USC Alumni: Receivers Shine in Week 11 of the NFL
Another NFL week means more games played by former USC Trojans. In week 11, we had birthdays, games with playoff implications, a rookie catching his first career touchdown and an exciting Monday Night matchup at the Coliseum with two USC alumni going head to head. So let’s dive into which old-time Trojans stood out this weekend before Thanksgiving.
Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night football with both teams positioned one after another in the NFC wild card race. On the Rams side, Robert Woods had himself a night to remember. The 8th-year pass catcher did exactly what he’s paid to do, catch throws from Jared Goff. Woods tallied 12 receptions, 130 yards and a touchdown in the Rams 27-24 win over Tom Brady’s Bucs. Woods continues his strong season, where he is top-25 in targets, yards and receptions. While one of the only reasons his numbers aren’t better is because he has Cooper Kupp as his counterpart, as they post similar production.
On the other side of the field Monday was running back Ronald Jones II of the Bucs, and you can say he didn’t have quite the night Woods did. Jones only carried the ball 10 times for 24 yards on the night, and often times backup RB Leonard Fournette came in the game to take some of his reps. Jones is still 5th in the NFL in rushing yards in 2020.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
As mentioned in the opening, fan favorite JuJu Smith-Schuster celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday in the Steelers 27-3 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pittsburgh moved to 10-0 with the win, and you can bet your horses that was the only gift JuJu cared about getting. Smith-Schuster himself only had 4 catches for 19 yards, but the offense got plenty of help from the other weapons. Look for JuJu to have a big game on Thanksgiving night when Pittsburgh looks to stay perfect against the Baltimore Ravens.
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Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. has really found his stride in the second half of his rookie season, and it continued on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. The 23-year old receiver caught his first career NFL touchdown pass on a 45-yard catch and run in the 1st quarter in the Colts 34-31 win over the Packers. Pittman finished the afternoon with 3 catches for 66 yards and that touchdown to help get his team the win.
Nelson Agholor, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders continue to give the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs some problems during the regular season, and Nelson Agholor has been a part of it. Agholor had one of his best games of the season Sunday night, catching a season-high 6 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders narrow 35-31 loss to the Chiefs. Agholor’s speed continues to give defenses issues, as he forced the opposing defensive backs to commit a pass interference penalty late in the game to set up the Raiders go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes to play. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes was on the other side of the field and willed the Chiefs to victory to avoid getting swept by Las Vegas in 2020.
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