Alabama NFL roundup: Xavier McKinney goes all the way
New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney completed an ironman feat on Sunday: He made it through the entire 2023 season without missing a defensive snap.
But McKinney didn’t seem tired in the Giants’ 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. McKinney made six tackles, intercepted two passes and broke up another one.
McKinney had one interception in the first 16 games of the 2023 season.
On Sunday, McKinney intercepted former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts at the New York 36-yard line with 1:28 left in the first half and Marcus Mariota on Philadelphia’s next snap 28 seconds of clock time later. McKinney returned the second interception 4 yards to the Eagles 12-yard line.
McKinney was among the 38 former Alabama players who got on the field on the final Sunday of the NFL’s 104th season.
Eleven other former Alabama players were involved in the Philadelphia-New York game:
· Landon Dickerson started at left guard for the Eagles and played center in the second half.
· Giants center J.C. Hassenauer is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Jalen Hurts started at quarterback for the Eagles. Hurts completed 7-of-16 passes for 55 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and ran for 4 yards on two carries before leaving the game in the second quarter.
RELATED: JALEN HURTS LEAVES EARLY AS EAGLES SINK INTO PLAYOFFS
· Eagles cornerback Josh Jobe made one tackle.
· Eagles wide receiver Julio Jones (Foley) had two receptions for 13 yards
· Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks made one tackle.
· Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson is on reserve/physically unable to play.
· A’Shawn Robinson started at defensive tackle for the Giants. Robinson made two tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
· Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith was designated as a game-day inactive. Smith missed the first game of his career because of an ankle injury.
· Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen was designated as a game-day inactive.
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In the other Sunday games:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9, Carolina Panthers 0
· Bradley Bozeman (Handley) started at center for the Panthers.
· Panthers guard Deonte Brown (Austin) dressed for the game but did not play. Carolina elevated Brown from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
· Panthers defensive tackle LaBryan Ray (James Clemens) made three tackles.
· Panthers wide receiver Cam Sims is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bryce Young started at quarterback for the Panthers. Young completed 11-of-18 passes for 94 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for 24 yards on two carries as he completed his rookie season with a pair of shutout losses. Young also lost a fumble when he was hit while trying to pass. Young lost what would have been a 43-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark when the wide receiver fumbled just before crossing the goal line, and Carolina also had a touchdown nullified by an illegal-formation penalty.
Cincinnati Bengals 31, Cleveland Browns 14
· Jordan Battle started at safety for the Bengals. Battle made four tackles, recorded one sack, registered two tackles for loss, intercepted one pass and broke up another. Battle had the second sack and first interception of his rookie season. Battle intercepted a deep pass by Cleveland quarterback Jeff Driskel on the third snap of the game.
· Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper was designated as a game-day inactive. A heel injury kept Cooper out of the lineup for the second game in a row.
· Browns running back Jerome Ford ran for 6 yards on three carries and caught two passes for 26 yards.
· Browns offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (St. Paul’s Episcopal) completed 3-of-4 passes for 20 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. McCarron took the field for Cincinnati’s final possession of the third quarter and completed the game for the Bengals.
· Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. was designated as game-day inactive.
· Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson dressed for the game but did not play with Cleveland’s playoff position already set.
· Jonah Williams started at right offensive tackle for the Bengals.
· Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Detroit Lions 30, Minnesota Vikings 20
· Lions defensive back Brian Branch made one tackle and broke up one pass.
· Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 30 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Gibbs scored on a 3-yard run as Detroit took a 13-0 lead with 2:12 left in the first half. Gibbs ran for 10 touchdowns and caught one TD pass in his rookie season. He came up one short of tying the Alabama rookie record for NFL rushing touchdowns set by Trent Richardson for the Cleveland Browns in 2012 and tied by Eddie Lacy for the Green Bay Packers in 2013 and also one short of Richardson’s Alabama rookie record for touchdowns.
· Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury kept Williams off the field.
New York Jets 17, New England Patriots 3
· Christian Barmore started at defensive tackle for the Patriots. Barmore tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, recorded two tackles for loss and registered one quarterback hit. Barmore reached a career high for tackles. He has had four games with six or more tackles in his career, and they have come in the past four games.
· Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) started at linebacker for the Patriots. Jennings made seven tackles, recorded three tackles for loss and registered a quarterback hit. Jennings tied his career highs for tackles and tackles for loss. He also had seven tackles in a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12 and recorded three tackles for loss in a 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 7.
· Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was designated as a game-day inactive.
· C.J. Mosley (Theodore) started at linebacker for the Jets. Mosley made seven tackles.
· Quinnen Williams (Wenonah) started at defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams made three tackles and recorded two sacks. Williams had 5.5 sacks in 2023.
· Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson (Carver-Montgomery) made three tackles and shared a sack. Wilson had 2.5 sacks in his first four NFL seasons. He has 3.5 this season, all occurring in New England’s past five games.
New Orleans Saints 48, Atlanta Falcons 17
· Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams was designated as a game-day inactive. A concussion kept Hellams off the field.
Tennessee Titans 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
· Titans defensive back Shyheim Carter is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Derrick Henry started at running back for the Titans. Henry ran for 153 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. Henry scored on an 18-yard run as Tennessee took a 14-10 lead with 8:27 left in the first half. During the game, Henry surpassed Shaun Alexander as the Alabama alumnus with the most NFL rushing yards.
RELATED: DERRICK HENRY BECOMES ALABAMA’S ALL-TIME NFL RUSHING LEADER
· Calvin Ridley started at wide receiver for the Jaguars. Ridley had six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. Ridley scored on a 59-yard reception – his longest of the season – as Jacksonville took a 10-7 lead with 12:24 left in the first half. Ridley’s fourth 100-yard game of 2023 and 15th of his career lifted him past the 1,000-yard receiving milestone for the season.
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· Cam Robinson started left offensive tackle for the Jaguars.
Seattle Seahawks 21, Arizona Cardinals 20
· Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury kept Reed out of the lineup.
Green Bay Packers 17, Chicago Bears 9
· Packers running back Kenyan Drake is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Eddie Jackson started at safety for the Bears. Jackson made six tackles and broke up a pass in his 100th regular-season games – all starts – with Chicago.
Kansas City Chiefs 13, Los Angeles Chargers 12
· Chiefs defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Chargers punter JK Scott averaged 43.6 yards on five punts, with a 38.8-yard net. Scott had a 43-yard punt returned 21 yards to the Kansas City 32-yard line, a 46-yarder for a fair catch at the Kansas City 28, a 49-yarder for a fair catch at the Kansas City 30, a 40-yarder fumbled for a return of no gain at the Kansas City 17 and a 40-yarder returned 3 yards to the Kansas City 18.
Las Vegas Raiders 27, Denver Broncos 14
· Raiders offensive lineman D.J. Fluker (Foley) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was designated as a game-day inactive. A quadriceps injury kept Jacobs from playing in the final four games of the season.
· Jerry Jeudy started at wide receiver for the Broncos. Jeudy had three receptions for 79 yards and one touchdown. Jeudy scored his second touchdown of the season on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Jarrett Stidham as Denver tied the game at 7-7 with 10:34 left in the first half.
· Broncos inside linebacker Drew Sanders made two tackles.
· Patrick Surtain II started at cornerback for the Broncos. Surtain made six tackles and broke up one pass.
· Raiders defensive tackle Byron Young was designated as a game-day inactive.
Los Angeles Rams 21, San Francisco 49ers 20
· Rams tight end Miller Forristall is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Forty-Niners tight end Cameron Latu is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Rams long snapper Carson Tinker handled the snaps for two punts and two extra points.
Dallas Cowboys 38, Washington Commanders 10
· Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was designated a game-day inactive. A knee injury kept Allen off the field.
· Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Commanders running back Derrick Gore had a 3-yard run.
· Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis did not record any stats.
· Daron Payne (Shades Valley) started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne made three tackles.
· Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa) started at running back for the Commanders. Robinson ran for 25 yards on nine carries and caught three passes for 11 yards and one touchdown. Robinson had a 1-yard TD reception from quarterback Sam Howell as Washington tied the score at 7-7 on the first play of the second quarter.
Buffalo Bills 21, Miami Dolphins 14
· Dolphins guard Lester Cotton (Central-Tuscaloosa) did not record any stats.
· Dolphins defensive tackle Raekwon Davis made one tackle.
· Dolphins defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand made two tackles.
· Bills running back Damien Harris is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback for the Dolphins. Tagovailoa completed 17-of-27 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and had a 7-yard run.
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· Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury kept Waddle out of the lineup.
Week 18 started on Saturday, when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 and the Houston Texans defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23-19.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.