Iowa Hawkeyes in the NFL: Desmond King Continues His Magical Rookie Campaign

With three weeks left in the NFL season, we’re getting into the meat of some playoff races. Several former Iowa Hawkeyes continue to play crucial roles in those races, and there’s a good chance we’ll have a handful of Hawks to root for when the NFL Playoffs kick off in January.

Here are the contributions your favorite former Hawkeyes made in Week 14:

Desmond King, Defensive Back, Los Angeles Chargers

It’s safe to say now that King was a steal in last Spring’s NFL Draft. We all knew it, but it took a while for the NFL-watching masses to catch on. He’s been nothing short of one of the best rookies in the league in 2017, and he continued his outstanding season on Sunday. He got in on ten tackles, defended a pass and recorded his fourth sack of the season in a 30-13 win over the Washington Redskins.

That sack moved Desmond into a second-place tie for most sacks in a season by a Charger defensive back. Only Rodney Harrison recorded more sacks in one campaign.

After the game, King also earned some pretty solid praise from his quarterback, Philip Rivers:

Adrian Clayborn, Defensive Tackle, Atlanta Falcons

Clayborn helped the Falcons get a crucial win over the New Orleans Saints in a tight NFC South divisional race. He logged one tackle and one sack in the 20-17 win.

Micah Hyde, Defensive Back, Buffalo Bills

Hyde and his teammates took down the Indianapolis Colts in what basically amounted to a blizzard in Buffalo on Sunday. He got in on six tackles and defensed a pass in Buffalo’s 13-7 win.

Christian Kirksey, Linebacker, Cleveland Browns

The Browns looked pretty good for about two and a half quarters against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. It looked like they were going to pull out their first win of the year, and as always, Kirksey was right there doing his part. He recorded ten tackles before the Packers broke Cleveland’s heart, 27-21 in overtime.

Anthony Hitchens, Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys

Dallas got a much needed win on Sunday over the New York Giants, and Hitchens played a crucial role defensively. He had 14 tackles, defended a pass and forced a fumble in a 30-10 win.

George Kittle, Tight End, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle had a quiet day against the Houston Texans. He caught two passes for ten yards in San Francisco’s 26-16 win.

Karl Klug, Defensive Lineman, Tennessee Titans

Like most weeks, Klug squeaked his way into the box score. He had a single tackle in Tennessee’s 12-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.