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Tennessee football Week 13 NFL recap: Defensive players shine

By Caleb Calhoun

Dec 5, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (7) is tackled by New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (27) in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (7) is tackled by New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (27) in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 4, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Wolford (13) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor (52) in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Wolford (13) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor (52) in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Stars of the week

Trey Smith – OL – Kansas City Chiefs

The one offensive star from Tennessee football in Week 13 may have been the Vols’ best player that week. Trey Smith was part of a losing effort, as the Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24, but it wasn’t his fault. He paved the way for KC to gain 138 yards and score two touchdowns on the ground amidst 25 carries.

That’s an average of five and a half yards per carry. Now, Patrick Mahomes was sacked twice, but neither is on Smith. In fact, on 32 pass blocks, Smith didn’t even allow a hurry. Simply put, despite the loss, Smith was a huge star for KC in this one and he keeps getting better.

Alontae Taylor – DB – New Orleans Saints

On Monday night, Alontae Taylor helped the New Orleans Saints build a 16-3 lead on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, threw two touchdowns in the final five minutes to win 17-16, but it wasn’t Taylor’s fault. Taylor forced a 67.9 quarterback rating on Brady while Brady had an 84 rating on the night. He also had a pass deflection, a tackle for a loss and eight tackles, six of which were solo.

Darrell Taylor – LB – Seattle Seahawks

He has been easing back into the rotation after getting banged up, and he only played 31 percent of the snaps in the Seattle Seahawks’ 27-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams. However, Darrell Taylor still had two solo tackles and a sack, so he’s returning to form as an elite pass rusher.

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