Duke in the NFL: Blue Devils excel in New York as Jones, Carter help their teams to Week 12 wins

Though Duke football's season is over, there are former Blue Devils still impressing in the NFL. Join the Blue Zone as we take a look at how Duke football alums did in Week 12 on the big stage:

Daniel Jones, Quarterback, New York Giants

Former Duke star Daniel Jones went to work this week, and currently ranks 20th nationally in passing yards. The Giants quarterback completed 19-of-30 passes to register 202 yards while aiding his squad to a 13-7 victory against the Eagles Sunday. Though this number is not the best we’ve seen from Jones this season, his performance this past weekend was an improvement from his past two games against the Buccaneers and the Raiders, where he recorded a humble 167 and 110 yards, respectively. In his triumphant Week 12 endeavors, Jones also added one passing touchdown to the score and rushed for 30 yards on nine attempts. 

Though Jones’ offensive assistance led the team to record more significant numbers than Philadelphia did, the Giants certainly won the game because of their defensive line, as it prevented the Eagles from getting any scoring chances. Philadelphia went scoreless for the first three quarters before finally punching one into the endzone. Jones’ passing skills were just the icing on the cake that secured his squad the victory. The Giants improve to a 4-7 record with this win before their contest Sunday against the Dolphins.

Michael Carter II, Cornerback, New York Jets

Rookie Michael Carter II is another Duke standout after achieving a successful week of play for the New York Jets. The cornerback totaled six tackles, which is tied for his career second-best game total, in the Jets’ 21-14 win against the Texans. Four of Carter’s tackles were solo, while his teammates assisted the other two. His efforts also tied him for third on his team defensively in the contest, following Quincy Williams’ seven total tackles and C.J. Mosley's eight. The Jets had immense strength on the field, only allowing Houston to score during the second quarter, which Carter’s defensive execution certainly aided. With this performance in the books, Carter proved his continued emergence this season as a reliable defender. 

Thomas Hennessy, Long Snapper, New York Jets

Carter’s teammate long snapper Thomas Hennessy also assisted the Jets’ takeover through his nine snaps. His offensive efforts contributed quality snaps, including the snap for final score of the game, a 37-yard field goal by Matt Amendola with less than four minutes left on the clock. Hennessy and Carter will next take the field for a competition against the Eagles this Sunday.