Chandler Wooten began Tuesday as a member of the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad. On Sunday, the former Auburn linebacker made the first start of his NFL career for the Carolina Panthers.

In the Panthers’ 36-30 overtime victory against Arizona last week, Carolina had three inside linebackers available – starter Josey Jewell, Jacoby Windmon, an undrafted rookie with two snaps of regular-season experience; and Jon Rhattigan, a career special-teamer.

That prompted the Panthers to sign Wooten off the 49ers’ practice squad on Tuesday.

With Jewell sidelined by a concussion, Wooten was in the lineup with Windom for Carolina’s 48-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

The Panthers reached out for Wooten because he had played in 20 games for Carolina over the past three seasons, including three in 2024. But the Panthers had released Wooten on Nov. 7.

Wooten left Carolina with 16 career tackles. After one game back, he has 30. Wooten recorded 14 tackles against Tampa Bay to top the Panthers’ defensive chart.

Wooten’s seven solo stops on Sunday were one more than he had in his career entering the contest.

Wooten was among the 15 former Auburn players who got on the field on the 17th Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.

Four other former Auburn players were involved in the Carolina-Tampa Bay game:

• Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) made three tackles.
• Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
• Jamel Dean started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Dean made one tackle and broke up one pass before leaving the game because of knee issues.
• Buccaneers running back D.J. Williams is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

In the other Sunday games:

Buffalo Bills 40, New York Jets 14

• Jets kicker Anders Carlson was designated as a game-day inactive. New York activated Greg Zuerlein from injured reserve on Saturday. Zuerlein was the Jets’ kicker in the first eight games of the season.
• Jamien Sherwood started at linebacker for the Jets. Sherwood tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up one pass.
• Jets safety Jaylin Simpson was designated as a game-day inactive.

Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Tennessee Titans 13

• Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby ran for 33 yards on 11 carries.
• Titans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
• Roger McCreary (Williamson) started at cornerback for the Titans. McCreary made four tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
• Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) made one tackle on special teams.

Las Vegas Raiders 25, New Orleans Saints 10

• Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson recorded his third 4-of-4 field-goal game of the 2024 season. (He also has a 5-of-5 performance.) Carlson connected on three-pointers from 31, 39, 54 and 25 yards. Carlson also made the extra point after Las Vegas’ first touchdown. After the Raiders’ second TD, New Orleans blocked the PAT.
• Raiders wide receiver Shedrick Jackson (Hoover) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
• Raiders tight end John Samuel Shenker did not record any stats. Las Vegas elevated Shenker from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.

New York Giants 45, Indianapolis Colts 33

• Darius Slayton started at wide receiver for the Giants. His only reception went for a 32-yard touchdown. Thomas caught a third-and-8 pass from quarterback Drew Lock and made a tackle-breaking run to the end zone as New York took a 14-3 lead with 11:32 left in the first half. The TD catch was the second of the season for Slayton. Of his 21 career touchdown receptions, 13 have covered at least 30 yards.

• Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith is on the non-football illness list and eligible to play.

Philadelphia Eagles 41, Dallas Cowboys 7

• Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll did not record any stats. Driscoll played in his 66th regular-season game for Philadelphia, one short of the record for a former Auburn player with the franchise. Long snapper John Hudson played in 67 games for the Eagles from 1991 through 1995.
• Cowboys defensive end Carl Lawson made one tackle.
• Cowboys defensive tackle Justin Rogers was designated as a game-day inactive.
• C.J. Uzomah started at tight end for the Eagles. Uzomah did not record any stats before leaving the game because of an abdominal injury.
• Cowboys wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Miami Dolphins 20, Cleveland Browns 3

• Dolphins wide receiver Anthony Schwartz is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Minnesota Vikings 27, Green Bay Packers 25

• Packers quarterback Malik Willis dressed for the game but did not play. 
• Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden made two tackles.

Washington Commanders 30, Atlanta Falcons 24 (OT)

• Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) started at cornerback for the Commanders. Igbinoghene made one tackle.

Week 17 started on Wednesday, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Houston Texans 31-2.

Week 17 continued on Thursday night, when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Chicago Bears 6-3.

Three games were played on Saturday: The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the New England Patriots 40-7, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Denver Broncos 30-24 in overtime and the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals 13-9.

RELATED: BO NIX, BRONCOS LOSE OVERTIME DUEL TO JOE BURROW, BENGALS

Week 17 concludes on Monday, when the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AmarkG1.