USC Trojans in the NFL: Week 13
We’re officially through three-quarters of the 2020 NFL season and there has yet to be any cancellations due to COVID-19, which is a great sign with a month until the playoffs. While USC football played on Sunday, and dominated, let’s dive into the former Trojans that also dominated in the league this weekend.
Leonard Williams, DE, New York Giants
The New York Giants are in a tight race in the NFC East, and had to win Sunday to stay in first place, and they did just that. The Seattle Seahawks offense has been one of the best in the league led by Russell Wilson, but on Sunday, the Giants defense led by Leonard Williams put a stop to that. Williams played out of his mind on Sunday. Just read this stat line. The former USC star totaled 2.5 sacks, 5 quarterback hits and 2 tackles for loss while holding Seattle to just 10 offensive points in New York's huge 17-12 win on the road. Williams now has 8.5 sacks, 10 TFL and 24 QB hits with four games remaining. Talk about dominant. He can make a case for being the best player on the G-Men this season, as they currently hold the 4-seed in the NFC playoff picture.
Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
With the Seattle loss, the Rams took over first place in the NFC West after a 38-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals and you can guess who led the Rams in receiving yet again, that being Robert Woods. The star wideout snatched 10 receptions for 85 yards, catching 91% of his targets. Woods has been Jared Goff's favorite target this year, and will need to continue to play strongly in order for L.A. to win the West.
[Read: Two USC Players Suffer Season-Ending Injuries]
Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets
The New York Jets had the lead late in the game! But the defense squandered the lead with 5 seconds to go as the Jets are now 0-12 on the season. On the bright side, QB Sam Darnold had his best game of the season. Darnold threw for 186 yards, 2 TD's and 1 INT and added a touchdown rushing in the loss. He had his best quarterback rating of the year of 97.4 and put the woeful Jets in a position to win, but couldn't get the win. It's tank for Trevor time in New York.
Everson Griffen, DE, Detroit Lions
Since the Lions fired Matt Patricia, Detroit is back in the playoff race at 5-7 after the team's 34-30 win over the Bears in Chicago. While the defense didn't play great, they needed a few key plays, and Everson Griffen did just that. Griffen snagged a sack, and a tackle for loss to go along with two total tackles in the win.
[Read: Former USC Kicker Talks Working For Pete Carrol]
Austin Jackson, OT, Miami Dolphins
If I would've told you the Dolphins were going to be 8-4 through 12 games, you would have thought I was joking. Well, they are sitting steady in the playoff picture due to a big thanks from the offensive line that has protected their rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa as well as you could. Austin Jackson and the O-line allowed zero sacks yet again, and Jackson's side allowed zero QB hits as well.
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