Pitt in the NFL: McCoy, Baldwin shine in week eight

LeSean “Shady” McCoy and Jonathan Baldwin led the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City… LeSean “Shady” McCoy and Jonathan Baldwin led the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, to prime-time wins this weekend. Their strong performances highlighted what was an otherwise disappointing week eight for former Pitt football players in the NFL.

McCoy (Pitt running back 2007-2008) is quickly becoming one of the NFL’s top running backs, and his two-touchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night proved it.

He torched the NFL’s top-ranked rush defense for 185 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 15 yards in the Eagles’ 34-7 rout of their division rivals.

McCoy has been one of the few consistent performers on his team this season. He now has 754 rushing yards — only 44 less than league-leader Adrian Peterson who, unlike McCoy, has yet to have a bye — for a team that has failed to live up to its preseason hype.

With Sunday’s win, the Eagles, who were nicknamed the “Dream Team” after acquiring several All-Pro players in the offseason, improved to 3-4.

The Eagles deactivated running back Dion Lewis (Pitt running back 2009-2010) after he was involved in a car accident earlier Sunday morning. The Eagles’ website said Lewis was “a bit shaken up” but not severely injured. He has carried just seven times for 31 yards this season, but he seems to have found his niche returning kickoffs and punts.

Baldwin (Pitt wide receiver, 2008-2010), who made his second career NFL start after a thumb injury sidelined him for the first six weeks of the season, showed why the Chiefs chose him in the first round of this year’s draft. The 26th overall pick had five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown — the first of his career — in his team’s 23-20 overtime win against the San Diego Chargers Monday night.

His performance earned him a nomination for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week, which will be awarded when fan voting ends Friday.

“I caught the passes, and I am happy that happened,” Baldwin said in an interview posted on the team’s website. “Like I said, we got the ‘W’ and everybody is excited about that, and that’s the main thing I’m concerned with.”

The Chiefs (4-3) are in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West.

Aaron Berry (Pitt cornerback 2006-2009) and Andy Lee (Pitt punter 2000-2003) were the only other former Panthers whose teams won this week.

Berry, who plays cornerback in the Detroit Lions’ nickel package, knocked down a Tim Tebow pass during his team’s 45-10 trouncing of the Denver Broncos.

Lee had five punts for the 49ers, two of which were downed inside the Browns’ 20-yard line. The 49ers defeated the Cleveland Browns 20-10. Browns rookie Jabaal Sheard (Pitt defensive end 2007-2010) finished with three tackles in the game.

The Arizona Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald (Pitt wide Receiver 2002-03) and LaRod Stephens-Howling (Pitt running back 2005-08) both had quiet games in their team’s 30-27 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Fitzgerald caught three passes for 98 yards but failed to find the end zone for the fourth straight week. Stephens-Howling, who had a 73-yard touchdown reception last week against the Steelers, carried five times for only 17 yards against the Ravens’ third-ranked rush defense.