Texans another loss.
Daniel Graham, Denver Broncos tight end: Graham had three receptions for 34 yards as he helped the Broncos stay undefeated with a 20-17 OT victory over the New England Patriots.
Brian Iwuh, Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker: Iwuh had a season-high six tackles, including one for a loss, but it was nowhere near enough as the Jaguars were blanked 41-0 by the Seattle Seahawks.
Justin Bannan, Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle: Bannan recorded two tackles but his Ravens couldn’t hang on as they allowed the game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds left in a 17-14 loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals.
What to watch for on Monday Night Football: New York Jets cornerback Donald Strickland didn’t practice Saturday because of an ankle injury and will probably miss his third straight game as the Jets face the Miami Dolphins in an AFC East showdown.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Cheng Sio at Cheng.sio@colorado.edu.
