State NFL roundup: Former Hoover standout blocks punt for Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders missing three of their top four outside linebackers. Perennial Pro Bowler T.J. Watt was still playing. But DeMarvin Leal was on injured reserve, and Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig were ruled out because of groin and hamstring injuries, respectively.
That put Jeremiah Moon in the lineup with Watt, even though the former Hoover High School standout just returned from injured reserve in last week’s 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys after missing the first four games of the season because of an ankle injury.
In the Steelers’ 32-13 victory over the Raiders, Moon made one tackle on defense and one tackle on special teams and blocked a punt. The blocked punt set up Pittsburgh on the Las Vegas 9-yard line, leading to a field goal and a 15-7 advantage with 9:20 left in the third quarter.
Moon’s 10th NFL game was his second start.
Moon was among the 34 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the sixth Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.
Seven other former state players were involved in the Pittsburgh-Las Vegas game:
· Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) ran four times for 24 yards, caught three passes for 24 yards, ran back a kickoff 31 yards, returned three punts for minus-1 yard and lost a fumble.
· Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) made one tackle and broke up one pass.
· Raiders quarterback Carter Bradley (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Steelers running back La’Mical Perine (Theodore) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· George Pickens (Hoover) started at wide receiver for the Steelers. Pickens had three receptions for 53 yards.
· Steelers punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama) averaged 45.7 yards on three punts, with a net of 46.0 yards. Waitman had a 47-yard punt returned for no gain at the Las Vegas 25-yard line, a 47-yard returned for minus-1 yard to the Las Vegas 16-yard line and a 43-yarder that was muffed and recovered by the Raiders at their 13-yard line.
· Steelers wide receiver Quez Watkins (Athens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
In the other Sunday games:
Chicago Bears 35, Jacksonville Jaguars 16
· Bears defensive tackle Travis Bell (Jeff Davis) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bears fullback Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) made one tackle on special teams.
· Jaguars defensive end DJ Coleman (Jacksonville State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bears tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) had one target but did not have a reception.
· Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) started at defensive end for the Jaguars. Hines-Allen made one tackle, shared a sack and registered two quarterback hits.
· Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Bears cornerback Reddy Steward (Austin, Troy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Baltimore Ravens 30, Washington Commanders 23
· Ravens wide receiver Malik Cunningham (Park Crossing) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce (Daphne, Samford) made four tackles and shared a sack.
· Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) did not record any stats.
· Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) did not record any stats.
Green Bay Packers 34, Arizona Cardinals 13
· Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Packers offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort (UAB) did not record any stats.
· Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) started at cornerback for the Cardinals. Thomas made one tackle and broke up one pass.
Houston Texans 41, New England Patriots 21
· Patriots center Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (Clay-Chalkville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) started at wide receiver for the Texans. Dell had seven receptions for 57 yards and one touchdown. Dell opened the scoring on Sunday with his first touchdown of the season on a 2-yard reception from quarterback C.J. Stroud with 9:13 left in the first quarter.
· Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) started at right offensive tackle for the Texans.
· Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) made three tackles, intercepted one pass and returned two punts for 16 yards. Jones picked up Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud in the end zone for this first interception of the season and returned it 35 yards to the New England 27-yard line with 10:24 left in the first half.
· Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (American Christian) was designated as a game-day inactive. A shoulder injury kept Lassiter out of the lineup.
· Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) did not record any stats.
· Texans safety Jimmie Ward (Davidson) was designated as a game-day inactive. A groin injury kept Ward out of the lineup.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 51, New Orleans Saints 27
· Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac (Midfield, Alabama State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Philadelphia Eagles 20, Cleveland Browns 16
· Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) started at safety for the Eagles. Blankenship made three tackles.
· Eagles defensive back James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) started at linebacker for the Browns. Diabate made six tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams. Coming off injured reserve after a four-game stay for a hip injury, Diabate went right into the lineup for his second NFL start.
· Browns safety Chris Edmonds (Samford) did not record any stats in his NFL debut. Cleveland elevated Edmonds from the practice squad to make him eligible to play.
· Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) started at defensive end for the Eagles. Huff made two tackles and share a sack.
· Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) started at defensive end for the Browns. Smith made three tackles.
· Browns wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville) made one tackle on special teams.
· Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown) did not record any stats.
· Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Los Angeles Chargers 23, Denver Broncos 16
· Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (Spanish Fort) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Broncos linebacker Kwon Alexander (Oxford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Broncos linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Chargers safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) made two tackles and downed a punt at the Denver 4-yard line with 2:26 to play.
· Chargers running back Kimani Vidal (Troy) ran for 11 yards on four carries and caught two passes for 40 yards and one touchdown in his NFL debut. Vidal scored on a 38-yard pass from quarterback Justin Herbert as Los Angeles took a 10-0 lead with 4:59 left in the first quarter.
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· Broncos cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) had a 31-yard kickoff return.
Atlanta Falcons 38, Carolina Panthers 20
· Michael Jackson (Spain Park) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Jackson made five tackles and broke up one pass.
· Panthers tight end Jordan Matthews (Madison Academy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) started at wide receiver for the Falcons. Mooney had three receptions for 38 yards.
· Falcons linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Detroit Lions 47, Dallas Cowboys 9
· Lions defensive tackle Brodric Martin (Northridge, North Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible play.
· Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Tolbert had four receptions for 43 yards.
· Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Cincinnati Bengals 17, New York Giants 7
· Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) started at cornerback for the Gaints. Flott made three tackles.
· Bengals defensive end Cedric Johnson (Davidson) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made all his attempts – a 37-yard field goal and two extra points.
· Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) started at defensive tackle for the Giants. Nunez-Roches made two tackles and registered one quarterback hits.
· Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) started at cornerback for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt made seven tackles and broke up two passes.
Week 6 started on Thursday night, when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 36-24.
Week 6 concludes on Monday, when the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ESPN will televise the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.