 | ESPN.com: Las Vegas Raiders | [Print without images] |
Kwity Paye had a dream debut for the Las Vegas Raiders in one of the standout performances of the first week of the NFL.
Paye - a Guinea-born Liberian defensive end - earns our Africa player of the Week nod for the first week of the new NFL season. There were plenty of other stars - either from the continent directly or with directly traceable lineage - who started with a bang.
Kyle Monangai - a first-generation Cameroonian-American running back - scored a memorable touchdown for the Chicago Bears in their win over the Carolina Panthers.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba - who is of Sierra Leonean descent through his grandparents - gave a timely reminder of why he is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the Seattle Seahawks' win over the New England Patriots.
Paye was involved in three of the five sacks on Malik Willis in his first regular season game for the Raiders after joining from the Indianapolis Colts - ending with a personal tally of two (one sack and two split-sacks, counting for 0.5 each). He additionally notched four quarter-back hits among a total of six tackles.
The 27-year-old played an integral part in a solid defensive performance as the Raiders beat the Miami Dolphins 27-13.
Paye pinned the Dolphins back two yards with his very first tackle of the game on the first drive - made together with Taron Johnson on De'Von Achane.
His first split-sack came on the second Dolphins drive as he and Folorunso Fatukasi - who is of Nigerian descent - brought down Willis.
Paye picked up another split-sack on Willis with Maxx Crosby early in the fourth quarter to keep the lead at 14 points.
The last sack of the game on Willis - with around three minutes remaining - was all Paye's and by that stage, it was effectively the cherry on the icing, topping off a tremendous debut.
 | |
| Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Kwity Paye (95). |
Monangai scored a career best 61-yard running touchdown in the Bears' 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers.
While the Bears may eventually have won the game by a comfortable 22-point margin, the victory was far from settled at the time of Monangai's marauding run, which stretched the lead from seven to 14 points at the end of the third quarter.
Monangai's Cameroonian parents grew up loving soccer, but in his second season in the NFL, their son continues to excel at a different type of football.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba gained 122 yards across eight receptions in the Seattle Seahawks' 13-10 win over the New England Patriots, picking up where he left off last season and scoring a touchdown.
Boye Mafe, the proud son of Nigerian parents, brought down Baker Mayfield and forced a fumble in the Cincinnati Bengals' 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Foyesade Oluokun, another star with ties to Nigeria, made an interception in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Another compatriot, Kingsley Enagbare, made a sack in the New York Jets' 23-10 over the Tennessee Titans. Elic Ayomanor, who is of Nigerian and Liberian descent, was on the losing side despite scoring a touchdown.
Chuba Hubbard, like Ayomanor, is Canadian and of Nigerian descent. He, too, was on the scoreboard in a defeat in Week 1. Hubbard scored two touchdowns in the Panthers' defeat to the Bears.
Bobby Okereke - a California-born star of proud Nigerian heritage forced a fumble despite ending up on the losing side. Nigeria-born Princely Umanmielen picked up a sack for the Panthers in defeat.
Odafe Oweh (a first-generation American of Nigerian descent and a Washington Commanders star) made a sack in the narrow 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Donovan Ezeiruaku - also of Nigerian descent - had an impressive performance on defense for the Dallas Cowboys but also ended up on the losing side in a 28-20 defeat to the New York Giants.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah - yet another player with roots in Nigeria - made a sack for the Kansas City Chiefs in their 31-10 Monday night win over the Denver Broncos.
The obvious winner among players born on the continent is Paye this week as he claims Africa Player of the Week honors even ahead of those from the diaspora not born directly in Africa.
It is not every week that the continent gets to see a performance as spectacular as Paye's, but Africa has undoubtedly advanced in the development of homegrown talent.
Paye's heroics and Umanmielen's sack for the Panthers aside, Zimbabwe's Nate Landman made eight tackles in the Rams' 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, though he was injured in the process.
Landman will hope to be fit for the clash against the Giants - who gave homegrown Nigerian International Player Pathway (IPP) star Basil Chijioke 'CJ' Okoye his team debut in the 28-20 win over the Cowboys.
