After biding his time and playing limited reps off the bench for the New England Patriots for nine weeks, **Kyle Williams** (Washington State) had a breakthrough Sunday, introducing himself to the NFL world with one of the weekend’s top highlights.
The rookie receiver scored his first-career touchdown, a 72-yard catch-and-run during the first quarter of the Pats’ 28-23 win over Tampa Bay.
“When you get an opportunity, you’re not promised another one,” Williams told reporters after the game. “For me, it was just making the most of it.”
Williams broke to his right, toward the far sideline, and snagged a pass from Drake Maye about 30 yards downfield, then turned on the burners, outracing everyone for his first NFL score. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he hit a top speed of 21.78 mph, the second-fastest by a rookie this season – behind teammate TreVeyon Henderson, who reached a top speed of 22.01 mph on his 55-yard TD run later in the game.
“He’s fast. You’re not gonna catch him,” Maye said in his postgame presser of Williams, who ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine before being selected by the Patriots in the third round of this year’s draft. “I’m just proud of him for stepping up. He only got maybe one target, and he made it count.”
Williams, who played 33 of 59 offensive snaps, finished with that one catch, his third-career reception and first since Sept. 21 against Pittsburgh.
“At times, it can be frustrating,” Williams said on the Patriots’ postgame show of his slow start to the year. “But when you have a team and a receiving room like we do here, it makes it calming, knowing they still trust you and they’re not giving up on you. That allows you to put a lot more belief in yourself.”
As a senior at WSU, Williams totaled 1,198 receiving yards and finished second in single-season program history with 14 touchdowns. He sported a Cougars shirt during his postgame presser Sunday, calling it a “sensational” feeling to have his first NFL TD.
• **Daiyan Henley** (WSU), a team captain at linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers, recorded a team-high six tackles during a 25-10 win over Pittsburgh.
Henley also had a hand in Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ third-quarter interception. The linebacker played perfect coverage, forcing a high throw down the middle of the field that was picked off by Chargers safety RJ Mickens.
• **Abraham Lucas** (WSU), the Seahawks’ right tackle, played all 62 offensive snaps during the team’s 44-22 rout of Arizona, but allowed one sack, which resulted in a fumble recovered by the Cardinals in the third quarter.
Lucas has allowed just three sacks this year. Coming into the game, he was graded as the sixth-best right tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
• **Chau Smith-Wade** (WSU), a cornerback for Carolina, logged six tackles during the Panthers’ 17-7 loss to New Orleans.
Smith-Wade played 29 of 68 defensive snaps, per PFF. He allowed an 18-yard, one-handed catch by Chris Olave and a 15-yard reception by Devaughn Vele, but didn’t give up much else. Smith-Wade, a fifth-round draft pick in 2024, blew up a second-quarter passing play for a 1-yard gain.
• **Cooper Kupp** (EWU) had his second-best game in a Seattle uniform, in terms of yardage, recording 74 yards on two receptions during the Seahawks’ win over Arizona.
Early in the second quarter, Kupp caught a pass toward the sideline about 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, then raced upfield, shedding two tacklers before he was dragged down by Jalen Thompson at the Cardinals 3-yard line. The 67-yard play set up a Seattle touchdown to make the score 35-0.
Kupp, who played 33 of 62 snaps, received the second-best Pro Football Focus grade of Seahawks’ offensive players (88).
The EWU legend, a ninth-year pro and first-year Seahawk, has 367 yards and one touchdown on 26 catches this season.
• **Jalen Thompson** (WSU) made his 81st career start at strong safety for Arizona and tallied five tackles, but it was a rough day for the Cardinals’ defense, which got overpowered by Seattle.
• **Frankie Luvu** (WSU), a starting linebacker for Washington, tallied three tackles and one pass deflection during the Commanders’ 44-22 loss to Detroit.
• **Efton Chism III** (EWU), New England’s primary kick returner, averaged 45 yards on two returns with a long of 28 yards against the Buccaneers.
The undrafted rookie, a former All-American receiver at EWU, has been a productive return man since making his NFL debut Oct. 12. On the year, he has 293 yards on 12 returns – a stellar average of 24.4 yards per return.
Chism also played two snaps at wide receiver.
• **Kendrick Bourne** (EWU), a starting receiver for San Francisco, had a quiet game for the fourth straight week after posting 142 yards in back-to-back games in October.
The ninth-year veteran caught one pass for 19 yards during the 49ers’ 42-26 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
• **Kaden Elliss** (Idaho), a star linebacker for Atlanta, had another productive outing in what’s been an All-Pro-caliber season thus far.
Elliss recorded six tackles, a sack, two QB hits and broke up a pass during the Falcons’ 31-25 overtime loss to Indianapolis in Berlin.
He brought down Colts quarterback Daniel Jones for a 10-yard loss on a second-and-1 play in the second quarter. Elliss knocked the ball out of Indianapolis tight end Tyler Warren’s grasp to force an incompletion late in the fourth quarter. Three of Elliss’ tackles came near the line of scrimmage for short gains on running plays.
One of the best players in Idaho history, Elliss is having his best NFL season in Year 7. He has a team-high 60 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception on the year.
• **Christian Elliss** (Idaho), a starting linebacker for New England, was held out of the Patriots’ win over Tampa Bay as he recovers from a hip injury suffered last weekend against Atlanta.
• **Daniel Ekuale** (WSU), a defensive tackle for Pittsburgh, will be sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in an Oct. 26 loss to Green Bay.