With six seconds left in the Green Bay Packers’ season-opening game on Sept. 6, quarterback Jordan Love went out with a knee injury. That left Green Bay with Malik Willis at quarterback, and he had started practicing with the team only on Aug. 28 after being acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
With Willis in the lineup for their second game on Sunday, the Packers had a new game plan, and it centered on running back Josh Jacobs.
The former Alabama ball-carrier ran for 151 yards on 32 carries as Green Bay totaled 261 yards on 53 rushing attempts in a 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Packers hadn’t run that many times in a non-overtime game since Sept. 3, 1978, when Green Bay had 181 yards on 55 carries in a 13-7 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Jacobs had the third-most rushing yards and the second-most rushing attempts of his career. Jacobs’ day would have been even better, but he lost a 20-yard touchdown run to an offensive-holding penalty in the first quarter and lost a fumble as he was about to cross the goal line in the second quarter.
Only four Green Bay players have had more than 32 rushing attempts in a game, and Jacobs was the first Packers ball-carrier to reach 32 since Oct. 12, 2008, when Ryan Grant had 90 yards on 33 carries.
Jacobs’ biggest game as an NFL ball-carrier came on Nov. 27, 2022, when he ran for 229 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 40-34 overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks. Jacobs had 154 yards and one touchdown on 21 rushing attempts in the Raiders’ 30-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 10, 2022.
Jacobs was playing in his second game with the Packers. He joined Green Bay as a free agent in the offseason.
Jacobs was among the 48 former Alabama players who got on the field on the second Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.
Four other former Alabama players were involved in the Indianapolis-Green Bay game:
· Colts defensive tackle Raekwon Davis made three tackles.
· Colts safety Ronnie Harrison did not record any stats. Indianapolis activated Harrison from the practice squad to make him eligible to play.
· Ryan Kelly started at center for the Colts.
· Xavier McKinney started at safety for the Packers. McKinney made four tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and intercepted one pass. In the second quarter, McKinney intercepted Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson at the Green Bay 13-yard line and returned it 18 yards. Signed in free agency during the offseason, McKinney has two interceptions in two games for the Packers.
In the other Sunday games:
Las Vegas Raiders 26, Baltimore Ravens 23
· Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (St. Paul’s Episcopal) made one tackle on special teams.
· Ravens guard Darrian Dalcourt is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Derrick Henry started at running back for the Ravens. Henry ran for 84 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries and had a 12-yard reception. Henry scored on a 3-yard run as Baltimore took a 23-13 lead with 12:11 remaining. Henry had 5 yards on seven rushing attempts in the first half.
· Marlon Humphrey (Hoover) started at cornerback for the Ravens. Humphrey reached a career high with 10 tackles. He also had one tackle for loss and intercepted a pass. Humphrey got his 14th career interception when he picked off a pass by Las Vegas quarterback Gardner Minshew at the Baltimore 33-yard line with 5:03 left in the first half.
· Eddie Jackson started at free safety for the Ravens. Jackson made two tackles.
Los Angeles Chargers 26, Carolina Panthers 3
· Bradley Bozeman (Handley) started at center for the Chargers against his team of the previous two seasons.
· Chargers defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Chargers offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Panthers defensive end LaBryan Ray (James Clemens) made two tackles.
· A’Shawn Robinson started at defensive end for the Panthers. Robinson made six tackles.
· Chargers punter JK Scott averaged 43.0 yards on three punts, with a 32.0-yard net. Scott had a 38-yard punt that went out of bounds at the Carolina 13-yard line, a 44-yarder for a touchback and a 47-yarder returned 13 yards to the Carolina 19.
· Bryce Young started at quarterback for the Panthers. Young completed 18-of-26 passes for 84 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and had a 6-yard run.
New Orleans Saints 44, Dallas Cowboys 19
· Trevon Diggs started at cornerback for the Cowboys. Diggs made five tackles.
· Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry (Pinson Valley) started at cornerback for the Saints. McKinstry made five tackles and broke up one pass. He made his first NFL start in his second game with New Orleans in the place of Marshon Lattimore, who missed the contest because of a hamstring injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 16
· Terrion Arnold started at cornerback for the Lions. Arnold made one tackle.
· Buccaneers safety Marcus Banks is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Brian Branch started at safety for the Lions. Branch tied for the team lead with six tackles, intercepted one pass and broke up another. Branch’s fourth NFL interception came off Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield at the Detroit 43-yard line with 1:52 left in the first half, and he had a 1-yard return.
· Buccaneers outside linebacker Chris Braswell made one tackle and registered one quarterback hit.
· Jahmyr Gibbs started at running back for the Lions. Gibbs ran for 84 yards on 13 carries and caught seven passes for 22 yards.
· Jameson Williams started at wide receiver for the Lions. Williams had five receptions for 79 yards, including a 50-yarder, and a 15-yard run.
Cleveland Browns 18, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
· Browns cornerback Tony Brown is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Browns guard Javion Cohen (Central-Phenix City) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Amari Cooper started at wide receiver for the Browns. Cooper had three receptions 11 yards.
· Browns running back Jerome Ford ran for 64 yards on seven carries and caught one pass for no gain.
· Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy had five receptions for 73 yards.
· Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones dressed but did not play.
· Browns tight end Cameron Latu is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Cam Robinson started at left offensive tackle for the Jaguars.
· Jaguars running back Keilan Robinson is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Dalvin Tomlinson started at defensive tackle for the Browns. Tomlinson made two tackles.
· Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. was designated as a game-day inactive. Wills is recovering from a knee injury that caused him to miss the final nine games of the 2023 season. He has been a limited participant in practice and did not play in the season-opening game either.
Minnesota Vikings 23, San Francisco 49ers 17
· Vikings kicker Will Reichard (Hoover) made three field goals and two extra points. Reichard made a 22-yard field goal with 4:45 left in the first quarter for the first points of the game and the first three-pointer of his NFL career. He also had field goals of 39 yards on the final snap of the first half and 27 yards with 3:30 left in the game.
· Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner made two tackles.
Seattle Seahawks 23, New England Patriots 20 (OT)
· Patriots wide receiver Javon Baker did not record any stats in his NFL debut.
· Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore is on the non-football illness list and not eligible to play.
· Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) started at outside linebacker for the Patriots. Jennings made seven tackles.
· Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Jarran Reed started at defensive end for the Seahawks. Reed made six tackles.
New York Jets 24, Tennessee Titans 17
· Jets safety Jaylen Key (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· J.C. Latham started at left offensive tackle for the Titans.
· C.J. Mosley (Theodore) started at linebacker for the Jets. Mosley made three tackles. Mosley left the game with a toe injury in the second quarter and did not return.
· Calvin Ridley started at wide receiver for the Titans. Ridley had four receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown and ran 10 yards for a touchdown. Ridley scored the first points of the game on the first rushing TD of his career with 2:30 left in the first quarter and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass with 3:22 left in the third quarter as Tennessee tied the game at 17-17.
· Quinnen Williams (Wenonah) started at defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams made three tackles and registered one quarterback hit.
Washington Commanders 21, New York Giants 18
· Jonathan Allen started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Allen made two tackles and registered one quarterback hit.
· Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis made one tackle.
· Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal dressed for the game but did not play.
· Daron Payne (Shades Valley) started defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne did not record any stats.
· Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa) started at running back for the Commanders. Robinson ran for 133 yards on 17 carries and had a 3-yard reception. Robinson reached his career high for rushing yards with his second 100-yard game. Robinson ran for 105 yards on 18 carries in a 19-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 27, 2022.
Arizona Cardinals 41, Los Angeles Rams 10
· Rams tight end Miller Forristall is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Cardinals offensive tackle Jonah Williams is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Mack Wilson (Carver-Montgomery) started at inside linebacker for the Cardinals. Wilson made four tackles.
Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Denver Broncos 6
· Steelers cornerback Anthony Averett is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Minkah Fitzpatrick started at safety for the Steelers. Fitzpatrick made seven tackles.
· Najee Harris started at running back for the Steelers. Harris ran for 69 yards on 17 carries and had a 5-yard reception.
· Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders is on the physically-unable-to-perform list and not eligible to play.
· Patrick Surtain II started at left cornerback for the Broncos. Surtain made one tackle.
· Broncos cornerback Levi Wallace made one tackle.
Kansas City Chiefs 26, Cincinnati Bengals 25
· Bengals safety Jordan Battle did not record any stats.
· Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton caught only one pass, but it went for a 47-yard gain. Burton’s reception moved Cincinnati to the Kansas City 23-yard line to open a touchdown drive as the Bengals took a 22-17 lead with 2:16 left in the third quarter.
Houston Texans 19, Chicago Bears 13
· Will Anderson Jr. started at defensive end for the Texans. Anderson had four tackles and recorded 1.5 sacks.
· Texans linebacker Christian Harris is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· John Metchie III was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Henry To’oTo’o started at linebacker for the Texans. To’oTo’o led Houston with 13 tackles. To’oTo’o’s career-high total included the first sack of his NFL career.
Week 2 started on Thursday night, when the Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-10.
Week 2 concludes on Monday, when the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. ESPN will televise the game.
