Patrick Mahomes delivered a huge night for Kansas City, while David Bailey and Romello Height made defensive impacts in a busy NFL week for former Red Raiders.
Former Texas Tech football players made their presence felt across the NFL this weekend, but nobody from Raiderland had a bigger performance than Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, completing 32 of 47 passes as Kansas City beat Indianapolis 33-30 in overtime Sunday night.
He also rushed twice for 17 yards while posting a 114.0 passer rating. It was a major step forward after his return from last season’s ACL injury.
The other standout performance came from rookie pass rusher David Bailey.
Bailey, the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft, recorded three tackles, one sack and a forced fumble in the Jets’ 20-17 loss to Green Bay.
Through two games, Bailey already has two sacks and seven total tackles, an encouraging start for one of the highest-drafted players in Texas Tech history.
Another rookie, Romello Height, produced his first NFL sack in San Francisco’s 35-13 win over Miami.
Height finished with one solo tackle, but that tackle came behind the line as he continued carving out a rotational role on the 49ers' defense.
Miami featured several former Red Raiders.
Veteran linebacker Jordyn Brooks finished with three tackles in the loss, while rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas followed his 94-yard NFL debut by adding two catches for 19 yards, giving him seven receptions for 113 yards through two games.
Jacob Rodriguez, who had 14 tackles in his NFL debut, remained heavily involved in Miami’s defense. He continues to handle a significant role as a rookie starter and defensive communicator.
Elsewhere, Terence Steele started at right tackle for Dallas in the Cowboys’ 37-20 win over Washington, while Caleb Rogers appeared again for Las Vegas in its 26-14 victory over the Chargers.
Detroit rookie Skyler Gill-Howard added one assisted tackle and a quarterback hit Thursday night against Buffalo. Panthers defensive tackle Lee Hunter started in Carolina’s dominant 34-3 win over Atlanta but did not record a tackle.
Jets punter Austin McNamara was busy, punting seven times for 344 yards with a long of 58 yards and two kicks downed inside the 20.
Texas Tech entered the 2026 NFL season with 21 former Red Raiders on NFL rosters, including 18 on active 53-man rosters.
Monday Night Football features the Giants against the Rams, but Texas Tech’s current Week 2 NFL roster list does not include an active Red Raider on either team.
The early takeaway is encouraging: Mahomes remains the headliner, but Texas Tech’s younger NFL pipeline is beginning to show up around the league too.
