The only former USC defensive player worth mentioning in Week 4 was Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who recorded another sack, bringing his season total to two. Aside from that, let’s talk offense.
Sam Darnold
The perfect start to Sam Darnold’s season was cut short on Sunday, with the Carolina Panthers falling to the Dallas Cowboys 36-28. Darnold threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He continued to showcase his mobility, rushing for 35 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold was responsible for all four of the team’s touchdowns. His two picks came against a tough Cowboys secondary, and he still managed to connect with wide receiver D.J. Moore on eight of 12 targets for 113 yards and two scores. Despite the loss, Sunday’s match marked the third consecutive week that Darnold had more than 300 passing yards.
After Sunday’s contest, Darnold surprisingly leads the league with five rushing touchdowns. He becomes the first quarterback in NFL history to record five rushing touchdowns through their first four games. In addition, he ranks sixth amongst quarterbacks in passing yards. With only 52 rushing yards on the season, however, it is too early to consider Darnold a dual-threat quarterback.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Following a week where he was targeted only once, Amon-Ra St. Brown had the best game of his rookie season in the Detroit Lions’ 24-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. He was targeted eight times and caught six passes for 70 yards. St. Brown led all Lions wide receivers in targets and receptions, but it was wide receiver Kalif Raymond on the receiving end of both of Jared Goff’s touchdown passes. While St. Brown will not sustain this production on a weekly basis, it is certainly a step in the right direction for the fourth-round draft pick.
Robert Woods
Robert Woods had four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown in the Los Angeles Rams’ 37-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It was an encouraging statline for Woods; however, his role on the offense remained minor. Woods’ 14-yard touchdown reception came in garbage time, with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Arizona defense disrupted wide receiver Cooper Kupp all game long, holding him to under 65 yards and allowing Woods to see a slight boost in production. Woods nevertheless finished third in receiving for the Rams behind Kupp and Van Jefferson, with less than half as many targets as Kupp. Thursday night’s divisional matchup against the Seattle Seahawks should indicate whether or not Woods’ production is likely to continue throughout the season.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Despite commanding eight targets, JuJu Smith-Schuster recorded only two catches for 11 yards in a 27-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Pittsburgh’s offense continued to struggle with Father Time catching up with an aging Ben Roethlisberger. Averaging just 5.8 yards per attempt Sunday, Roethlisberger overthrew Smith-Schuster on what would have been an easy touchdown. Smith-Schuster showed visible signs of frustration on the sideline afterward, slamming a tablet onto the ground. The only positive constant of the Pittsburgh offense, to Smith-Schuster’s dismay, is fellow wide receiver Diontae Johnson who finished with 92 yards and a touchdown. Smith-Schuster’s Week 5 outlook does not look promising against a Denver Broncos defense that ranks first in quarterback completion percentage and sixth in yards allowed.
Michael Pittman Jr.
Michael Pittman Jr. had six receptions for 59 yards in a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins. He led the team with eight targets and was the only receiver to have more than five catches. The Colts held a large lead early on, causing a run-heavy game script for Indianapolis and fewer opportunities for Pittman, who has not yet scored a touchdown this season. He should have more opportunities to find the end zone next week in a potentially pass-heavy game against the Baltimore Ravens, whose offense ranks eighth in points per game.
Ronald Jones II
Surprisingly, Tom Brady failed to score a touchdown in his long-anticipated return to New England on Sunday night. In fact, the only Tampa Bay touchdown of the evening came from none other than Ronald Jones II on an eight-yard carry in the third quarter. Aside from the touchdown, Jones finished the game with just 25 rushing yards on six carries. Leonard Fournette once again got the start at running back and established himself as the clear-cut No. 1, finishing with 91 rushing yards and 47 receiving yards.
Nelson Agholor
Nelson Agholor finished Sunday night’s 19-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with three catches for 55 yards. His biggest play of the night came on a trick play when wide receiver Jakobi Meyers connected with him on a 30-yard reception. Other than that, it was another quiet week for Agholor.