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The last few week's this post has been a weekly Ziggy Ansah update and that shouldn't come as much of a surprise with the second-year defensive end playing so well for the Detroit Lions. Ansah's week 6 performance even earned him NFC defensive player of the week honors. While Ansah had another solid performance this past Sunday, it was 13-year NFL veteran, Brett Keisel, who stole the show and had the most impactful performance of any of the former Cougars playing in the league this past week.
While Keisel's one tackle, two pass deflections, and single interception may not seem too overwhelming, Keisel's big plays came at a crucial moment for the Steelers. After trailing Houston 13-0 early on, Keisel made some key defensive plays that helped put Pittsburgh in a good position to score several touchdowns and even build a decent lead before the half. Keisel's play was highlighted by an interception with just over a minute left in the half, which he returned for 16 yards to give Pittsburgh a first and goal from the 8-yard line. The forced turnover ultimately led to a Steelers' touchdown and gave Pittsburgh a 24-13 lead going into halftime.
ICYMI: Brett Keisel vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick. Beard vs. Beard. ADVANTAGE: Beard http://t.co/kqdKrQHahB
— NFL (@nfl) October 22, 2014
For those of you following Kyle Van Noy's injury status, the rookie linebacker returned to practice this past week. Lions' head coach Jim Caldwell told reporters on Thursday that Van Noy looked "pretty good" in his first practice since undergoing surgery prior to the start of the season. Van Noy is not eligible to play until after week 8, which is this upcoming week. The Lions have a bye in week 9 though, so the soonest we can hope to see Van Noy on the field for Detroit is November 9th vs the Dolphins.
Dennis Pitta (Ravens): Pitta is out for the season with a major hip injury he suffered in Week 3.
Ziggy Ansah (Lions): Ansah had 4 tackles, including 3 solo tackles and a tackle for loss in Detroit's 24-23 win over New Orleans.
Kyle Van Noy (Lions): Van Noy returned to practice for the first time this week. He will not be eligible to play until week 9, which is a bye week for the Lions.
John Denney (Dolphins): As usual, Denny handled longsnapping duties for Miami in the Dolphins 27-14 win over Chicago on Sunday.
Brett Keisel (Steelers): Keisel recorded 1 tackle, 2 pass deflections, and an interception in Pittsburgh's 30-23 victory over Houston.
Dallas Reynolds (Giants): Reynolds played in New York's 21-31 loss to Dallas, but did not record any stats.
Cougars currently on NFL practice squads: Spencer Hadley (Raiders) and Daniel Sorensen (Chiefs).