Clemson in NFL: Sammy Watkins’s almost incredible catch goes catastrophically wrong

If it had worked, it would have been the one of the best plays of the week across the entire NFL.

Unfortunately for former Clemson Tiger Sammy Watkins, it did not work.

With Watkins and the Los Angeles Rams up 10 midway through the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Jared Goff tried to find the Clemson alum for a long pass that would have put the Rams right outside the red zone.

However, the pass was behind the speedy Watkins, who was angling towards the sideline. In a desperate attempt to make the catch, Watkins reached out for a one-handed grab while falling away from the ball. And for a moment, it looked like he had it.

But as it turned out, all Watkins did was bat the ball directly into the arms of the Saints defender, creating an interception that gave the Saints new life late in the game.

Thankfully for Watkins, the near-grab-turned-pick ended up not affecting the outcome of the game — the Rams still won, 26-20. And he also made up for it with a touchdown reception from earlier in the game and an average of over 20 yards a catch.

Other former Clemson receivers also performed well in the pros this weekend. Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant, who was the center of plenty of drama earlier this season, caught his first touchdown pass since Week 2 and collected 40 yards during Pittsburgh’s Sunday night win over the Green Bay Packers.

Meanwhile, former Clemson captain Jaron Brown had just one catch for the Arizona Cardinals this weekend, but it was a huge one — a 52-yard bomb for a touchdown, to be precise. It was the longest catch of his five-year career and put his season total above 400 yards, also a first for him. He’s second only to the legendary Larry Fitzgerald on the Cardinals.

How they fared

Dwayne Allen, TE, New England Patriots: 1 catch on 2 targets for 2 yards, his third straight game with at least one catch

Stephone Anthony, LB, New Orleans Saints: 2 tackles, 1 solo, his first stops of the season

Mackensie Alexander, CB, Minnesota Vikings: Played but recorded no stats for the first time in four weeks

Vic Beasley Jr., LB, Atlanta Falcons: Played but recorded no stats

Andre Branch, DE, Miami Dolphins: 3 tackles, 1 solo, now has 19 total stops on the season

Bashaud Breeland, CB, Washington Redskins: 2 tackles, 2 passes defended, tied for 12th in the league in that category

Jaron Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals: 1 catch on 1 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown, his first in three weeks

Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: 4 catches on 6 targets for 40 yards and 1 touchdown, his second of the season

Chandler Catanzaro, K, New York Jets: 2 for 2 on field goals with a long of 31 yards, 3 for 3 on extra points

Kevin Dodd, LB, Tennessee Titans: 1 tackle, his first stop since Week 3

Andre Ellington, RB, Houston Texans: Claimed off the waivers by the Texans after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals, reunited with his cousin Bruce Ellington. Plays on Monday night.

Wayne Gallman, RB, New York Giants: 9 rushing attempts for 37 yards, 2 catches for 6 yards

Marcus Gilchrist, S, Houston Texans: Yet to play

B.J. Goodson, LB, New York Giants: DNP

T.J. Green, S, Indianapolis Colts: 1 tackle, started in his fourth straight game

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans: Yet to play

Adam Humphries, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4 catches on 6 targets for 38 yards, his most receiving yards in more than a month

Grady Jarrett, DT, Atlanta Falcons: 2 tackles, 1 solo

Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Kansas City Chiefs: 1 tackle in his sixth appearance this season

Jayron Kearse, S, Minnesota Vikings: Played but recorded no stats, snapping a three-game streak with at least 1 tackle

Shaq Lawson, DE, Buffalo Bills: 4 tackles, 2 solo. Did not start for the first time in seven weeks but recorded 4 stops for the third straight game

Jordan Leggett, TE, New York Jets: DNP, injured reserve

Byron Maxwell, CB, Seattle Seahawks: 3 tackles, all solo

Charone Peake, WR, New York Jets: DNP, injured reserve

Bradley Pinion, P, San Francisco 49ers: 9 punts for 342 yards with an average of 38 and long of 49. Four downed inside the 20-yard line, now tied for the league lead in that statistic

D.J. Reader, DT, Houston Texans: Yet to play

Coty Sensabaugh, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers: 1 tackle, third straight game with at least 1 stop

Tyler Shatley, G, Jacksonville Jaguars: Played but did not start for the third week in a row

Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Miami Dolphins: 3 tackles, 2 solo, now has 29 total stops on the season

Sammy Watkins, WR, Los Angeles Rams: 4 catches on 9 targets for 82 yards and a touchdown, his third score in the past four weeks

Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans: DNP, injured reserve

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: Played but left early with a knee injury before he could record any statistics