Canadian NFL talent shines on a banner Sunday

There has never been a day in National Football League history for Canadians like Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.

It was a day when Canadians accounted for five touchdowns, three-and-a-half sacks and a forced fumble.

And those are just the highlights. 

Over the past few years, the number of Canadians in the NFL has been growing – not just in numbers, but in terms of the prominence of roles on their teams, on both sides of the ball. 

That's part of what made this past Sunday so special. The success wasn't confined to one side of the ball or just a few positions. It was everywhere. 

There are currently two Canadian starting tailbacks in the NFL, and both had big days in victories for their teams on Sunday.

Chase Brown, the London, Ont. native, had a career-high 120 yards rushing to go with five catches for 37 yards and his sixth touchdown of the season, to help the Bengals beat the Raiders.

While that was happening, Sherwood Park, Alta.’s Chuba Hubbard was racking up 72 yards along the ground for Carolina in their win over New Orleans, crossing the goal line twice to equal Brown with six majors on the season as well. 

None of this should be surprising to anyone who followed their college careers, with Hubbard leading the NCAA in rushing at Oklahoma State in 2019 and Brown finishing as the runner-up three years later at Illinois. Both players have track backgrounds, possessing elite speed and the ability to complement their rushing skills by catching the ball out of the backfield. 

At 25 and 24 years of age, respectively, their best years are still ahead of them. 

The same can be said for the two other touchdown scorers of the day, Los Angeles Chargers receiver Josh Palmer of Brampton, Ont., and New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson of Windsor, Ont.

Palmer, 25, snagged a 28-yard pass from Justin Herbert to give Los Angeles a 7-0 lead in their win over Cleveland, while the 23-year-old rookie Johnson had three catches for 51 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown catch.

The Canadian stars were out on defence and special teams as well. 

Baltimore Ravens second-year outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, 25, had a pair of sacks in the Ravens win over Denver, giving him 3.5 on the season. Robinson, who started his college football career at hometown University of Guelph and finished at the University of Mississippi, has found his place on a team known for its ferocious style of defence, leading to one of his coaches referring to him this past summer as a "glass eater."

Robinson was joined in the sack action by Arizona Cardinal linebacker Jesse Luketa, 25, an Ottawa native who has been making splash plays on defence ever since being active for game days at the beginning of October. Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht, 27, who was born in Oakville, Ont., and raised in other parts of the province, was credited with a half-sack in his team's win over Seattle.

Washington Commanders corner and Montreal native Benjamin St. Juste, 27, had six tackles in his team's win over the Giants. And three weeks after returning from off-season ACL surgery, Eagles safety Sydney Brown, twin brother of Chase, forced a fumble on special teams, where he's been playing the majority of snaps while he works himself back into football shape.

There was a time when the rare Canadians in the NFL played mostly niche roles on special teams or as backups along the offensive and defensive lines.

But this generation has grown up with their sights set on all areas of the field in the NFL and a willingness to devote themselves to achieving those dreams in any way possible. 

They possess, in general, both a higher degree of athleticism and football IQ than the Canadians who preceded them. 

And while their arrival to the NFL has been well-documented as the current wave of Canadians has gone through the annual NFL Draft, we are now witnessing their true arrival in the league. They are earning their roles, blossoming before our eyes, and leaving their marks all over the league. 

Sunday may have set a new bar as far as Canadians performing during a single day of NFL action. But it won't be the last of its kind. 

It’s more like a preview of what's to come.