Trojans in the NFL: Week 13

The only Trojan touchdown scored in the NFL this past weekend was the most memorable of the season.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown’s first NFL touchdown could not have come in a better fashion. The 11-yard touchdown on fourth down as time expired in regulation secured the Detroit Lions’ first victory of the season, 29-27 over the Minnesota Vikings. On top of the score, St. Brown had an outstanding day with career-highs in targets, receptions and yards, leading all Lions receivers across those categories. He caught 10 of his 12 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown. Five of St. Brown’s targets came on the final drive, a positive sign moving forward as quarterback Jared Goff seems to have developed trust with St. Brown in the clutch.

Uchenna Nwosu

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu played a key role in his team’s monstrous defensive performance in their 41-22 win over the Cincinnati Bengals with two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He had an eight-yard sack on Cincinnati’s first drive of the game that forced quarterback Joe Burrow to fumble, and Nwosu was able to recover it. The play allowed the Chargers offense to put three more points on the board.

Nwosu’s second sack was for a loss of five yards and contributed to a turnover on downs for the Cincinnati offense in the fourth quarter. After Sunday’s contest, Nwosu has four sacks and two forced fumbles on the season.

Michael Pittman Jr.

Michael Pittman Jr. had six catches for 77 yards in the Indianapolis Colts’ 31-0 win over the Houston Texans. Pittman led all Colts receivers in targets, catches and receptions while also tallying 33 rushing yards on two carries. His second carry was his longest play of the game, a 25-yard gain on a run to the right that moved the Colts offense into the red zone. Sunday’s game, however, marks the fourth consecutive game in which Pittman has not scored a touchdown. His chances to find the end zone after next week’s bye don’t look too promising though, as he’ll face a New England Patriots defense that has allowed the second fewest touchdowns to opposing receivers.

Nelson Agholor

The good news is that Nelson Agholor was targeted on a third of quarterback Mac Jones’ passing attempts in the New England Patriots’ 14-10 win over the Buffalo Bills. The bad news is that Jones threw the ball just three times. Due to extreme weather conditions, the Patriots offense stuck with the rushing attack all game, running the ball 44 times (excluding kneels). Agholor did not connect with Jones on his one target, but had one carry for six yards in the first quarter. Agholor and the Patriots will enjoy a Week 14 bye after winning their past seven games.

Ronald Jones II

Despite seeing an increased snap count over the past two weeks, Ronald Jones II finished with one carry for two yards in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 30-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Jones played a total of just two snaps in the game, his second fewest all season. The contest with Atlanta was more competitive than expected which likely explains Jones’ lack of snaps in comparison to Leonard Fournette, who played 61. Additionally, Tampa Bay relied heavily on the passing attack with quarterback Tom Brady attempting a whopping 51 passes. With a stout Buffalo Bills run defense next on the schedule, Jones’ production will be more or less the same.