BOISE, Idaho — Last Sunday, former Boise State standout wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught his first NFL touchdown pass with the Buffalo Bills in a 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Shakir's three-catch, 75-yard performance with a score is the latest step as he continues to take advantage of his opportunities in the NFL. Right now, the Bills have some injuries at wide receiver, particularly in the slot with Jamison Crowder and Isaiah McKenzie out in Sunday's win.
The former Bronco star and 22-year-old stepped in during Buffalo's Week 4 win over the Baltimore Ravens, when Crowder and McKenzie went out. Shakir grabbed two balls for 23 yards in the Bills' come-from-behind 23-20 victory in Baltimore.
Buffalo teammates talk about how guys like Shakir have embodied the 'next man up' mentality and continue to earn the trust of veterans to make big plays. As the 4-1 Bills push for another AFC Championship berth, Shakir is proving he can be dependable when wide receiver health is limited.
"Talk about a guy like Shakir, who gets thrown into the starting lineup, were down two slot guys and he goes in there and has a great day," Josh Allen said. "Just trusting the guys that we brought into this building and our front office bringing in the right guys that care about football, care about each other and when you have that, you're gonna have success."
Dan Fetes, a sports anchor and reporter with ABC's 13WHAM, featured Shakir and the rookie's relationship with Bills' star wide receiver Stefon Diggs during 2022 training camp. Shakir called Diggs "the big bro that pushes you so hard, I don't know if he likes me or not."
Following Buffalo's Week 5 win and Shakir's first regular season score, Diggs also praised the Bills' youngsters for stepping in and succeeding for the proven AFC squad.
"We got young guys like this, you know, talked about it in training camp and somewhat in the beginning of the season, that when it was their time to step up, I had trust and faith in 'em that they were gonna do so," Diggs said. "So, that 'next man up' mentality is really showing."
Two of Shakir's three grabs Sunday came on pressure throws from Allen amid gusty Buffalo winds. With a linebacker on his hip and safeties converging from both sides, Shakir went up and grabbed a 31-yard strike up the seam in traffic.
Shakir's 24-yard touchdown catch came on a third-and-five with just over a minute left in the first half. On a corner route heading towards the goal line, the Boise State football alum patiently waited as Allen's toss floated towards him. Shakir was able to pull the rock in while being hit, and stayed on his feet to waltz into the end zone.
The rookie receiver naturally tossed the ball to the referee after the score, but Allen made sure to get the prize back to Shakir for a keepsake. The humble Shakir told local media he was just doing his part in the Bills' win.
"I mean I look at it as, if Josh has enough trust to throw it up to me with that many guys around me, then I gotta do my part," Shakir said. "So, he just threw it up, and honestly just found the ball and made a play. I wasn't trying to do too much or too little, just do my job."
Sunday's action was not only big for Bronco Nation because of Shakir, but two other former Boise State players also found the end zone in Week 5.
Avery Williams also scored his first career NFL touchdown in the Atlanta Falcons' contest against the Tampa Buccaneers. Williams' eight-yard run broke the Buccaneers' shutout and marked Williams' first rushing touchdown since high school, as noted by Tom Scott in Wednesday's Scott Slant.
Additionally, Dallas Cowboy and former Bronco pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence scored a 19-yard touchdown Sunday in his squad's 22-10 victory over the Rams in Los Angeles.
In less than three seconds, Lawrence was all over Rams' quarterback Matt Stafford. Lawrence was able to scoop up Stafford's fumble and rumble into the end zone to put Dallas up by a touchdown early in the first quarter.
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