The NFL season is off and running — here are some Canadians to watch – MASHAHER

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports’ daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what’s happening in sports by subscribing here.

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and there’s plenty to talk about already.

Last night, reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey was a surprise last-minute scratch due to a calf/Achilles injury. But his understudy, Jordan Mason, rushed for a CMC-esque 147 yards and a touchdown as San Francisco thrashed the Jets 32-19. On the bright side for New York, Aaron Rodgers at least made it through an entire game after tearing his Achilles just a few snaps into his Jets debut a year ago.

On Sunday, Miami star Tyreek Hill was pulled from his car and put in handcuffs by police during a traffic stop on his way to the stadium. But Hill pulled a Scottie Scheffler, racking up 130 yards receiving (including an 80-yard TD) in the Dolphins’ 20-17 win over Jacksonville.

Elsewhere, New England shocked Cincinnati 16-10 for the biggest upset of the week while Dallas pounded Deshaun Watson and the Browns 33-17 as colour commentator Tom Brady made his (so-so) broadcast debut. Along with McCaffrey, the list of stars hurt in Week 1 includes Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love and Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who could each miss several weeks due to knee injuries.

Clearly, it’s going to be another interesting season for North America’s biggest pro sports league. And several Canadians are hoping to play important roles in it. Here are some of them:

Jevon Holland (Miami Dolphins safety): The Snowman (he wears No. 8 and hails from the North) has built himself into one of the better safeties in the league since Miami drafted him 36th overall out of Oregon in 2021. Despite missing five games due to injury last season, Holland finished with 74 tackles, three forced fumbles and one very memorable interception — his 99-yard pick-6 off a Hail Mary against the Jets on Black Friday. Holland made another huge play on Sunday, punching the ball out of Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne’s hands near the goal line to take away a surefire touchdown that would have put the Jags up by 17 late in the third quarter. Instead, Miami recovered the fumble in the end zone and, on the very next play, Hill scored his 80-yard TD to cut the Dolphins’ deficit to three.

Josh Palmer (Los Angeles Chargers receiver): The former third-round draft pick had a modest 2023 season, making 38 catches for 581 yards and two touchdowns — down from 72/107/769 the year before. But after the Chargers traded star Keenan Allen to Chicago and lost free agent Mike Williams to the Jets, Palmer is the only reliable veteran receiver left for quarterback Justin Herbert and new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Palmer caught just two passes for 15 yards on Sunday before being ejected for fighting in the fourth quarter of L.A.’s win over Las Vegas.

Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers running back): Now in his fourth NFL season, Hubbard wrestled the starting job from pricey free-agent pickup Miles Sanders last season and posted career highs in both rushing yards (902) and receiving yards (233) while scoring five touchdowns for the NFL’s worst team. On Sunday, Hubbard and Sanders split the carries in an ugly 47-10 loss to New Orleans as second-year QB Bryce Young continued to struggle.

Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals running back): The 2023 fifth-round pick flashed some explosiveness as a rookie and seemed to be in line for a bigger role after the Bengals replaced workhorse back Joe Mixon with journeyman Zack Moss. But Brown touched the ball just six times in Sunday’s dismal loss to the lowly Patriots.

John Metchie III (Houston Texans receiver): The two-time Jon Cornish Trophy winner as the top Canadian in NCAA football has had it rough since recording a team-high 96 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in his final college season at Alabama. Metchie suffered a serious knee injury in the 2021 SEC title game, then missed his entire rookie season with Houston after being diagnosed with leukemia. He came back to make 16 catches in 16 games last season, but playing time might be even harder to come by after the Texans acquired star wideout Stefon Diggs from Buffalo.

Benjamin St-Juste (Washington Commanders cornerback): The 2021 third-round pick from Montreal had 67 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception last season for a Commanders team that went 4-13 and gave up the most points and yardage in the entire league. Washington is trying for a fresh start with exciting rookie QB Jayden Daniels and new head coach Dan Quinn, who was in charge of Dallas’ ball-hawking defence last year.

Matthew Bergeron (Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman): O-linemen aren’t on anyone’s fantasy team and often go unnoticed until they get burned for a sack. But, by all accounts, Bergeron is coming off a pretty solid rookie season. The 38th overall pick in last year’s draft won the starting left guard job and played almost every snap as Atlanta finished with the ninth-most rushing yards in the league. Other notable Canadian starters on the offensive line include New England guard Sidy Sow, who missed the opener due to an ankle injury, and Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson, who was suspended for the first two games for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy.

For a comprehensive list of Canadian players in the CFL, read this story on 3DownNation.