Led by quarterback and former USC Trojans Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears picked up a 30-24 win in prime time over the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, improving to 5-2 on the season. Williams has made his return from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss three games, and the Bears are 2-0 since the former USC star has made his way back to the field.
In the win over the Patriots, Williams finished with 308 passing yards and two touchdowns, often showing off his patented escapability, a trait that he demonstrated both at Oklahoma and USC in his college days under coach Lincoln Riley.
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of USC, was facing New England quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in 2024 and the third signal-caller selected overall in the same draft class. As a result, Maye and Williams, along with Washington's Jayden Daniels and Denver's Bo Nix, will continue to be compared to each other.
The former Trojan got the win over Maye on Thursday, but Maye has made the deepest playoff run out of any. Can Williams change that and become the second former Trojans quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl, following Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold?
More USC Trojans in NFL Prime Time
In addition to Williams, a few other former Trojans will also be playing in prime time during Week 7 of the NFL season. Darnold and the Seahawks will be taking on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, and Philadelphia Eagles receiver Makai Lemon will be taking on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football as his rookie year continues.
Lemon and the Eagles will round out Week 7, taking on the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC East struggling at a historic rate on Monday night.
With Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts sidelined for the rest of the season, Lemon's rookie season takes an unexpected turn. How the former Biletnikoff Award winner out of USC performs with Philadelphia quarterback Tanner McKee against the Cowboys will offer a first impression of the the pair working together. On the season, Lemon has totaled 18 receptions for 127 yards.
The Seahawks are 3-3 preparing to face an undefeated Kansas City Chiefs team, one of three NFL teams with no losses (San Francisco, Minnesota).
Darnold headlines four former Trojans on the Seahawks, all of them winning the Super Bowl with Seattle a season ago: defensive lineman Leonard Williams, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, and defensive tackle Brandon Pili. Four former USC players on one team is the most in the NFL for the school, but the Houston Texans match the Seahawks with four former Trojans of their own.
In the Texans secondary are three former USC stars in Calen Bullock, Kamari Ramsey, and Jaylin Smith while running back Woody Marks currently leads Houston with 58 carries and 205 rushing yards. Marks' role has increased thanks to an injury to starting running back David Montgomery, but his emergence in the NFL gives Houston multiple key contributors out of USC.
In week 7, Houston will host the New York Giants at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday.
USC Trojans Star Receivers in the NFL
While Darnold and Williams demand attention as the the only two former USC quarterbacks currently competing in the NFL, USC is most known for sending star wide receivers into the league. The current representatives for Trojans pass catchers finding success in the NFL are Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown and Atlanta's Drake London.
London is ranked No. 4 in the NFL with 550 receiving yards, and St. Brown is ranked No. 3 in the NFL with five receiving touchdowns. Both former Trojans rank inside the top-15 most targeted receivers in the league as they both continue to produce on a consistent basis for their respective teams.
St. Brown and the Lions will be in action against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT while London and the Falcons kick off against the San Francisco 49ers at 10 a.m. PT.
Before all of the former Trojans in the NFL play in Week 7, USC will have its hands full with the Wisconsin Badgers on the road, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
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