Jaxon Smith-Njigba - easily the standout player of African descent in week 9 of the NFL season - had to endure a bittersweet Sunday as his two touchdowns and 180 receiving yards could not prevent the Seattle Seahawks from going down 26-20 to the LA Rams.
Smith-Njigba, who has ties to Sierra Leone, was joined by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Tennessee Titans, ties to Nigeria), Chubba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers, ties to Nigeria), Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints, ties to Liberia) and Rome Odunze (Chicago Bears, ties to Nigeria) among offensive players to have strong performances.
On defense, Arnold Ebiketie (Cameroon) and Nate Landman (Zimbabwe) played key roles in the Atlanta Falcons' 27-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
African Player of the Week: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks)
Smith-Njigba's paternal grandparents are from Sierra Leone and he did the country proud with a superb performance for the Seahawks against the Rams.
The focal point of the Seahawks offense from the get-go, he scored their second touchdown late in the second quarter with a perfectly executed catch off a 24-yard Geno Smith pass.
The Seahawks led 13-3 at the time, but later fell 20-13 behind. A series of crucial errors from quarterback Smith cost them dearly.
However, Smith-Njigba almost saved the day as he made two superb catches in a sequence deep in the fourth quarter that ended with him scoring another touchdown. As a result, the Seahawks tied the game at 20-20 and took it to overtime.
It was ultimately not to be as the Rams edged the contest, but it was certainly through no fault of wide receiver Smith-Njigba - whose 180 yards were spread across seven catches.
African Moment of the Week: Arnold Ebiketie (Atlanta Falcons)
Ebiketie got the Falcons' first sack on Dak Prescott in their 27-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys, setting the tone for the game.
The Falcons led 7-3 in the first quarter when Ebiketie fended off offensive tackle Tyler Guyton and capitalized on Prescott's hesitation to sneak round the back and bring him down.
The linebacker, who was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, got his first sack of the season and the first of three from the Falcons on Prescott on Sunday.
Smith-Njigba's acrobatic catches could certainly have won the contest for Moment of the Week had the Seahawks beaten the Rams. However, because Ebiketie's moment of glory came in a win, he takes the honors this week.
The Falcons ultimately sacked Prescott three times to go 6-3 for the season. They are two wins clear of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the top of the NFC South.
Honorable Mentions
After a bright start to the season, the New Orleans Saints have hit a fallow spell, but Alvin Kamara remains hugely productive. The running back from a Liberian family gained an impressive 155 running yards and 60 receiving yards for the Saints in their 23-22 defeat to the Carolina Panthers.
Chuba Hubbard - most commonly associated with Canada but also with Nigerian heritage - got two touchdowns for the Panthers in that game.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who is of Nigerian descent, earned 50 yards off five catches for the Tennessee Titans in their 20-17 overtime win over the New England Patriots - scoring a crucial touchdown, which was his fourth in as many games.
Rome Odunze, also of Nigerian heritage, had a strong outing for the Chicago Bears with 104 yards across five receptions in the 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, another compatriot, got half a sack for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defending champions saw out a 30-24 win in overtime to go 8-0 for the season.
Africa-born Player Watch
Falcons duo Ebiketie and Landman were among the standout African-born players over the past week. Landman made 10 tackles in the Falcons' 27-21 win over the Cowboys to complement Ebiketie's five tackles and a sack.
Elsewhere, Kwity Paye (a Guinea-born Liberian defensive end) made a sack and two tackles for the Indianapolis Colts in their 21-13 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.