In the first four games of his NFL career, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson had five receptions for 67 yards. In the past four games, the former Pinson Valley High School and Troy standout had 14 receptions for 188 yards and four touchdowns.
That includes four receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s 28-23 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield connected with Johnson for touchdowns of 10 yards with 4:12 left in the third quarter and 11 yards with 33 seconds left to play against New England.
Johnson was among the 28 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the 10th Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.
Three other former state players were involved in the New England-Tampa Bay game:
Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) made four tackles and returned three punts for 3 yards.
Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) made one tackle on special teams.
Patriots wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
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In the other Sunday games:
Indianapolis Colts 31, Atlanta Falcons 25 (OT)
Colts running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) had an 8-yard reception and returned two kickoffs for 69 yards. With Indianapolis trailing 25-22, Abdullah had a 49-yard kickoff return to the Atlanta 48-yard line with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter to set up the field goal that sent the game into overtime. Abdullah lost a 42-yard kickoff return to a holding penalty.
Falcons cornerback Cobee Bryant (Hillcrest-Evergreen) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Colts quarterback Riley Leonard (Fairhope) dressed for the game but did not play.
Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) started at wide receiver for the Falcons. Mooney had a 17-yard reception to show for eight targets.
Colts safety Trey Washington (Hewitt-Trussville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
New Orleans Saints 17, Carolina Panthers 7
Mike Jackson (Spain Park) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Jackson made one tackle and broke up one pass.
Panthers linebacker Jeremiah Moon (Hoover) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Chicago Bears 24, New York Giants 20
Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) started at cornerback for the Giants. Flott made two tackles in his return to the lineup after a one-game absence caused by a concussion.
Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) started at defensive tackle for the Giants. Nunez-Roches made one tackle.
Jameis Winston (Hueytown) was designated as the Giants’ emergency third quarterback. Winston could play only if Jaxson Dart and Russell Wilson could not.
Houston Texans 36, Jacksonville Jaguars 29
Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy) started at center for the Texans.
Jaguars quarterback Carter Bradley (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Nico Collins (Clay-Chalkville) started at wide receiver for the Texans. Collins had seven receptions for 136 yards, including a 54-yarder. Collins has 12 100-yard receiving games, including one in the playoffs.
Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) is on the physically-unable-to-perform list and not eligible to play.
Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) started at defensive end for the Jaguars. Hines-Allen made four tackles and registered one tackle for loss.
Texans offensive tackle Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) was designated as a game-day inactive. A concussion kept Howard out of the lineup.
Kamari Lassiter (American Christian) started at cornerback for the Texans. Lassiter had two tackles and broke up one pass.
Jaguars quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) dressed for the game but did not play.
Jaguars defensive back Caleb Ransaw (Sparkman, Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jaguars safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig (Fultondale) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Texans cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) made three tackles on defense, broke up one pass, had one tackle on special teams and returned one kickoff for 17 yards.
Texans safety Jimmie Ward (Davidson) is on reserve/physically unable to perform and not eligible to play.
Miami Dolphins 30, Buffalo Bills 13
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Bills offensive tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Bills defensive end Javon Solomon (Troy) made three tackles.
Dolphins offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible play.
Baltimore Ravens 27, Minnesota Vikings 19
Ravens offensive tackle Carson Vinson (Alabama A&M), a fifth-round rookie, made his NFL debut after spending the first eight games of the season as a game-day inactive.
New York Jets 27, Cleveland Browns 20
Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) made three tackles.
Browns safety Christopher Edmonds (Samford) made three special-teams tackles in his 2025 debut.
Quinshon Judkins (Pike Road) started at running back for the Browns. Judkins ran for 75 yards on 22 carries and caught two passes for 10 yards.
Jets wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett (Jackson, South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jets linebacker Quincy Williams (Wenonah) made seven tackles on defense, recorded one sack, registered two tackles for loss and had one tackle on special teams.
Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) started at defensive end for the Browns. Wright made two tackles.
Seattle Seahawks 44, Arizona Cardinals 22
Seahawks safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Los Angeles Rams 42, San Francisco 49ers 26
Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) started at defensive end for the 49ers. Huff registered three quarterback hits in his return from a two-game absence caused by a hamstring injury.
Forty-Niners cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (South Alabama) did not record any stats.
Rams outside linebacker Jamil Muhammad (James Clemens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Forty-Niners defensive back Siran Neal (Eufaula, Jacksonville State) made one tackle on special teams.
Rams cornerback Darious Williams (UAB) made one tackle.
Detroit Lions 44, Washington Commanders 22
Commanders running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt (Sidney Lanier, Alabama State) ran for 30 yards on 11 carries.
Lions wide receiver Malik Cunningham (Park Crossing) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Lions linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) is on the injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Lions offensive lineman Chris Hubbard (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) started at safety for the Commanders. Reaves made seven tackles and broke up one pass.
Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Los Angeles Chargers 25, Pittsburgh Steelers 10
Chargers cornerback Jordan Oladokun (Samford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Kimani Vidal (Troy) started at running back for the Chargers. Vidal ran for 95 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries and caught a 13-yard pass. Vidal scored on a 2-yard run as Los Angeles took a 22-3 lead with 9:26 left in the third quarter.
Steelers punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama) averaged 45.8 yards on four punts, with a 44.5-yard net. Waitman had a 43-yard punt for a fair catch at the Los Angeles 11-yard line, a 51-yarder for a fair cartch at the Los Angeles 19, a 45-yarder with a 8-yard return to the Los Angeles 23 and a 44-yarder for a fair catch at the Los Angeles 36.
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Week 10 started on Thursday night, when the Denver Broncos defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 10-7.
Week 10 concludes on Monday, when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
The 2025 season is the 12th that Mark Inabinett has covered players with Alabama football roots in the NFL. Inabinett’s byline appeared in a newspaper for the first time in 1976. The intervening years have…