Pitt in the NFL: McCoy leads Eagles to another win

Week 12 of the NFL season provided a lot of offense Sunday. The game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans was no exception.

Former Pitt running back LeSean McCoy and the rest of the Eagles bounced back from a horrible loss in no time. The first play of the game set the tone for the Eagles this week. Josh Huff returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and then McCoy helped lead the offense with one of his best performances of the season. McCoy scored his only touchdown in the second quarter, which gave the Eagles a 13-point lead. The Eagles are now 8-3, and they look forward to a Thanksgiving day game against their bitter rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.

McCoy ended the game with 130 yards and an average of 6.2 yards per carry. He is now third overall in the league for rushing. The only two players that are above him are DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys and Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There was a close and exciting game going on in San Diego when former Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald and the St. Louis Rams traveled to play the San Diego Chargers. The Rams were trying to gain another win to get back into the playoff race, and the Chargers needed a win to keep up with the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. The game came down to the very end, and the Chargers won after a late interception sealed the contest and sent the Rams to a 4-7 record.

Donald, a rookie, continued to make his case for defensive player of the year. He finished with four total tackles, two of them for a loss, and one sack. After this game, Donald now has 31 combined tackles to go along with five sacks. Donald is now tied for fifth in sacks among all defensive tackles, and he is tied for first overall in tackles for loss with 14.

Former Pitt defensive back Darrelle Revis had a solid game for the New England Patriots as they rolled over the Detroit Lions with a score of 34-9. The Patriots dominated the entire game as Detroit’s struggles continued on offense. Revis was a big part of the reason that the Lions’ offense couldn’t get much going. “Revis Island” may not be as feared as it used to be, but he is still making it hard on receivers that try to run routes on his side of the field.

Revis finished the contest with two tackles. He also led the secondary in pass deflections with four, and he played a big role for the defense that didn’t even allow one touchdown. He now has 37 combined tackles to go along with two interceptions and 13 pass deflections.

Former Pitt defenders K’Waun Williams and Jabaal Sheard chipped in a little with the Cleveland Browns’ thriller of a win over the Atlanta Falcons. Williams, a rookie, had six tackles and one hit on the quarterback while Sheard ended with one tackle. This win improved the Browns’ record to 7-4, and it keeps them in the very tight AFC North division race.

Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did not play in the Arizona Cardinals’ game against the division rival Seattle Seahawks. This marked the first time Fitzgerald has sat out in the last 110 games, and it was only the fifth time in his entire career that he missed a game. He was sorely missed, as the Cardinals couldn’t get any kind of flow on offense, and they ended the game with only three points in a 19-3 loss to the Seahawks.