USC Trojans in the NFL Week 10 Recap
As we near the final stretch of the 2020 NFL season, playoff contenders are starting to make some noise and rev up their play with the postseason now just seven weeks away. Of these teams in contention, former USC players have pivotal roles in their success. So let’s dive in to find out how several Trojan alums played during week 10.
Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ronald Jones II were embarrassed last week in a 38-3 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Bucs knew they had to rebound when they played another division rival in the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and they did just that, led by Jones. The former USC star running back set a franchise record with a 98-yard touchdown run, finishing the game with 23 carries for 192 yards and that highlight score en route to a 46-23 win on the road. In his third year with Tampa, his previous career high was 113 yards in week six against Green Bay. Even with the signing of former Jacksonville Jaguar and 4th overall pick Leonard Fournette, Jones has held his starting spot with great play. He’s currently 3rd in the league with rush yards this year with 730 yards on the ground. The Bucs are sitting good at 7-3 in the NFC as they currently hold down the 5th seed and trail the Saints by .5 games in the South.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
The best team in the league record wise through week 10 is the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. JuJu Smith-Schuster scored a touchdown and had 9 receptions for 77 yards in the Steelers 36-10 massacre of the Cincinnati Bengals 36-10. This was his 2nd straight week scoring a touchdown and now has five on the season. After this touchdown, he gave the ball to his dad as a birthday gift. Through week 9, Smith-Schuster had zero drops on 55 targets. The only other player in the league who has at least that many targets without dropping a pass is Keenan Allen. Pittsburgh will look to stay unbeaten and be the first team to double-digit wins when they play Jacksonville next Sunday.
Austin Jackson, OT, Miami Dolphins
The surprise team of the strange 2020 NFL season is seemingly the Brian Flores led Miami Dolphins. They currently sit at the 6-seed with a 6-3 record. Even with making a quarterback switch from Ryan Fitzpatrick to first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa midway through the season. One things stayed consistent, and that’s the strong offensive line play. In his second week back from injury, left tackle Austin Jackson continued his strong season against the talented pass-rush of Joey Bosa and the Los Angeles Chargers. Jackson has been on the field for 348 snaps this season, and has only allowed one sack, which is impressive for a young offensive lineman. The Dolphins look to continue their play off push again the Denver Broncos in week 11.
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Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
Another 6-3 team in the AFC vying for a berth in the postseason is the Indianapolis Colts. A Thursday night divisional game with the Tennessee Titans proved to be a break-out game for rookie Michael Pittman Jr. The first-year wideout caught 7 balls for 101 yards, both career highs by 3 receptions and 45 yards. And it came in the teams most important game of the season, as they took over first place in the division with the win.
He even got a shoutout from Hall-of-Famer and former USC great Marcus Allen. If that doesn’t make the rookie feel good after posting a career night on national television, I don’t know what does.
Other USC alumni are making impact on playoff contenders as well. Robert Woods has been the number one target for the Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff in 2020, as he had 5 receptions for 33 yards against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in the Rams win to put them in a three-way tie with Seattle and Arizona atop the NFC West.
Devon Kennard and the Arizona Cardinals are currently in 1st place in the West, but the linebacker has not played the last two weeks due to COVID-19 protocols. Nelson Agholor of the Las Vegas Raiders and Nickell Robey-Coleman of the Philadelphia Eagles are also currently in the playoffs if they were to start today.
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