SPORTING A WASHINGTON STATE FOOTBALL pullover at the podium, proud Cougar alum Kyle Williams could not hold back his joy discussing his first career NFL touchdown, a 72-yard catch and run where he topped out at 21.78 MPH according to ESPN's Next Gen Stats.
"It was sensational," the Patriots receiver told reporters in the postgame. "I don't think words could put an explanation on that feeling. We got the look we wanted, shout out to Drake for making the alert."
On the final play of the first quarter, Drake Maye lobbed a touch pass just over the reach of a leaping Bucs defender and into the bread basket of a streaking Williams. From there, Williams turned up field, turned on the jets, and put his signature speed on full display all the way to pay dirt.
"Once the ball was in my hands, I saw green grass. It was bon voyage after that," Williams said.
Prior to that ground-shaking touchdown rumble, it had actually been nearly two months since Williams had even caught a pass in an NFL game. During that span, the 5-11, 190-pounder was playing limited snaps, and was simply not a factor in the game plan.
That all changed this past week, when regular starter Kayshon Boutte went out with a hamstring injury, and NFL rookie third-round pick Williams was next man up.
Head coach Mike Vrabel hinted earlier in the week that Williams would see an uptick in opportunities against Tampa. While that didn't quite translate to volume on game day (he only saw one target), Williams did play his most career snaps with 34.
"When you get an opportunity, you're not promised another one," Williams said. "For me it was just making the most of it … I'm proud of myself."
Williams' momentum-shifting score helped lift New England to a 28-23 victory over Tampa Bay. With the quick turnaround of a Thursday night game on deck, Williams could continue to receive more reps, should Boutte rest his hamstring one more week.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS LINEBACKER Frankie Luvu had one of the most tumultuous weeks of his NFL career. After getting throttled by Seattle in primetime last week, Luvu was tagged with a one-game suspension for a hip-drop tackle on Jaxon Smith-Njigba; the NFL alleges it was Luvu's third hip-drop tackle of the season.
Fortunately for Luvu however, the suspension was lifted just 24 hours later, only to be replaced with a $100,000 fine. Although with his game checks clearing at over half a million every week, not being suspended was certainly a break.
This Sunday, Luvu had a day to forget. He whiffed on three crucial open-field tackles in the Commanders' 44-22 loss to Detroit, registering a tough 46.3 game grade according to Pro Football Focus. The former Coug will look to right the ship in Madrid next Sunday, when Washington faces Miami.
CHIEFS KINGDOM HOPES they never have to see their backup quarterback Gardner Minshew take a meaningful snap this season, but that doesn't mean the fans and locker room haven't been captivated by their quirky second-stringer.
"Gardner's a brilliant guy," head coach Andy Reid told reporters earlier this season, following a win over Baltimore. "I know he's got the mustache and the hair and all that stuff that goes with it. But he's brilliant. He's got such a good feel for things as far as the game goes, and I think it's great for Pat [Mahomes] to be able to talk to him."
Minshew's first in-game appearance as a Chief happened in the blowout win over Baltimore, and then his second appearance took place three weeks later against his former team, the Las Vegas Raiders.
His first pass attempt in Red and Gold has still been elusive, but it came close to happening against Vegas, when both he and Mahomes were on the field at the same time. A signature Andy Reid trick play was on tap according to Mahomes, but a false start penalty wiped out the chance.
"I wanted to get Gardner a touchdown man, especially against those guys," Mahomes said in the postgame, after beating Las Vegas 31-0. "It sucks we didn't get to make it happen. But the creativity by the coaches of putting us in that situation, where I'm the distraction and we're giving the ball underneath. I watched it on film, and it looked like it was going to be a walk-in."
NFL COUGAR NUGGETS:
One week after the passing of his brother, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley has continued to play, and has continued to play well. In LA's 25-10 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football, the captain Henley led his defense with six tackles.
Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson was once again a lone bright spot in another brutal loss, this time 44-22 to Seattle. The seven-year vet paced Arizona's defense with five stops, and was also sneaky reliable in coverage, limiting Sam Darnold to just 178 yards and one touchdown.
Carolina nickelback Chau Smith-Wade was his usual reliable self, totaling six stops (second on the team) and boasted an 80.4 tackling grade. Although the Panthers still fell to New Orleans 17-7.
Seahawks offensive tackle Abraham Lucas allowed just his third sack of the season against Arizona, but it was no harm no foul, as Seattle cruised to a 44-22 victory. Prior to that, the last sack this homegrown product had allowed was way back in September, when the Steelers' TJ Watt squeezed by for a late game takedown. Seattle is surging at 7-2 but still locked in a tie atop the NFC West standings with the Rams, who they play this Sunday.
Kyle Williams takes one to the house (Photo: USAToday/Seabeck)