Buffalo, New York- An off-season trade from Philadelphia to Buffalo is working out just fine for former Madison Academy High and Vanderbilt University star player Jordan Matthews as he is the third leading receiver for the Buffalo Bills through three games, which has posted a 2-1 record.

“We know most of the games will go down to the wire, sometimes we’ll be clicking and sometimes we’ll fight through adversities,” said Matthews in a recent post-game interview. “The biggest thing is that we always want to compete and give ourselves a chance to win and we’ve done that in every game so far.”

The Bills are 2-1 with victories over the New York Jets and Denver Broncos and a hard-fought 9-3 loss to Carolina. Matthews is tops among team receivers with 152 yards and third in catches with eight averaging 19 yards per reception. He has not scored a touchdown in the first three games, but he knows he and the remainder of the receiving corps continue to grow. He added, “As a receiving unit, our job is to go out there, make plays and put ourselves in the position to win and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Matthews, who at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, is an easy target for any quarterback to find downfield. In three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Matthews had 225 catches for 2,673 yards and 19 touchdowns. His efforts made the 25-year old just one of five players in NFL history to record 65-plus receptions and 800-plus yards in each of their first three seasons.

Having taken piano lessons for four years and once performed Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ for a talent show, Matthews was also a basketball player at Madison Academy where he graduated in 2010 as a highly recruited football player. He started four seasons at Vanderbilt and became the SEC’s all-time leader in both career receptions (262) and receiving yards (3,759) before entering the NFL with the Eagles in 2014.

He overcame a couple off-seasons injuries and is now one of the leading targets for the Buffalo offense that hasn’t put up a lot of big numbers, but has been efficient to post two victories on the board.

“Putting ourselves in a position to win, that’s what I’m most proud of,” said Matthews. “I think we’re all happy with the way we do out there.”

The recent hoopla over the NFL-wide show of protest and unity is near and dear to Matthews, the son of Roderick and Brenda Matthews, and whose grandfather fought for the United States via the U.S. military. He said the show of unity is not against the military or police in this country, but a show of equality among all U.S. citizens. He gave kudos to team owners Terrence and Kim Pegula.

“They have created an environment where we are called to highlight love, equality and a free space for everybody to express their beliefs and that’s what the Buffalo Bills are doing,” said Matthews.