Alabama NFL roundup: Jahmyr Gibbs in â2-headed monsterâ
For the previous two games, running back Jahmyr Gibbs held the starting spot for the Detroit Lions. On Sunday, David Montgomery returned to the first-team backfield, but that didn’t slow down the rookie from Alabama.
Gibbs ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and caught three passes for 35 yards in a 41-38 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Gibbs got the Lions the early lead with a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs with 4:18 left in the first quarter and 7:30 left in the first half as Detroit went in front 17-3. The second touchdown came on a fourth-down snap.
Gibbs had a 35-yard run and a 24-yard reception in the first half — the longest run and reception of his career. The 35-yard run came on the snap immediately before his first touchdown, and the 24-yard reception was the biggest gainer on the 60-yard drive to his second TD.
Montgomery returned as Detroit’s starter at running back after missing the past two games with a rib injury.
Montgomery had 116 yards on 12 carries against the Chargers. He got 75 of them on a touchdown run as the Lions took a 24-10 lead with 3:07 left in the first half.
“This is part of the vision coming to life,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said, “is those two back there, the two-headed monster, and they both deliver something different. They’re both very unique, and they’re dangerous – both of them. …
“Gibbs continues to grow, and it’s great to have David back.”
While Montgomery was sidelined, Gibbs had 68 yards and one touchdown on 11 rushing attempts and nine receptions for 58 yards in a 38-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 22 and 152 yards and one touchdown on 26 rushing attempts and five receptions for 37 yards in a 26-14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 30.
Gibbs became the sixth NFL rookie during the AFC/NFC era with at least 65 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards in three or more consecutive games. The Indianapolis Colts’ Edgerrin James had a five-game streak in 1999, and the Los Angeles Rams’ Eric Dickerson in 1983, Detroit’s Derrick Moore in 1993, Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson in 2007 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Doug Martin in 2012 had three-game streaks.
Detroit won on a field goal on the final play in one of the five NFL games that ended that way on Sunday.
Gibbs was among the 37 former Alabama players who got on the field on the 10th Sunday of the NFL’s 104th season.
Five other former Alabama players were involved in the Detroit-Los Angeles game:
· Lions cornerback Anthony Averett is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Brian Branch started at safety for the Lions. Branch made four tackles.
· Lions defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs did not record any stats.
· Chargers punter JK Scott averaged 53.5 yards on two punts, with a 47.5-yard net. Scott had a 58-yard punt returned 12 yards to the Detroit 25-yard line and a 49-yarder for a fair catch at the Detroit 40.
· Jameson Williams started at wide receiver for the Lions. Williams had two receptions for 18 yards.
In the other Sunday games:
Indianapolis Colts 10, New England Patriots 6
· Patriots defensive lineman Christian Barmore made four tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and registered one quarterback hit.
· Colts cornerback Tony Brown did not record any stats.
· Colts safety Ronnie Harrison is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) started at linebacker for the Patriots. Jennings made seven tackles to reach a career high. Jennings had made six tackles in three games, including two last month.
· Mac Jones started at quarterback for the Patriots. Jones completed 15-of-20 passes for 170 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. After throwing an interception at the Indianapolis goal line late in the fourth quarter, Jones did not return for New England’s final possession of the game. Jones visited the medical room at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, after the game, but he characterized his ailment as “a little bruise.”
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· Ryan Kelly started at center for the Colts. Kelly sustained a concussion during the game.
· Mack Wilson (Carver-Montgomery) started at linebacker for the Patriots. Wilson had made one tackle when he left the game with a head injury.
Cleveland Browns 33, Baltimore Ravens 31
· Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Amari Cooper started at wide receiver for the Browns. Cooper had six receptions for 98 yards. During Cleveland’s comeback from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Cooper caught a 25-yard pass to start the Browns’ touchdown series and a 17-yard reception on the drive for the game-winning field goal on the final play.
· Browns running back Kenyan Drake is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Jerome Ford started at running back for the Browns. Ford ran for 107 yards on 17 carries and caught a 2-yard pass. Ford recorded his second 100-yard game. He had 106 yards on 16 carries in a 26-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 18. Ford had 24 yards on four carries and his reception in the final 11 minutes of Sunday’s game as Cleveland came back from a 14-point deficit. Ford’s 12-yard run to the Baltimore 27-yard line with 1:13 to play moved the Browns within range for their game-winning field goal on the final snap.
· Marlon Humphrey (Hoover) started at cornerback for the Ravens. Humphrey made three tackles, including one tackle for loss.
· Browns offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Dalvin Tomlinson started at defensive tackle for the Browns. Tomlinson made one tackle.
· Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Houston Texans 30, Cincinnati Bengals 27
· Will Anderson Jr. started at defensive end for the Texans. Anderson made one tackle and registered two quarterback hits.
· Bengals safety Jordan Battle made three tackles.
· Texans linebacker Christian Harris made five tackles.
· Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Texans wide receiver John Metchie III had two receptions for 25 yards.
· Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. had a 6-yard reception.
· Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o was designated as a game-day inactive. A concussion kept To’oTo’o off the field.
· Jonah Williams started at right offensive tackle for the Bengals.
San Francisco 49ers 34, Jacksonville Jaguars 3
· Forty-Niners tight end Cameron Latu is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Calvin Ridley started at wide receiver for the Jaguars. Ridley had two receptions for 20 yards.
· Cam Robinson started at left offensive tackle for the Jaguars.
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Green Bay Packers 19
· Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was designated as a game-day inactive. A hamstring injury kept Fitzpatrick out of the lineup for the second game in a row.
· Najee Harris started at running back for the Steelers. Harris ran for 82 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries and caught three passes for 14 yards. Harris scored the game’s first points on a 4-yard run with 10:01 left in the first quarter.
· Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace made one tackle.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Tennessee Titans 6
· 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 24 yards on 11 carries and caught a pass that lost 4 yards. The game was the third of Henry’s career and second this season in which he had fewer than 25 yards on 10 or more rushing attempts.
Arizona Cardinals 25, Atlanta Falcons 23
· Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams made two tackles on special teams.
Dallas Cowboys 49, New York Giants 17
· Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Cowboys linebacker Rashaan Evans (Auburn High) made two tackles. Dallas elevated Evans from its practice squad to make him eligible to play. It was Evans’ third elevation of the season. For Evans to play again for the Cowboys in 2023, he will need to be signed to the 53-player active roster.
· Giants center J.C. Hassenauer is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Xavier McKinney started at free safety for the Giants. McKinney tied his career high with 10 tackles. McKinney also had 10 tackles last week in New York’s 30-6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
· Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal was designated as a game-day inactive. Neal missed the game because of an ankle injury.
· Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson is on reserve/physically unable to play.
· A’Shawn Robinson started at defensive tackle for the Giants. Robinson made three tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
Seattle Seahawks 29, Washington Commanders 26
· Jonathan Allen started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Allen made four tackles, recorded one sack and registered two quarterback hits. Allen has four sacks this season.
· Commanders running back Derrick Gore is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis made one tackle.
· Daron Payne (Shades Valley) started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne made five tackles.
· Jarran Reed started at nose tackle for the Seahawks. Reed made one tackle.
· Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa) started at running back from the Commanders. Robinson ran for 38 yards on eight carries and caught six passes for 119 yards and one touchdown. Robinson opened the scoring when he caught a short pass from quarterback Sam Howell and sprinted down the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown with 13:26 left in the first quarter. Robinson’s previous game-high for receiving yards had been 42, and the 51-yard TD was the longest play of Robinson’s career, replacing a 29-yard run.
Las Vegas Raiders 16, New York Jets 12
· Josh Jacobs started at running back for the Raiders. Jacobs ran for 116 yards on 27 carries and caught two passes for 11 yards. Jacobs also lost a fumble in the game. Jacobs’ 40-yard run to the New York 13-yard line with 13 seconds left in the third quarter set up the game’s only touchdown.
· C.J. Mosley (Theodore) started at linebacker for the Jets. Mosley led New York with 14 tackles before he left the game in the fourth quarter for the sideline medical tent, slamming his helmet down along the way. Until then, Mosley had played every defensive snap this season for the Jets. He recorded his sixth double-digit tackle performance in the past seven games. In the other game, he had nine tackles.
· Quinnen Williams (Wenonah) started at defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams made four tackles, shared a sack, registered three quarterback hits and broke up a pass.
· Raiders defensive tackle Byron Young was designated as a game-day inactive.
Week 10 started on Thursday night, when the Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 16-13.
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Week 10 concludes on Monday, when the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. ABC and 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.