Africans in the NFL - Nigeria's Bobby Okereke finishes tough Giants season on a high

Bobby Okereke gave the New York Giants plenty to ponder as he put in another top-tier performance in their 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the last game of the NFL season.

Okereke - who has deep family ties to Nigeria - had a strong individual performance and the Giants claimed the win, but he will not be among the players NFL fans in Africa can look forward to watching in the playoffs.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other talents with ties to the continent who are in Super Bowl contention - particularly in a Seattle Seahawks side which once again saw several impressive performances from players of direct African descent.

African Player of the Week: Bobby Okereke

Okereke was immense for the Giants from beginning to end of their win over the Cowboys. His first major contribution came under five minutes into the game, when he recovered a Dak Prescott fumble. That led to the first field goal of the game - which came from Ben Sauls off the following drive.

With 9:16 left in the fourth quarter, the game was still up for grabs, with the Giants leading 27-17. The Cowboys had started the quarter well with a touchdown from Phil Mafah keeping them in the game.

Okereke intercepted a pass from Joe Milton III intended for Brevyn Spann-Ford and ran the ball back seven yards. From the ensuing drive, the Giants covered 33 across 6 plays for the touchdown which all but put them beyond reach.

The Giants finished the season 4-13 and have some major decisions to make on potential restructuring. However, in their final two games, Okereke did all he humanly could to show that he still has a major role in this team.

African Moment of the Week: Nick Emmanwori

The Seattle Seahawks clinched the top seed in the NFC with a 13-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers in a match which saw several players with African ties star.

Among them, Nigerian-American safety Nick Emmanwori had the most memorable single moment.

His massive hit on George Kittle in the second quarter was one of seven tackles he made during the game. Emmanwori finished with four solo tackles, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss in a performance which saw him finish the regular season strengthening his case to be viewed as the league's best defensive rookie of the season.

Honorable Mentions

Uchenna Nwosu - who also has ties to Nigeria - picked up a sack for the Seahawks in their win. Meanwhile, Sam Okuayinonu - who has both Liberian and Nigerian roots - got a sack for the 49ers.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba picked up 84 receiving yards to finish the NFL season with more than any other player (1,793). Second-placed Puka Nacua got 1,715, but although Smith-Njigba finished clear of him, he did not break the all-time record of 1,964 set by Calvin Johnson in 2012.

As for the game in which Bobby Okereke's heroics earned him African Player of the Week: it is worth noting that Phil Mafah, who scored a touchdown for the Cowboys that brought them back into the game in the fourth quarter, is of Ivorian descent.

Noah Igbinoghene, whose parents were top Nigerian runners, got a sack for the Washington Commanders in their 24-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

One of the most eventful games from an African perspective was the Denver Broncos' 19-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Eyioma Uwazurike - who has family roots in Nigeria - picked up a sack for the victors on the day. Compatriot Justin Eboigbe picked up two for the chargers, while Otito Ogbonnia and Odafe Oweh picked up half a sack each.

Elsewhere, Foyesade Oluokun - another player with Nigerian ties - had a huge game for the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 41-7 win over the Tennessee Titans with eight tackles and one pass defended.

Africa-born Player Watch

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Sam Okuayinonu is our pick for the most impressive player in the last week of the regular season out of those born on the continent. He will be in action on Jan. 11 in the Wild Card round.

The 49ers will look to bounce back from their loss to the Seahawks against reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the title last season partly due to the efforts of Nigeria-born Moro Ojomo.br/]