Tampa Bay cornerback Jamel Dean got his first interception on Sunday since he had two in a 20-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 18, 2022, and it helped the Buccaneers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 40-17.

Tampa Bay led 23-17 when Dean picked off a long throw by Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert at the Chargers 42-yard line. The Bucs turned the takeaway into a touchdown for a 13-point lead and were on their way.

Dean also had three tackles and broke up another pass in the game.

The victory strengthened Tampa Bay’s hold on the top spot in the NFC South with three games left on the Buccaneers’ regular-season schedule. By improving to 8-6, Tampa Bay put the pressure on the 6-7 Atlanta Falcons, who play the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night.

Dean was among the 19 former Auburn players who got on the field on the 15th Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.

Three other former Auburn players were involved in the Tampa Bay-Los Angeles game:

• Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury kept Britt out of the lineup.
• Chargers long snapper Josh Harris handled the snaps for three punts, two extra points and one field goal.
• Buccaneers running back D.J. Williams is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

In the other Sunday games:

Dallas Cowboys 30, Carolina Panthers 14

• Derrick Brown is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
• Cowboys defensive end Carl Lawson recorded one sack and registered two quarterback hits. The sack was Lawson’s fifth of the season and 32nd of his career.
• Cowboys wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Houston Texans 20, Miami Dolphins 12

• Dolphins wide receiver Anthony Schwartz is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
• Texans offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. 

New York Jets 32, Jacksonville Jaguars 25

• Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby ran for 42 yards on 11 carries.
• Jets kicker Anders Carlson made a 43-yard field goal and three extra points. Carlson was wide right on a 48-yard field-goal attempt.
• Jamien Sherwood started at linebacker for the Jets. Sherwood led New York with nine tackles despite leaving the game to be evaluated for a concussion.
• Jets safety Jaylin Simpson was designated as a game-day inactive. New York signed the rookie off the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad on Wednesday.
• Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) did not record any stats.

Washington Commanders 20, New Orleans Saints 19

• Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) made three tackles.

Baltimore Ravens 35, New York Giants 14

• Darius Slayton started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton had a 16-yard reception.

Cincinnati Bengals 37, Tennessee Titans 27

• Titans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
• Bengals guard Tashawn Manning is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
• Titans cornerback Roger McCreary (Williamson) was designated as a game-day inactive. A shoulder injury kept McCreary off the field.
• Bengals defensive tackle Justin Rogers is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Arizona Cardinals 30, New England Patriots 17

• Cardinals defensive tackle Angelo Blackson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
• Patriots defensive tackle Marcus Harris (Park Crossing) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. 
• Jonathan Jones started at cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made three tackles.
• Cardinals inside linebacker Owen Pappoe made one tackle on special teams.

Denver Broncos 31, Indianapolis Colts 13

• Bo Nix (Pinson Valley) started at quarterback for the Broncos. Nix completed 20-of-33 passes for 130 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Denver scored the final 24 points of the game, with Nix throwing two of his touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.

RELATED: BRONCOS TAKE BIG STEP TOWARD PLAYOFFS IN BO NIX’S 3-TD, 3-INTERCEPTION GAME

• Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith is on the non-football illness list and not eligible to play.
• Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham dressed the game but not play.

Buffalo Bills 48, Detroit Lions 42

• Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Lions. Davis made two tackles before leaving the game to be evaluated for a concussion.

Philadelphia Eagles 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

• Steelers defensive tackle Montravius Adams made two tackles and recorded one tackle for loss. Adams returned to the field after a six-game stay on injured reserve.
• Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll did not record any stats.
• Steelers outside linebacker Eku Leota is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
• C.J. Uzomah started at tight end for the Eagles. Uzomah did not record any stats.

Green Bay Packers 30, Seattle Seahawks 13

• Derick Hall started at strongside linebacker for the Seahawks. Hall made one tackle and registered three quarterback hit.
• Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson) made one tackle on special teams.
• Packers quarterback Malik Willis dressed for the game but did not play.
• Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden did not record any stats.

Week 15 started on Thursday night, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 12-6.

Week 15 concludes on Monday, when the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings square off at 7 p.m. CDT at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and the Atlanta Falcons and the Las Vegas Raiders meet at 7:30 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. ABC will televise the Bears-Vikings game, and ESPN will televise the Falcons-Raiders game.

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