In a lost season finale, the Denver Broncos may have found something for 2023.
In the offseason, the Broncos made a big deal to acquire 9-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, and hired Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to create an offensively-minded team. It was installed on the head coach.
But going into Sunday’s season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver had the fewest points in the NFL, Hackett was fired two weeks ago, and the Broncos’ record was 4-12.
But against the Chargers, Wilson found a long-range connection with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Not only did he reach a career-high in receiving yards, he set a career-high in rushing yards in Denver’s 31-28 win over Los Angeles heading into the playoffs. .
Judy caught five passes for 157 yards and ran for 39 yards on three carries.
Judy’s receptions were good with 57, 50, 25, 19 and 6 yards. Judy’s big game nearly propelled him into his 1,000-yard season. He finished his 2022 with his 67 receptions for 975 yards and 6 touchdowns. These are all career highs. The injury kept Judy off the field for two games and missed almost all of the other two games this season.
Judy’s Sunday output surpassed 140 yards with five receptions when he caught a 92-yard touchdown pass in a 32–31 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 3, 2021.
By Sunday, Judy had three 4-yard rushing attempts in her NFL career. His Sunday run included a 12-yard carry on first down to help the Broncos run out the final 3:14 of the game.
Jeudy was one of 46 former Alabama players to show up on the field on Sunday 18th of the NFL’s 103rd season.
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Four other former Alabama players attended the Los Angeles vs. Denver game.
· Broncos linebacker Christopher Allen is on injured reserve and ineligible to play.
· Kareem Jackson started off with a strong safety for the Broncos. Jackson made four tackles and recovered a fumble. Jackson recovered a Los Angeles fumble at his 9-yard line in Denver, which he returned two yards and he held his 24-20 lead for the Broncos with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.
· Chargers punter JK Scott averaged 55.8 yards on five punts and netted 47.8 yards. Scott had his 56-yard punt, which Denver missed at his 13-yard line and recovered. ), a 45-yarder who was muffed and recovered by Los Angeles in the Denver 29 and a 60-yarder who was downed in the Denver 4.
· Patrick Sarten II, who started at left cornerback for the Broncos. Satain is one tackle.
Other Sunday games include:
Atlanta Falcons 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
· Rashaan Evans (Auburn High) is the starting inside linebacker for the Falcons. Evans has 5 tackles. Evans finished his 2022 season with 159 tackles. This puts him 48 more tackles than in any of his first four seasons in the NFL.
· Buccaneers wide receiver Julio Jones (Foley) has been designated inactive for gameday as Tampa Bay prepares for the playoffs next week.
Buffalo Bills 35, New England Patriots 23
· Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore broke a pass.
· Damien Harris started as a running back for the Patriots. Harris ran for 48 yards on 13 carries and caught a pass for 4 yards.
· Patriots linebacker Anphanie Jennings (Dadeville) made two tackles and recorded the loss with one tackle.
· Mac Jones started out as a quarterback for the Patriots. Jones completed 26 of 40 passes for 243 yards, had 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and ran 4 for 5 yards. With New England tied the score at 7–7 with 5:45 left in the first quarter, Jones threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacobi Myers, and when the Patriots tied the score, Jones threw a wide receiver’s threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Devante Parker. It was 14-14 with 3:45 left in the first half when New England cut Buffalo’s lead to 28-23 with 11:37 on a 26-yard touchdown pass to Parker.
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· Bills safety Jared Maiden has been designated inactive for gameday. Maiden joined Buffalo on Wednesday from the New York Jets practice team.
· Patriots defensive end LaBrian Ray (James Clemens) is on the practice team’s injured list and is ineligible to play.
· Patriots outside linebacker Mack Wilson (Carver Montgomery) made one tackle for Special Teams.
Minnesota Vikings 29, Chicago Bears 13
· Bears safety Eddie Jackson is on injured reserve and ineligible to play.
· Bears offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood played but no stats recorded.
· Bears outside linebacker Terrell Lewis has been designated inactive for game day.
· Irv Smith Jr. started at tight end for the Vikings. Smith had three receptions for 14 yards as he returned from a nine-game injury absence.
· Dalvin Tomlinson started at the Vikings’ defensive end. Tomlinson registered the quarterback hit.
Cincinnati Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 16
· Ravens cornerback Jarrin Armour-Davies (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on injured reserve and ineligible to play.
· Ravens running back Kenya’s Drake ran for 60 yards on 16 carries for one touchdown and caught two passes for 19 yards in his first action since December 11. first half.
· Marlon Humphrey (Hoover) is the starting cornerback for the Ravens. Humphrey made two tackles.
Jonah Williams starts at left offensive tackle for the Bengals
Houston Texans 32, Indianapolis Colts 31
· Colts cornerback Tony Brown played but did not record the stats.
· Christian Harris started as a linebacker for the Texans. Harris led Houston with 10 tackles, recorded the first sack of his NFL career, recorded the loss with two tackles, and broke a pass.
Texans tight end OJ Howard (Outtauga Academy) has been declared inactive for game day. Howard injured his hip.
Ryan Kelly will start at center for the Colts.
· Texans wide receiver John Metchie III is ineligible to play due to a reserve/non-football injury.
Miami Dolphins 11, New York Jets 6
· Dolphins guard Lester Cotton (Central Tuscaloosa) is on the practice team and is ineligible to play.
· Raekwon Davis started with a nose tackle for the Dolphins. Davis made four tackles.
CJ Mosley (Theodore) will start at linebacker for the Jets. Mosley had seven tackles, scored a quarterback hit, and broke a pass.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been declared inactive for game day. Tagovailoa missed two games in a row with a concussion.
· Jaylen Waddle started out as a wide receiver for the Dolphins. Waddle caught five passes for 44 yards and scored a 9-yard run.
· Quinnen-Williams (Wenona) is the starting defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams he made four tackles.
Carolina Panthers 10, New Orleans Saints 7
· Bradley Boseman (Hundley) is the starting center for the Panthers. When Boseman entered the lineup, Carolina had a 1-5 record and won six of the 11 games he started.
Panthers guard Deonte Brown (Austin) is on the practice team and is not eligible to play.
· Saints running back Derrick Gore is on the practice team and is not eligible to play.
· Saints running back Mark Ingram is on injured reserve and ineligible to play.
Pittsburgh Steelers No. 28, Cleveland Browns No. 14
Amari Cooper is the starting wide receiver for the Browns. Cooper took him 51 yards and he caught two passes.
· Minka Fitzpatrick started in the Steelers’ free safety. Fitzpatrick led Pittsburgh with 10 tackles.
· Browns running back Jerome Ford returned five kickoffs for 93 yards and 35 yards long.
Browns tight end Miller Foristall is on the practice team and is not eligible to play.
· Nagy Harris started running back for the Steelers. Harris ran for 84 yards, scoring one touchdown on 23 carries and catching passes for 10 yards. He also lost a fumble in the game. Harris scored on a 4-yard run with 3:12 left in the third quarter as Pittsburgh led 20–7. During the game, Harris passed 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season.
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One tackle by Browns safety Ronnie Harrison.
· JC Hassenauer of the Steelers Center has played but not recorded stats.
Reggie Ragland (Bob Jones) is the starting middle linebacker for the Browns. Ragland he made two tackles.
Levi Wallace is the starting left cornerback for the Steelers. Wallace made one tackle and intercepted the pass. Wallace picked up a deep pass by Cleveland quarterback Deshawn Watson and returned it three yards to the Pittsburgh 44-yard line with 1:11 left in the first half. The Steelers fielded from a takeaway where he scored and at halftime he took a 10–7 lead. Wallace has four interceptions this season and 10 in his career.
· Jedrick Wills Jr. is the starting left offensive tackle for the Browns.
Philadelphia Eagles 22, New York Giants 16
· Landon Collins started as the Giants’ weakside linebacker. Collins had two tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams in his first start of the season.
Landon Dickerson will start at left guard for the Eagles.
· Jalen Hurts started as quarterback for the Eagles. Hurts completed 20 of 35 passes for 229 yards and ran nine for 13 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
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· Eagles cornerback Josh Jobe tackled Special Teams.
Xavier McKinney dressed up for the game but didn’t play.
Evan Neal started right-attack tackle for the Giants.
· Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson is on injured reserve and ineligible to play.
Devonta Smith will start as a wide receiver for the Eagles. Smith caught seven passes for 67 yards. Smith’s 95 receptions in his 2022 season is his record for the most in one season by a Philadelphia wide his receiver.
Seattle Seahawks 19, Los Angeles Rams 16 (OT)
· Rams defensive end A’Shawn Robinson is on injured reserve and ineligible to play.
· Seahawks long snapper Carson Tinker handled the snap with five punts, five field goal attempts and one extra point kick.
Washington Commanders 26, Dallas Cowboys 6
Commander defensive tackle Jonathan Allen has been designated inactive for game day. Allen missed practice last week due to a knee injury.
· Trevon Diggs is the starting cornerback for the Cowboys. Diggs is one tackle.
· Commanders defensive tackle Fidarian Mattis is on injured reserve and ineligible to play.
· Daron Payne (Shayes Valley) started defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne had two tackles and had two quarterback hits.
· Commanders Running Back Bryan Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest – Tuscaloosa) has been designated as inactive for Game Day. Robinson missed practice last week due to a knee injury.
Commanders wide receiver Cam Sims tackles special teams.
Detroit Lions 20, Green Bay Packers 16
· Isaiah Baggs started at defensive tackle for the Lions. Baggs had a career-high seven tackles in a 37-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 24, surpassing his previous record of six.
· Lions offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher has been designated inactive for gameday.
· Jalan Reed started in the Packers’ defensive end. Reed made two tackles and scored his hits against the quarterback.
· Lions cornerback Syvion Smith is on the practice team’s injured list and is ineligible to play.
· Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams played but no stats recorded. He had a 66-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that was negated by an offensive holding penalty.
Week 18 began Saturday with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 31-13 and the Jacksonville Jaguars defeating the Tennessee Titans 20-16.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter. @AMarkG1.