NFL locals: Idaho’s Kaden Elliss emerging as star with Atlanta Falcons

Kaden Elliss (Idaho) has solidified himself as a key defender for the Atlanta Falcons, and although the linebacker isn’t a household name yet, he’s trending toward stardom in the NFL.

Falcons fans consider Elliss to be one of the league’s more underrated defensive gems. If he keeps putting together the kinds of performances he’s produced these last couple of weeks, the Vandals legend might emerge as a Pro Bowl candidate.

After registering nine tackles, with three tackles for loss last week, Elliss had another standout performance during the Falcons’ 34-27 victory Sunday over the visiting Washington Commanders.

The seventh-year pro, recorded five tackles, half a sack, a tackle for loss and two QB pressures. He shared a sack with Leonard Floyd on a third down late in the second quarter to force a Washington punt. He popped Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota in the backfield on a QB keeper early in the fourth quarter, and one of his QB hits resulted in an incompletion.

On the year, Elliss is up to 23 tackles and 1½ sacks. According to Falcons reporter Tori McElhaney, he’s the only player since the start of 2024 to have recorded 170 tackles and six sacks.

Elliss tallied five sacks and 151 tackles last season during a breakout year of sorts with Atlanta. Now, Elliss – a seventh-round draft pick by New Orleans in 2019 – is a first-time team captain and a potential star in the making.

• Christian Elliss (Idaho) returned to the New England Patriots’ starting lineup after being benched midway through the team’s loss to Pittsburgh last weekend.

The fifth-year pro had a bounce-back game, recording nine tackles as the Patriots routed Carolina 42-13. Elliss had five tackles in the first quarter alone, including a run stuff at the line of scrimmage on a first-down play.

• Frankie Luvu (WSU), a standout linebacker for Washington, had his first sack of the year during the Commanders’ 34-27 loss to Atlanta.

Luvu took down Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on a first-down play early in the second quarter for his 29th-career sack – he had a career-high eight sacks last year during his All-Pro season. Luvu finished the game second among Washington defenders with eight tackles, adding a QB pressure.

• Jaden Hicks (WSU), a second-year pro and Kansas City’s starting strong safety, had four solo tackles in a 37-20 win over Baltimore.

On a first-and-15 in the second quarter, Hicks made a difficult open-field tackle on star Ravens running back Derrick Henry, preventing a long gain on the screen play. Baltimore ended up going three-and-out on that series.

Hicks was the Chiefs’ second-highest graded defender of the day, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics.

• Jaylen Watson (WSU) made his fourth consecutive start to open the season at cornerback for Kansas City, and was instrumental in the Chiefs’ impressive defensive effort against a high-powered Ravens offense led by two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Watson tallied one tackle, but didn’t surrender much yardage as the Chiefs held Jackson and backup quarterback Cooper Rush – who replaced the injured star in the third quarter – to 194 yards on 23 of 33 passing.

• Cam Ward (WSU) is still struggling to get in the win column.

The Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, had perhaps his toughest game of the season as the Titans fell to 0-4, losing 26-0 to Houston.

Ward completed 10 of 26 passes for 108 yards and threw an off-target pass in the fourth quarter that was tipped and intercepted.

On the season, Ward has thrown for 614 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions on a 51.2% completion rate. He’s been sacked a league-high 17 times and ranks last among NFL starters in QBR (22.6).

“If we’re keeping it a buck right now, we’re (bad),” a frustrated Ward said after the game. “We’ve dropped a quarter of our games and have yet to do anything.”

• Daiyan Henley (WSU) had another productive game, totaling nine tackles (eight) solo for the Los Angeles Chargers during their 21-18 loss to the New York Giants.

Henley, a breakout star and team captain for L.A., is up to 31 tackles on the year.

• Kendrick Bourne (EWU), a veteran receiver for San Francisco, recorded one reception, a 17-yarder down the sideline during the 49ers’ final scoring drive. The catch got San Francisco deep in Jacksonville territory, and the 49ers finished off the drive with a TD, but failed to score on the next series and lost 26-21.

• Chau Smith-Wade (WSU) had a standout performance last weekend, recording a pick-six in a win over Atlanta, but the cornerback and his Carolina Panthers were less fortunate Sunday in a loss to New England. Smith-Wade totaled two tackles. He missed a tackle that would have prevented New England tight end Hunter Henry from scoring a 31-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

• Samson Ebukam (EWU) was an effective pass-rusher for Indianapolis during a 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He finished with two tackles and recorded two QB pressures.

• Kyle Williams (WSU), a rookie receiver with New England, saw his usage increase as he played 14 snaps on offense during the Patriots’ win. The third-round draft pick had one touch, a 2-yard loss on a receiver sweep.