Runaway AFC South leaders the Jacksonville Jaguars continued their impressive start to the season, with Nigerian-American linebacker Foyesade Oluokun starring in a 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 5 was a week in which many of the best performances from players with ties to Africa came from those who ultimately narrowly ended up on losing teams.
Zimbabwe's Nate Landman (LA Rams) was up there with Oluokun for defensive impact in a 37-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has proudly repped Sierra Leone on his helmet, was another prime example of an unlucky star performer, as the Seattle Seahawks went down 32-29 to the San Francisco 49ers.
However, the Niners themselves benefitted from standout performances from two players with Nigerian ties -- Malik Mustapha and Osa Odighizuwa.
African Player of the Week: Foyesade Oluokun (Jacksonville Jaguars)
The son of Nigerian parents, Oluokun has been instrumental in the Jaguars' success so far this season -- an understated but important part in one of the league's best defenses. In week 5, he starred with 10 tackles, including six solo and one for a loss, in the win over the Eagles.
One could argue that Oluokun did not produce as many spectacular standout moments this week as the likes of Landman on defense and Smith-Njigba on offense and was fortunate to end up on the winning side when his main competitors for this week's award did not win their respective games.
However, a counter to that would be that the often unseen steady contribution that Oluokun makes week-in-week-out is probably worthy of more accolades than he gets. In a sense, this Player of the Week prize could be seen as overdue recognition for a sturdy contribution over the course of five games -- four of which have seen the Jaguars come out on the winning side.
African Moment of the Week: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks)
Smith-Njigba -- of Sierra Leonean descent through his grandparents in a family with deep, complex West African ties -- weaved his way through four nearby Niners bodies to score a 16-yard catch-and-run touchdown off a Sam Darnold pass in the third quarter against the Niners, handing the defending Super Bowl champions the lead.
The Seahawks may eventually have gone down in a narrow fight, but their star wide receiver was impactful as usual. He tallied 118 total yards, including 102 yards across five receptions.
He did, it must be acknowledged, have a costly drop towards the end of the game. However, a bad moment towards the end of the game does not completely cancel out a memorable moment earlier - no matter how used to his brilliance we have become.
With a record of 3-2 across the first five games, the defending champions can be forgiven for showing signs of growing pains, but as long as JSN is on board and on song, they cannot be written off.
Honorable Mentions
The Niners' win over the Seahawks included major plays from Nigerian-American duo Osa Odighizuwa and Malik Mustapha, with the latter in particular having a game to remember with five solo tackles out of seven total, one fumble reception and one pass defended.
The Nigerian missile was one of the key reasons why Smith-Njigba was unable to turn the game in the Seahawks' favor, making life tremendously difficult for the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in the decisive stages.
One could make a case for Mustapha for Player of the Week based on high-intensity impactful moments alone, and the same could be said of the LA Rams' Landman - though he ended up on the losing side for the Rams against the Bills.
Landman has become a master at the art of the punchout and forced two fumbles, making 13 tackles in a huge performance.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win over the Dallas Cowboys saw big plays from Emeka Egbuka (of Nigerian descent) on offense and YaYa Diaby (of Guinean descent) on defense.
Boye Mafe (Nigerian heritage) picked up a sack and a forced fumble for the Cincinnati Bengals in their 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Sam Kamara, who has ties to Sierra Leone, picked up a first career sack - but in defeat as the Cleveland Browns went down 17-12 to the New York Jets.
African-born Player Watch
Landman was the standout African-born player in Week 5, but Nigeria's Samson Ebukam notched up a sack in the Atlanta Falcons' 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Born in Onitsha, on the banks of the Niger River, Ebukam is on a tremendous run this season with 2.5 sacks in the last 3 games - half a sack against the Carolina Panthers followed by one apiece against the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints.
The Falcons will, on Sunday, face a Chicago Bears side brimming with talented players with African ties. Kyle Monangai, who is of Cameroonian heritage, looks set to miss out through injury but Ebukam is likely to face Rome Odunze, who is of Nigerian descent through his father's side.