Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe, a son of Nigerian immigrants, was one of the standout African players in the NFL last season, and against the Atlanta Falcons he showed he was back to his best.
In 2024, he has struggled with knee injury issues, but in the Seahawks' 34-14 win over the Falcons, he produced one of the moments of week 7 across the league.
Meanwhile, there were strong performances from other players with ties to Nigeria - by far the dominant African country in the past gameweek.
African Player of the Week: Boye Mafe (Seattle Seahawks)
Last season, Mafe broke the Seattle Seahawks' franchise record for the most consecutive games with a sack, getting seven in a row between September 24 and November 12.
In his second NFL season, he recorded a total of nine sacks. This year, he has been similarly impressive when he has played, but he has featured in only five of the Seahawks' seven games.
This week, he had his best week of the season, picking up a strip-sack for the Seahawks in their 34-14 win over the Falcons - his fourth sack of the season and his most impressive to date.
It was a crucial win for the Seahawks, as they ended a run of three successive defeats and went 4-3 for the season. They sit top of the NFC West, one win ahead of the San Francisco 49ers.
African Moment of the Week: Boye Mafe
Mafe's strip-sack on Kirk Cousins against the Falcons was the Moment of the Week not only because of how impressive it was, but also its impact.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks led 24-14 and there was still a way back into the game for the Falcons.
Mafe put paid to that when he closed down the angle on Cousins and dislodged the ball, as it allowed Derick Hall to gather for a defensive touchdown that effectively put the match beyond reach.
"As soon as he got off, he was like, 'You're welcome,'" Hall said of Mafe. "He plays with an effort that nobody can match. I feel like that's where everybody on the team can get to. I mean, that guy flies around every single play."
Honorable Mentions:
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, whose parents are Nigerian, got a sack for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their 37-15 win over the New York Jets.
Although week 7 saw yet another disappointing defeat for the Cleveland Browns, David Njoku - a literal Nigerian chief - got a touchdown in their 21-14 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Malik Mustapha - another player with family ties to Nigeria - has had a strong start to the season for the 49ers. In their 29-18 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, he had another strong game with 12 tackles. However, even he could not stop Patrick Mahomes as he was bulldozed in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a touchdown.
Adam Schefter reports on 49ers WR Brandon Ayiuk being officially ruled out for the season after tearing his right ACL in Week 7 vs. the Chiefs.
Azeez Ojulari, who was born to Nigerian parents, got his third sack in his last two games for the New York Giants in a 28-3 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chigoziem Okonkwo - both of whom have ties to Nigeria - were also on the losing side for the Tennessee Titans in their 34-10 defeat to the Buffalo Bills. However, Okonkwo secured 50 receiving yards and Westbrook-Ikhine scored a touchdown.
Segun Olubi (also of Nigerian descent) was more fortunate in that his solid contribution for the Indianapolis Colts against the Miami Dolphins, with five tackles and a forced fumble, was rewarded with a 16-10 win.
In the Monday night action, Odafe Oweh - another player with Nigerian ties - got a sack for the Baltimore Ravens in their 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For their opponents, YaYa Diaby, who is of Guinean descent, got a sack too.
Africa-born Player Watch:
Although there were strong performances from several African players in week 7, it was not the best of weeks for many of the league's Africa-born stars.
Zimbabwe-born Nate Landman had a tough game for the Falcons in their loss to the Seahawks, although he did manage five tackles.
Kader Kohou, who is from Côte d'Ivoire, defended two passes against the Indianapolis Colts - probably the best showing of an African-born player in the past week. However, his Miami Dolphins still ended up on the losing side 16-10.