Voltar
Although some former Trojans won NFL games this past weekend, there was a shortage of star performances from USC NFL players. Amon-Ra St. Brown was the best former Trojan, and two USC alumni on the Houston Texans played well. The biggest star from USC, Caleb Williams, had his worst game of the season, but it may have been exactly what he needed in the long run.
Here is my breakdown of how some former USC football players fared in the ninth week of the NFL season:
Joe Burrow and his playmakers put on a show in Madrid early last Sunday. The Atlanta Falcons did not compare well to what the Cincinnati Bengals did. Drake London has the talent to match Cincy's Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins, yet he did not get the full opportunity to showcase that. London caught all 5 of his targets for 68 yards. This should have been a big game for London; instead, it ended up being an average one.
It was a quiet game for corner Chris Roland-Wallace, as he had 2 total tackles. His opportunities and reps will still put him in a position to be extremely impactful down the stretch.
This past week, Amon-Ra St. Brown had one of his best games of the season, even though he did not find the end zone. St. Brown had 8 total catches for 86 yards. He was the most productive player on the Detroit Lions' offense, leading them to victory.
The Philadelphia Eagles offense continues to struggle, but Makai Lemon has consistently found ways to be productive. This past week, Lemon had 6 catches for 61 yards. It is not star production, but it is production that is showing up every week. He is trending in the right direction.
No David Montgomery for another week, and the run game solely fell on Woody Marks' shoulders. Woody Marks was up for that challenge, and he was great in the Houston Texans' win. Marks had 18 carries for 70 yards. The Texans' run game does not have to be stellar, given how great their passing game has been, but Marks has ensured it has been at least a solid complement.
Calen Bullock was flying all over the football field on Sunday, and he played his part in making sure the Los Angeles Chargers' offense struggled for another week. Bullock had 5 tackles and a pass deflection. The Texans defense is trending up, and Bullock has a part in that.
Caleb Williams looked like the best quarterback in the NFL in the 1st quarter. He then followed up on that with 3 interceptions in the 2nd quarter and 4 total on Sunday night. That did not stop him from leading the Chicago Bears to an impressive game-winning drive. Week 9 was a great opportunity to show what Caleb Williams is made of. Things did not go his way, and he handled that as well as he could. Caleb still threw for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Minnesota Vikings offense looked even worse with Carson Wentz taking over, and that once again negatively impacted Jordan Addison's production. Addison found a way to make something out of his lack of targets. Addison had 2 catches for 28 yards. Thankfully, for Addison, Kirk Cousins is returning to Minnesota, and that should skyrocket his opportunity.