With quarterback Ryan Tannehill out of the lineup after 55 consecutive starts because of an ankle injury, Tennessee had an old-school game plan with Malik Willis calling signals on Sunday, and the rookie came out of his first NFL start with a victory as the Titans beat the Houston Texans 17-10.

“Malik, it was his first NFL start on the road, crowd noise, all those things,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said, “so we tried to do what we felt like gave us the best chance to win the football game, and that’s going to change each and every week. …

“I thought he got better today. There were some good things and some things that if he’s our quarterback for us next week that he’ll have to be better at. But that’ll be about the same for everybody.”

Entering the game with 18 regular-season snaps of experience under center, Willis went all the way at quarterback for Tennessee. He completed 6-of-10 passes for 55 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and ran for 12 yards on five carries.

“It was good,” Willis said. “We got a ‘W.’ That’s all you want to do. Yeah, there’s things you want back. But it was my first start, so I can’t be too critical of myself. You got plays you want back, and that’s going to be every game, but I’m definitely appreciative for a ‘W,’ and Derrick, congrats to him. He got a new record, so that’s cool, too.”

Tennessee relied on its ground game as Derrick Henry ran for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries and Dontrell Hilliard gained 83 yards on eight rushing attempts. Henry reached 75 touchdowns in his NFL career to pass Eddie George for the franchise lead.

“I don’t look at it like a security blanket,” Willis said. “I think it’s our offense. When we run the ball and they can’t stop it, what would you do? We just tried to continue to stay within our offense. …

“It was really cool to see one of the premier guys in the NFL on my team just kind of take over a football game.”

Willis became the seventh former Auburn player to start at quarterback in an NFL regular-season game, following Travis Tidwell, Dick Wood, Pat Sullivan, Dieter Brock, Jason Campbell and Cam Newton.

“I think it was cool to get out there and have some fun and get a ‘W,’” Willis said.

RELATED: HOW HAVE FORMER AUBURN QUARTERBACKS FARED IN THEIR FIRST NFL STARTS?

Willis was among the 19 former Auburn players who got on the field on the eighth Sunday of the NFL’s 103rd season.

One other former Auburn player was involved in the Tennessee-Houston game:

· Roger McCreary (Williamson) started at cornerback for the Texans. McCreary made six tackles.

In the other Sunday games:

Denver Broncos 21, Jacksonville Jaguars 17

· Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) made one tackle on special teams.

· Jaguars wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Atlanta Falcons 37, Carolina Panthers 34 (OT)

· Derrick Brown started at defensive tackle for the Panthers. Brown made 12 tackles, shared a sack and recorded a tackle for loss. Brown buried his previous career high for tackles, which he established with seven two weeks ago in a 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Brown tied the top tackle total for a defensive interior lineman in an NFL game this season. Indianapolis Colts nose tackle Grover Stewart made 12 tackles in a 19-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 23.

· Panthers linebacker Chandler Wooten played but did not record any stats in his NFL debut. The rookie joined Carolina on Oct. 17, when the Panthers signed him off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad.

Dallas Cowboys 49, Chicago Bears 29

· Bears defensive tackle Angelo Blackson made two tackles.

Miami Dolphins 31, Detroit Lions 27

· Dolphins defensive end Big Kat Bryant is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Dolphins cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) made one tackle.

New Orleans Saints 24, Las Vegas Raiders 0

· Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson did not have an attempt in the game.

· Saints safety Smoke Monday is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw a pass in an NFL regular-season game for the first time since Dec. 28, 2020, as he ran Las Vegas’ final possession in relief of Derek Carr. Stidham completed 8-of-13 passes for 72 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. The Raiders had not snapped the football in the New Orleans end of the field before Stidham came in, but he had two fourth-down completions to move Las Vegas to the Saints 4-yard line when the game ended.

New England Patriots 22, New York Jets 17

· Jonathan Jones started at left cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made one tackle.

· Carl Lawson started at defensive end for the Jets. Lawson made three tackles, recorded one sack and registered one tackle for loss. Lawson has four sacks this season.

· Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood played but did not record any stats.

· C.J. Uzomah started at tight end for the Jets. Uzomah caught a 27-yard pass.

Philadelphia Eagles 35, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

· Steelers defensive lineman Montravius Adams played but did not record any stats.

· Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll played but did not record any stats.

· Eagles punter Arryn Siposs averaged 45.8 yards on four punts, with a 43.3-yard net. Siposs had a 49-yard punt returned 10 yards to the Pittsburgh 22-yard line, a 44-yarder for a fair catch at the Pittsburgh 22, a 46-yarder downed at the Pittsburgh 1 and a 44-yarder downed at the Pittsburgh 49.

Washington Commanders 17, Indianapolis Colts 16

· Colts defensive tackle Byron Cowart played but did not record any stats.

· Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.

Seattle Seahawks 27, New York Giants 13

· Darius Slayton started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton led New York with five receptions for 66 yards. Slayton caught a 6-yard pass on the Giants’ first snap of the game to become the 10th Auburn alumnus to reach 2,000 NFL receiving yards. The Tigers’ NFL leader is Frank Sanders with 6,749 receiving yards compiled from 1995 through 2003. Auburn’s other 2,000-yard NFL receivers are Red Phillips, James Brooks, Dave Middleton, Ed West, William Andrews, Lionel James, Joe Cribbs and Bryon Franklin. Since joining the Giants as a fifth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, Slayton has 140 receptions for 2,062 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Buffalo Bills 27, Green Bay Packers 17

· Packers safety Rudy Ford (New Hope) played but did not record any stats.

Week 8 started on Thursday night, when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-22.

Week 8 concludes on Monday, when the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will televise the game.

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