USC in the NFL: Regular Season Wrap-Up
The 2020 NFL regular season has officially come to an end after week 17 wrapped up on Sunday. For the first time in league history, there will be 14 teams in the playoffs with seven teams from each conference. The number one seed from the AFC and NFC get a bye in the first round, and the remaining three division winners host the wild card teams that correspond in the bracket.
There will be plenty of USC alumni in the playoffs, including JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ronald Jones II and Robert Woods. Get excited Trojans fans, you can still watch your favorite USC players this January. Nonetheless, let's wrap up the 2020 NFL year by recapping how former USC players performed throughout the league.
Leonard Williams, DE, New York Giants
The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft Leonard Williams has blossomed into the player everyone expected him to be. In a must-win game for the New York Giants (week 17), Williams sacked Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton not once, not twice, but three times, for a Giants 23-19 win.
Unfortunately for New York, the Washington Football Team also won, eliminating the G-Men from playoff contention. For Williams, he finished with career-highs in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits, as he secured 11.5 sacks, good for 7th in the NFL and 16 TFL, which ranks 8th in the league, while knocking down opposing QB's 30 times.
The 26-year-old finished with 57 total tackles on the season. Unfortunately for Williams, he got snubbed from Pro Bowl honors this year, but his team and the coaching staff knows just how important he was to the the Giants success this year.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
One of the fan favorites, JuJu Smith-Schuster had a big bounce back year for the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Ben Rothlisberger back and healthy, and JuJu not missing a single game, he was able to help the offense score enough points to finish the season as the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs with a 12-4 record.
Smith-Schuster led the team with 97 catches for 831 yards and 9 touchdowns, which was a career-high for the AFC North Champions. In the final week of the season, the 24-year old gave himself momentum heading into the postseason, as he caught six passes for 68 yards and a TD from backup QB Mason Rudolph.
Even though JuJu's yards per target was the lowest of his four-year career, he also posted his lowest drop percentage at 2.3% and highest catch percentage, at 75.8% respectfully. Now Smith-Schuster will focus on making big plays at Heinz Field in the playoffs when the Steelers host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at 5:15 P.M. pacific time.
Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Another former Trojan posted a career-year in 2020, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones II played great football for Tom Brady and the Bucs. In 14 games Jones II tallied 978 yards and 7 TD's on 192 rushes, as well as 28 receptions. His 5.1 yards per carry puts him at 8th in the NFL.
He also had the longest carry in the league in 2020, as he ran for a 98-yard TD earlier this year, which broke Tampa Bay's record. Jones II faced some adversity this year too, with Tampa Bay signing the former No. 3 overall pick in 2017, RB Leonard Fournette, as some competition back in September, but RoJo's strong play kept him the starting job for Bruce Arians' offense.
Now the third-year pro will be in the playoffs for the first time in his young career, when the Buccaneers play the Washington Football Team on Saturday at 5:15 P.M. pacific time.
Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
With a win over the Arizona Cardinals in the final week of the regular season, the Los Angeles Rams have punched themselves into the playoffs. The eight-year vet had 90 receptions for 936 yards and six touchdowns receiving.
He was also a factor in the running game, as he carried the ball 24 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns, mostly on jet-sweeps. Woods also had his highest catch percentage of his career at 70%. The Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at 1:40 P.M. pacific time.
Nelson Agholor, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
In his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders, wide receiver Nelson Agholor put up career numbers for Jon Gruden's squad. Agholor led all receivers on the roster in targets and receiving yards with 82 passes thrown his way and 896 yards. He had 48 catches for eight TD’s, which means 16% of his receptions found the end zone.
He was a big-play threat waiting to happen all year long, as he and QB Derek Carr found some chemistry. Agholor averaged 18.7 yards per reception which was 2nd best in the NFL behind Marquez Valdez-Scantling of the Green Bay Packers, who has Aaron Rodgers throwing to him. As the six-year veteran gets more comfortable in the Raiders offense, expect him to have an even better year in 2021.
Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets
The New York Jets had a 2020 season that they would like to forget. Sam Darnold and the team played better down the stretch, but started 0-13. The former No. 3 overall pick finished the season with 2,208 yards passing, 9 TD’s and 11 interceptions in the 12 games he started. He completed only 59.6% of his throws and has now thrown at least 10 interceptions in each of his first three seasons.
Nickell Robert-Coleman, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles had a bad year, bad enough that they finished with the worst record in the NFC East, which will go down as one of the worst divisions in NFL history. Cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman was one of the few defensive players on Philly who had a solid season. He allowed 42 receptions for 490 yards and three TD's on the year. To add, he also finished with 44 tackles in 15 games in the secondary.
Malcolm Smith, LB, Cleveland Browns
In his first season with the Cleveland Browns, linebacker Malcolm Smith had his best season in the NFL since 2016 with the Oakland Raiders. Smith finished with 72 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception on the year as a rotational player for Kevin Stefanski's team. Smith will be a pivotal part of the Brown's defense in their first playoff game in almost two decades.
Austin Jackson, OT, Miami Dolphins
As the 18th pick of the 2020 NFL draft, offensive tackle Austin Jackson had a very good rookie season. Jackson played in 13 games for the Miami Dolphins and only had two penalties called against him all year long.
He committed zero false starts and just one holding penalty while protecting two quarterbacks with different styles. Jackson was able to adjust well to Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie Tua Tagovailoa. Even getting injured a quarter of the way through 2020, Jackson persevered and finished his first year strong to help Miami win 10 games.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts beat out the Dolphins for the final playoff spot in week 17, which means rookie wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. will play another game or go home. Pittman Jr. finished his rookie season appearing in 13 games while accumulating 40 receptions for 503 yards and a touchdown for Indy. He will be a key target for QB Philip Rivers in the Colts tough playoff matchup against the red-hot Buffalo Bills this upcoming weekend.
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