Caleb Williams and Sam Darnold struggle, but defensive Trojans shine

It was a dominant week for USC NFL alumni on the defensive side of the ball. Many former Trojans put up great defensive performances and helped secure a win for their team. For the former Trojans on offense, it was a struggle across the board, including some late-game heroics by Caleb Williams, a less-than-great day for Sam Darnold, and a very typical Woody Marks game.

Here is my breakdown of how each former USC football star fared in NFL Week 13:

Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams had yet another lesser performance, but there still are not many quarterbacks you would want over him in the last drives of the game. The run game might have carried him in the win versus the Eagles, but Caleb still made a huge impact. As the Eagles finally gained some offensive momentum and the game was a one-possession game towards the end of the 4th, Caleb threw one of his best throws of the season to Cole Kmet for a touchdown, sealing a Bears victory. Caleb is still figuring things out, but he has consistently delivered in the 4th quarter.

Woody Marks

Woody Marks suffered a foot injury during Sunday's game, but he managed to finish the game and get his usual 60+ rushing yards. Woody Marks is trending in the direction of making the number one running back job his. Marks had another full workload, and he totaled 19 carries for 64 yards and 3 receiving yards. The pass production definitely needs to increase, but the Texans have to be happy about the consistent production they have gotten out of the rookie.

Calen Bullock

Safety Calen Bullock of late has been his usual ballhawking self, but against the Colts, he was a tackling machine. Bullock had 7 tackles and a pass deflection, and he continues to put it all together, becoming one of the best safeties in the league in year 2. This Texans defense has been a nightmare for opponents, and Bullock has been a big reason for that.

Mekhi Blackmon

With Sauce Gardner going down, Blackmon got more action than he did verus Kansas City. Blackmon played well for the most part, chipping in 3 solo tackles, 4 total tackles, and a pass deflection. With Gardner missing time, Blackmon will need to be a player who steps up for this Colts secondary and helps this team close out the season with a playoff berth.

Jordan Addison

This time around, it was not J.J. McCarthy's numbers that hindered Jordan Addison from playing up to his potential versus the Seahawks. Rookie quarterback Max Brosmer filled in, and he put up a terrible performance. Addison got 10 targets in this game and only hauled in 5 catches for 36 yards. Frustration will continue to boil over for playmakers Justin Jefferson and Addison.

Sam Darnold

It was a pedestrian passing performance by Sam Darnold. The Seahawks' defense won the game for Seattle, making the Vikings' backup quarterback put up an even worse performance than J.J. McCarthy. Darnold was not ways better than that performance; as he should have been. Darnold's 128 yards passing and zero touchdown performance will not be enough to take down the Rams when they meet again.

Leonard Williams

Leonard Williams keeps up his dominant play with another big game Sunday. In the last 5 games, he has recorded 4 sacks and remains the driving force behind Seattle's dominant defense. Williams has 7 sacks on the year. He and his counterpart, Byron Murphy, both lead the NFL with the most sacks by a defensive tackle.

Tuli Tuipulotu

Tuipulotu had his second-most dominant game of the season Sunday versus the Raiders. He totaled up 6 tackles and two sacks. Tuipulotu reached double-digit sacks for the first time in his young career. This is the exact step the Chargers wanted to see from him, and with Khalil Mack having a down year, Tuipulotu deserves some credit for the Chargers' defensive success.

Talanoa Hufanga

Talanoa Hufanga continues to be the leader of the Broncos' defense as he finishes the Broncos' overtime win versus the Commanders as the leading tackler. Hufanga had 13 total tackles and a pass deflection on the day. The Broncos definitely got their money's worth with signing Hufanga.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big performances from USC football defensive stars highlight NFL week