Duke in the NFL: Jones leads Giants to win, Gray continues catch streak

The NFL regular season is more than halfway over, and the Blue Zone takes a look at former Blue Devils' performances from Week 10:

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

Once again, Jones turned in a solid performance leading to a Giants win. In a home matchup against the struggling Houston Texans, Jones threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns. This effort was good enough to land Jones an 83.0 QBR for the week, contributing to his 60.2 QB rating so far this season, eighth-best in the NFL. More importantly for the Giants, Jones is taking care of the football: He had zero turnovers against the Texans. The main beneficiary of New York's air attack this week was wide receiver Darius Slayton, who had three catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. The Giants are now 7-2 in head coach Brian Daboll’s first year and look primed to make the playoffs behind the efforts of the former Duke stud. New York will try to take care of business against the 3-6 Lions next week. 

Noah Gray, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

Gray has again proved to be a valuable asset to the Chiefs. He finally found the end zone this week on a 13-yard pass from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes just before halftime, a massive score in a close 27-17 win against the pesky Jacksonville Jaguars. The former Duke pass catcher has at least one reception in each of his last five games, showing that he has established a consistent role behind Travis Kelce in Kansas City’s high-octane offense. Kelce had a big day himself, finishing with 81 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. The Chiefs have continued to roll, holding a best-in-the-AFC 7-2 record. They look to improve to 8-2 on Sunday Night Football against the Chargers

Laken Tomlinson, Thomas Hennessy, Michael Carter II, New York Jets

The New York Jets entered their bye this week with an unexpected 6-3 record, and their three former Duke standouts have been a big part of that. The Jets offense has been rolling despite some injuries, largely in part to Tomlinson’s steady veteran leadership and ability to play every position on the line. The young defense has also held up their end of the bargain, with rookie corner Sauce Gardner having a breakout season across from Carter II. In head coach Robert Saleh’s second year at the helm, the Jets are right in the thick of the playoff hunt, with a chance to win a loaded AFC East in which every team has a winning record. The Jets hope to continue to surprise when they return to action this week against their division rival, the New England Patriots.