USC Professional Athletes

Hufanga Steals the Show in Denver

Talanoa Hufanga delivered the signature USC alumni performance of the week — and arguably one of the best individual defensive showings of the NFL season so far. The Broncos safety recorded two interceptions and a sack in Denver's Week 3 comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams (30-26), a history-making stat line that earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The performance was notable beyond the accolades. Hufanga's work against Matthew Stafford — whom he credited postgame for having more athleticism than people realize — helped flip a game the Broncos had to claw back to win. With Denver sitting at 2-1, Hufanga now faces a stiffer test in Week 4: the undefeated 49ers, who have reportedly been using bulletin board material to motivate their players ahead of the matchup with their former teammate. The subplot writes itself.

Darnold's Big Numbers, Costly Ending

Sam Darnold put up gaudy numbers in Seattle's Week 3 road loss to Washington (33-31) — 379 passing yards and four touchdown passes — but two interceptions helped hand the Commanders the margin they needed. Former USC teammate Uchenna Nwosu, now a team captain for Week 4, and Leonard Williams (1 sack) were active on defense, but the Seahawks couldn't hold on. Darnold's dual nature — explosive upside, turnover risk — remains the defining tension of Seattle's season.

Williams Sidelined, Addison Shines

Caleb Williams is watching from the sideline with a reported Grade 2 hamstring injury that could keep him out for roughly a month. The Bears ruled him out for both Week 3's Monday Night Football loss to the Eagles and Week 4, with Tyson Bagent also listed as questionable before Case Keenum drew the start. The timeline is a significant blow to Chicago's season outlook.

Meanwhile, Jordan Addison made the most of his own elevated opportunity in Minnesota. With Justin Jefferson sidelined by injury in Week 3, Addison stepped into a WR1 role and delivered: 5 catches, 90 yards, and a touchdown in the Vikings' 23-16 win over Tampa Bay. Jefferson's status remains in question for Week 4, setting up another potential feature performance for the USC wideout.

Around the Rest of the Alumni

Amon-Ra St. Brown notched a touchdown in the Lions' 31-24 win over the Jets (4 catches, 19 yards), continuing his role as one of Detroit's most reliable weapons. Tuli Tuipulotu logged a sack for the Chargers in a 24-16 loss to the Bills. Woody Marks contributed a rushing touchdown for Houston in a narrow 19-17 loss to Indianapolis. Michael Pittman Jr. remains a peripheral presence in Pittsburgh's offense — 2 catches for 15 yards in Week 3 and 2 catches for 16 yards in Week 4 — with trade chatter now swirling around his role on the Steelers.

The week belonged to Hufanga, but the depth of Trojan talent across NFL rosters makes this one worth watching all season long.

Drake London Delivers a Career Night

Thursday night at Lambeau Field was supposed to be a hostile environment. Drake London turned it into a showcase.

The USC product hauled in 9 receptions for 194 yards as the Atlanta Falcons dismantled the Green Bay Packers 35–14, matching running back Bijan Robinson's 194 rushing yards in what became one of the more symmetrically dominant offensive performances in recent memory. The 194 receiving yards represent a career high for London, and the performance came on the road against a Packers defense playing in front of its home crowd. For a Falcons offense that had looked sluggish through the early weeks — including a Week 1 loss to the Panthers in which London managed just 51 yards on 4 catches — Thursday's explosion was the kind of statement game that silences questions about Atlanta's offensive ceiling.

Caleb Williams Can't Catch a Break

The week's other major USC storyline was considerably darker. Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury late in Chicago's Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, exiting after completing 138 passing yards and throwing one interception. The Bears fell 9–3 in a flat offensive showing, and Williams was carted off in the fourth quarter.

The injury worsened in severity as the week progressed. By the time Chicago released its final injury report ahead of its Monday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams was officially ruled out — leaving the Bears scrambling at quarterback. His backup Tyson Bagent also picked up an injury in the same week, compounding Chicago's situation at the position.

Williams not suiting up for a prime-time MNF game against an Eagles team considered a legitimate contender is a meaningful blow to the Bears' early-season momentum. There is no confirmed timeline for his return.

Around the Rest of the Trojan Alumni

Beyond the two headliners, the week offered a few quieter notes from the broader USC pipeline.

In Green Bay, MarShawn Lloyd appeared in both of the Packers' games this period. The former Trojan running back scored a receiving touchdown in Green Bay's 20–17 win over the Jets on September 20, then added 11 rushing yards and 7 receiving yards in the loss to Atlanta on Thursday — a game where London was firmly the story on the other sideline.

Leonard Williams contributed a sack for the Seattle Seahawks in their 31–7 win over the Arizona Cardinals on September 20, a dominant defensive performance. Fellow Seahawk Uchenna Nwosu also appeared in that game.

In Detroit, Amon-Ra St. Brown drew headlines off the field: the Lions wide receiver was fined nearly $60,000 by the NFL for four unsportsmanlike conduct infractions stemming from celebration penalties during Detroit's Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The Trojan alumni corps remains one of the most represented in the league — but this week, it was London's career night and Williams' injury that defined the story.

Two Trojans, Six Touchdowns, Zero Caveats

The first week and a half of the 2026 NFL season offered a reminder of just how much USC talent is shaping the league's most important positions — and two alumni in particular are making noise that's impossible to ignore.

Caleb Williams: Historic Performance, Early MVP Case

Caleb Williams didn't ease into his 2026 campaign. The Chicago Bears quarterback torched the Carolina Panthers for 269 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 65 rushing yards, and two more scores on the ground in a 59-37 blowout that rewrote the record books. The combined 96-point total made it the highest-scoring season-opening game in NFL history — a distinction that now has Williams' fingerprints all over it.

The performance was complete enough to earn him FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week honors, and the MVP markets wasted no time reacting. Kalshi's NFL MVP market bumped Williams' odds upward following Week 1, and he surfaced prominently in Tom Brady's season-opening power rankings — with Brady explicitly naming Williams as an early MVP watch candidate.

What makes the Bears' offense particularly dangerous is that Williams isn't just a passer. Coach Ben Johnson has leaned into Williams' dual-threat ability as a genuine strategic weapon — one that makes the Bears harder to game-plan against, particularly heading into a Week 2 matchup against Brian Flores' Minnesota defense. Vikings safety Josh Metellus publicly acknowledged the difficulty of preparing for Williams, calling it a "mental war." That kind of pre-game respect is earned, not given.

A Panthers defensive lineman was also fined by the NFL for a hit on Williams during the Week 1 game, a footnote that underscores how much attention — and physicality — the Bears QB is already drawing.

Amon-Ra St. Brown: Quietly Putting Together a Monster Start

While Williams dominated the headlines, fellow Trojan Amon-Ra St. Brown has opened 2026 on an equally scorching note for the Detroit Lions. St. Brown caught 10 passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 against the Saints — a 31-30 Lions win that required every bit of his production. He followed that immediately with a 9-catch, 142-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Bills in Week 2, a game Detroit lost 31-41 but one in which St. Brown was the clear offensive centerpiece.

Four touchdowns through the first two weeks. Back-to-back multi-TD games to open a season. The Lions may be sorting through early-season turbulence, but their USC-trained receiver is not.

Around the League

Elsewhere, USC's alumni footprint is wide if quieter. Sam Darnold — now with the Seattle Seahawks — suffered a glute injury in Week 1 and was ruled out for Week 2, creating an opening for Drew Lock. Michael Pittman Jr., who was traded from the Colts to the Steelers in the offseason, led Pittsburgh in receiving yards in his debut but subsequently suffered a foot injury and was ruled out for Week 2. Drake London managed two catches for 29 yards in Atlanta's 13-20 loss to the Steelers. Woody Marks carried 42 yards on the ground for Houston in a Week 1 loss to Buffalo.

The headliners, though, are unambiguous. Williams and St. Brown are operating at a different level — and the Trojan alumni base has every reason to keep the NFL app open on Sunday afternoons.