The Chicago Bears' Kyle Monangai (ties to Cameroon) and the Carolina Panthers' Chuba Hubbard (ties to Nigeria) starred in an NFL week which saw running backs with links to Africa impress.
Monangai, Hubbard and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (ties to Liberia) each scored two touchdowns. The Bears beat the New York Jets 23-12 and the Panthers edged the Detroit Lions 32-26, but Kamara's Saints went down 45-24 to the Atlanta Falcons.
That game saw Nigeria's Samson Ebukam pick up a sack for the winning side, while his compatriot Basil Chijioke 'CJ' Okoye became the first NFL Africa IPP graduate to pick up a sack in a regular season game as his New York Giants beat the Arizona Cardinals 36-24.
African Player of the Week - Kyle Monangai (Chicago Bears)
Monangai, whose parents are from Cameroon, racked up 146 yards across 30 carries in the Bears' win over the Jets at Soldier field, scoring two touchdowns.
He is increasingly becoming an important part of the Bears offense in his second season. Having scored five touchdowns in his first season last year, Monangai now already has three this season.
He racked up 100 yards across 10 carries and scored a superb touchdown in the 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers in his first game of the season, in addition to 24 more yards gained across two receptions.
This time, his four yards gained on a solitary reception took his total yards in the win over the Jets to 150.
African Moment of the Week - Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers)
Not only were Hubbard's two touchdowns in the win over the Lions vital in a game ultimately decided by a six-point margin, but both of them were easy on the eye and the second came off the back of a sensational marauding run through the Detroit defense.
Hubbard shook off five tackles, weaving his way through the tightest of spaces in a 25-yard-run, before a sixth finally brought him down two yards from the goal line.
To complete his Moment of the Week, Hubbard ran in for the touchdown off the very next play. It came at a crucial moment, as the extra point from Ryan Fitzgerald extended the Panthers' lead to 10 points in what proved to be the final notch on the scoreboard during the third quarter.
The Lions did their best to claw their way back in the fourth, but largely due to the damage already done by Hubbard -- who was born in Canada to a Nigerian father and Canadian mother.
Honorable mentions
There were several standout defensive performances by players with ties to Africa across the NFL in Week 4. However, the pick of the bunch was Foyesade Oluokun - a Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker with parental ties to Nigeria.
Oluokun made seven tackles, one red zone interception, and one sack, as the Jags beat the Cincinnati Bengals 22-17.
Another player of Nigerian heritage -- Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori -- had an equally impressive game in the 30-23 win over the LA Chargers.
Africa-born Player Watch
Okoye's sack for the Giants was certainly the underdog story of the week. Having come through the 2022 NFL Africa Touchdown camp and then the IPP Program, he had already shown his potential with the LA Chargers and then Baltimore Ravens, but the 24-year-old rising Nigerian star's first regular season sack was a moment to remember.
The Giants held a slender 19-14 lead when Okoye pinned Jacoby Brissett back eight yards with around two minutes left in the first half.
For a defensive lineman who only played his first organized football three years ago in the 2023 pre-season, it was yet another major statement of his ability - and arguably the most convincing of them all to date. He joined the Falcons' Ebukam as yet another Nigerian born player to pick up a sack in a Week 4 win.
Meanwhile, the LA Rams' 24-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles was a showcase of Zimbabwean brilliance.
On the winning side, Nate Landman made 10 tackles for the Rams. However, the contribution of his Zimbabwean compatriot, Andrew Mukuba -- who also has family ties to DR Congo -- should not be overlooked. Mukuba picked up an interception for the Eagles.
Perhaps the biggest compliment one could pay towards Africa's growing role in the NFL in recent years is that week on week, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fit the top highlights on both offense and defense into a single piece.