Clemson in NFL: Bashaud Breeland picks a fellow former Tiger and goes 96 yards for a TD
In a battle between two former Clemson greats, a wide receiver and a cornerback, one came away with his first career touchdown in the NFL.
It wasn’t the receiver.
Ex-Tiger Bashaud Breeland’s Washington Redskins lost to rookie Mike Williams’s Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but it was Breeland, the defensive back, who came away with the highlight reel play late in the fourth quarter, as the Chargers marched into the red zone, looking to put the game on ice.
Inside the 10-yard line, quarterback Philip Rivers tried to find Williams, a Clemson great, on a slant for a touchdown. But the pass was behind Williams, who managed to get a hand on it only to redirect it straight into Breeland’s arms.
From there, Breeland, a fourth-year pro player, was off to the races, going 96 yards for his first touchdown.
Bashaud Breeland vs Mike Williams.
— #ClemsonNFL (@Ex_Tigers) December 11, 2017
Pick 6️⃣ for @Bree2Land6#ClemsonNFL
pic.twitter.com/I5rSRiqmeu
Breeland is now tied for 10th in the league in passes defended this season, with 14.
One of Breeland’s fellow Clemson secondary members, veteran Byron Maxwell, is also enjoying some success. After a rocky start to the year in which he was released from the Miami Dolphins, Maxwell has played pretty well for the Seattle Seahawks, recording nine solo tackles.
However, he did drop an interception that could have gone for a touchdown.
On the opposite side of the ball, Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins continues to put up historic numbers even without fellow Clemson alum Deshaun Watson. Against the San Francisco 49ers, Hopkins hauled in a season-high 11 passes for 149 yards and two scores.
He trails only the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown for the league lead in receiving yards and receptions, but he tops the NFL in touchdown catches. He’s tied his career high in touchdown passes and is on pace to match or exceed his career highs in almost every other statistic. With one more touchdown catch, he will break the Texans’ franchise record he set himself in 2015.
How they fared
Dwayne Allen, TE, New England Patriots: Plays Monday night.
Stephone Anthony, LB, Miami Dolphins: Plays Monday night.
Mackensie Alexander, CB, Minnesota Vikings: 1 tackle in his 12th appearance this season
Vic Beasley Jr., LB, Atlanta Falcons: 1 solo tackle, now has 25 total stops on the season
Andre Branch, DE, Miami Dolphins: 1 tackle, 1 sack, his fourth on the season
Bashaud Breeland, CB, Washington Redskins: 6 tackles, 4 solo, 1 interception returned 96 yards for a touchdown, his first NFL score
Jaron Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals: 2 catches on 5 targets for 15 yards
Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: 6 catches on 10 targets, both season highs, for 33 yards
Chandler Catanzaro, K, New York Jets: No field goals or extra points attempted for the first time in his four-year career. Also just the second time he has failed to record any points
Kevin Dodd, LB, Tennessee Titans: 1 tackle, his third straight game with 1 stop
Andre Ellington, RB, Houston Texans: 3 rushing attempts for 6 yards, 1 catch for 16 yards
Wayne Gallman, RB, New York Giants: 9 rushing attempts for 37 yards, 2 catches for 6 yards
Marcus Gilchrist, S, Houston Texans: 6 tackles, all solo, and 1 pass defended for 6 total on the season, 1 off his career high
B.J. Goodson, LB, New York Giants: DNP for the fifth time in six weeks
T.J. Green, S, Indianapolis Colts: 4 tackles and 1 pass defended, his first of the season
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans: 11 catches (season high) on 16 targets for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now ranks second in the NFL in receptions, targets and receiving yards, leads the league in touchdowns
Adam Humphries, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 catches on 3 targets for 25 yards
Grady Jarrett, DT, Atlanta Falcons: 2 tackles, 1 solo, now 2 stops away from tying his career high
Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Kansas City Chiefs: 3 tackles and 1 sack, both season highs
Jayron Kearse, S, Minnesota Vikings: Played but recorded no stats, has a career-high 7 tackles this season
Shaq Lawson, DE, Buffalo Bills: 2 tackles, 1 solo, in his 10th start of the season
Jordan Leggett, TE, New York Jets: DNP, injured reserve
Byron Maxwell, CB, Seattle Seahawks: 9 tackles, all solo, his most since Week 1 of 2015, and 1 pass defended
Charone Peake, WR, New York Jets: DNP, injured reserve
Bradley Pinion, P, San Francisco 49ers: 5 punts for 207 yards with an average of 41.4 and long of 54. Two downed inside the 20-yard line
D.J. Reader, DT, Houston Texans: 3 tackles, 1 solo, now has 45 total stops on the season
Coty Sensabaugh, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 tackles, all solo
Tyler Shatley, G, Jacksonville Jaguars: Played but did not start for the fourth week in a row, has now appeared in 43 games in his career
Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Miami Dolphins: 2 tackles, his lowest total since October
Sammy Watkins, WR, Los Angeles Rams: 3 catches on 7 targets for 21 yards and a touchdown, his seventh score of the season and third straight week with a TD
Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans: DNP, injured reserve
Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: 1 catch on 3 targets for 3 yards
This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Clemson in NFL: Bashaud Breeland picks a fellow former Tiger and goes 96 yards for a TD."