Josh Allen was an all-state wide receiver at Abbeville High School, but now he’s a record-breaking pass-rusher in the NFL.

In the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 26-0 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the outside linebacker made six tackles, recorded three sacks and registered four quarterback hits.

Allen became the second player since 1982, when individual sacks became an official statistic, to record four games with at least 2.5 sacks in the same season, joining Lawrence Taylor in 1986, when the New York Giants outside linebacker was The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.

Allen has 16.5 sacks this season. On Sunday, he broke the franchise single-season sack record set by Calais Campbell with 14.5 in 2017.

The Jaguars won without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who missed the game with a shoulder injury, and kept control of their fate in the AFC South.

Jacksonville has an 9-7 record and is tied for the division lead with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, who both won on Sunday, too. The Jaguars have the tiebreaker advantage on those teams, so if Jacksonville defeats the Tennessee Titans in its regular-season finale on Jan. 7, it will have a home game against the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the AFC playoffs. If the Jaguars lose to the Titans, then Jacksonville will fall into the jumble of teams seeking the AFC’s final wild-card spot.

Allen was among the 32 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the 17th Sunday of the NFL’s 104th season.

Six other former state players were involved in the Carolina-Jacksonville game:

· Panthers running back Spencer Brown (Mortimer Jordan, UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Jaguars defensive end DJ Coleman (Jacksonville State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Panthers linebacker Tae Davis (Oxford) did not record any stats.

· Panthers wide Jordan Matthews (Madison Academy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Darious Williams (UAB) started at cornerback for the Jaguars. Williams recorded one tackle for loss.

· Jaguars center Darryl Williams (Bessemer City) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

In the other Sunday games:

Baltimore Ravens 56, Miami Dolphins 19

· Ravens quarterback Malik Cunningham (Park Crossing) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Ravens guard Tyrell Doss (Aliceville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Hill had six receptions for 76 yards and one rushing attempt for no gain. By boosting his 2023 totals to 112 receptions for 1,717 yards and 12 touchdowns, Hill broke the franchise single-season record of 1,710 yards that he established in 2022 and became the first player in NFL history to record two seasons with at least 1,700 receiving yards.

· Ravens outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon (Hoover) made one tackle. Baltimore elevated Moon from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.

· Michael Pierce (Daphne, Samford) started at nose tackle for the Ravens. Pierce made three tackles and recorded one quarterback hit. He missed a portion of the game while being evaluated for a head injury.

Buffalo Bills 27, New England Patriots 21

· Patriots center Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy) did not record any stats.

· Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Bills cornerback Siran Neal (Eufaula, Jacksonville State) did not record any stats.

Chicago Bears 37, Atlanta Falcons 17

· Bears fullback Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) did not record any stats.

· Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) returned two kickoffs for 54 yards and gained 2 yards on a rushing attempt.

· Bears cornerback Christian Matthew (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) was designated as a game-day inactive. A concussion kept Mooney out of the lineup.

Houston Texans 26, Tennessee Titans 3

· Titans defensive tackle Shakel Brown (Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Nico Collins (Clay-Chalkville) started at wide receiver for the Texans. Collins had seven receptions for 80 yards and gained 7 yards on his first NFL rushing attempt.

· Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Eric Garror (McGill-Toolen) started at defensive back for the Titans. Garror made two tackles.

· Texans guard Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Titans offensive lineman Chris Hubbard (UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Titans offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons (Selma) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Texans safety Jimmie Ward (Davidson) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Indianapolis Colts 23, Las Vegas Raiders 20

· Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) had an 18-yard reception and a 4-yard run.

· Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) did not record any stats.

Los Angeles Rams 26, New York Giants 25

· Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) made six tackles.

· Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) started at defensive tackle for the Giants. Nunez-Roches made four tackles and shared a sack – his first of the season.

Arizona Cardinals 35, Philadelphia Eagles 31

· Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) started at safety for the Eagles. Blankenship made 11 tackles.

· James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford) started at cornerback for the Eagles. Bradberry made one tackle.

· Eagles linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury kept Cunningham out of the lineup for the third game in a row.

· Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville) started at linebacker for the Eagles. Morrow led Philadelphia with 14 tackles and recorded one tackle for loss. Morrow reached a career high for tackles, eclipsing a 12-tackle performance in a 37-34 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 26.

· Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) started at cornerback for the Cardinals.

· Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins (Athens) dressed for the game but did not play.

New Orleans Saints 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

· Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac (Midfield, Alabama State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Buccaneers wide receiver Cephus Johnson III (Davidson, South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Saints linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Buccaneers guard Logan Stenberg (James Clemens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown) dressed for the game but did not play.

San Francisco 49ers 27, Washington Commanders 10

· Forty-Niners cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (South Alabama) did not record any stats.

· Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) started at right offensive tackle for the Commanders. The starting assignment was Scott’s first of the 2023 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Seattle Seahawks 23

· Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander (Oxford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Mike Jackson (Spain Park) started at left cornerback for the Seahawks. Jackson made five tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

· Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (Hoover) had seven receptions for 131 yards, including a 37-yarder. Pickens recorded his second straight 100-yard game and fifth of the season.

Denver Broncos 16, Los Angeles Chargers 9

· Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) started at tight end for the Chargers. Everett had four receptions for 31 yards and one rushing attempt for 6 yards.

· Chargers safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) did not record any stats.

· Broncos cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) went 14 yards with his first punt return of the season.

· Chargers defensive lineman Nick Williams (Minor, Samford) was designated as a game-day inactive. A shoulder injury kept Williams out of the lineup.

Kansas City Chiefs 25, Cincinnati Bengals 17

· Bengals defensive tackle Travis Bell (Jeff Davis) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Chiefs defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Bengals cornerback Allan George (Andalusia) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made his three kicks – a 34-yard field goal for the first points of the game and two extra points.

· Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Chiefs running back La’Mical Perine (Theodore) did not record any stats.

· Chiefs tight end Gerrit Prince (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) did not record any stats.

· Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) started at cornerback for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt made two tackles and broke up a pass as he returned from a five-game injury absence.

· Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount) was designated as a game-day inactive. A hip injury sidelined Toney for the second game in a row.

· Chiefs wide receiver Montrell Washington (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Green Bay Packers 33, Minnesota Vikings 10

· Packers wide receiver Grant DuBose (Park Crossing) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Packers cornerback Zyon Gilbert (Jeff Davis) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Vikings running back DeWayne McBride (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) completed 13-of-22 passes for 113 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Mullens passed for 411 yards in Minnesota’s previous game, but his four interceptions had rookie Jarren Hall in as the Vikings’ starter on Sunday. But with Minnesota trailing 23-3 at halftime, Mullens went back in the lineup. On the Vikings’ four second-half possessions, Mullens threw one touchdown pass, Minnesota punted once and Green Bay made fourth-down stops at its 9- and 10-yard lines.

· Packers offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Week 17 started on Thursday night, when the Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Jets 37-20, and continued on Saturday night, when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions 20-19.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.