Alshon Jeffery makes his NFL season debut, rips down a touchdown catch

He’s back.

A shoulder injury kept former South Carolina football great Alshon Jeffery from playing the first three weeks of the NFL season, and an illness seemed like it might potentially derail the Philadelphia Eagles receiver’s return this week.

But Jeffery was listed as active for the Eagles on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, following reports from Chris Mortensen and NFL Network’s Tiffany Blackmon that he would do so, and his performance left little doubt that the ex-Gamecock is at the top of his game.

Early in the second quarter, quarterback Carson Wentz found Jeffery streaking down the sideline for a 31-yard gain. Then, in the third quarter, the two connected again for a contested throw in the end zone that Jeffery somehow came away with for his first score of the year.

Wentz himself is playing his second game since returning from an ACL injury, and after a lackluster opener, he said the past week that Jeffery’s return will be huge for Philadelphia’s offense.

Wentz’s confidence in Jeffery’s impact comes from seeing it firsthand last season — Jeffery caught 57 passes and nine touchdowns in 2017, his best marks in three years, and also totaled 789 yards while not fumbling once.

On the other sideline Sunday, Jerffery is going up against another former Gamecock who has been on a roll as of late — Titans kicker and USC grad Ryan Succop has crucial to his team’s success, scoring all of their points in last week’s win.

This story was originally published September 30, 2018 at 12:47 PM.