Anders Carlson returned to the NFL on Sunday with the longest field goal of his career.
In the San Francisco 49ers’ 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Carlson connected on a 55-yarder that opened Sunday’s scoring with 1:06 left in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It supplanted a 53-yarder that Carlson made as a rookie with the Green Bay Packers in 2023 as his longest NFL field goal.
The 55-yard field goal was Carlson’s first attempt in a game that counted since he missed a 41-yard field goal on the same field in the second round of the NFC playoffs with 6:18 remaining in what turned out to be 24-21 loss for the Packers to the 49ers.
Carlson was released by Green Bay at the end of the preseason and had been out of football until San Francisco signed him for its practice squad on Tuesday. Having lost a kicker to injuries sustained making tackles on kickoffs in each of the previous two games, the 49ers elevated Carlson from their practice squad to make him eligible to play against the Chiefs.
Carlson also made a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
But after San Francisco opened the second-half scoring with a touchdown with 10:29 left in the third quarter, Carlson’s extra-point attempt hit the left upright and was no good. In 2023, Carlson became the first rookie in NFL history to make a field goal in 17 regular-season games. But with the playoffs included, he also had the most misses on extra points with six and on total kicks with 13 in the league last season.
Carlson was among the 18 former Auburn players who got on the field on the seventh Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.
In the other Sunday games:
Jacksonville Jaguars 32, New England Patriots 16
· Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Bigsby established career highs for rushing yards and rushing attempts (bettering 101 yards and 13 carries) and matched his career high with two touchdowns. Bigsby scored on a 1-yard run as the Jaguars took a 14-10 lead with 3:32 left in the first half and scored the game’s final touchdown on a 4-yard run with 1:41 remaining.
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· 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 two tackles.
· Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) did not record any stats.
Seattle Seahawks 34, Atlanta Falcons 14
· Derick Hall started at outside linebacker for the Seahawks. Hall made one tackle, registered one quarterback hit and returned a fumble recovery 36 yards for a touchdown as Seattle took a 31-14 lead with 12:46 left to play. The fumble recovery and touchdown were the first of Hall’s NFL career.
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· Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson) started at cornerback for the Seahawks. A fifth-round draft choice on April 27, Pritchett made his first NFL start on Sunday. He made five tackles.
Buffalo Bills 34, Tennessee Titans 10
· Titans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Roger McCreary (Williamson) started at cornerback for the Titans. McCreary did not record any stats.
Cincinnati Bengals 21, Cleveland Browns 14
· Bengals guard Tashawn Manning is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bengals defensive tackle Justin Rogers is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Green Bay Packers 24, Houston Texans 22
· Packers quarterback Malik Willis dressed for the game but did not play.
· Packers defensive tackle Colby Wooden made two tackles and registered one quarterback hit.
· Texans offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Indianapolis Colts 16, Miami Dolphins 10
· Dolphins wide receiver Anthony Schwartz is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Colts cornerback Jaylin Simpson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.
Detroit Lions 31, Minnesota Vikings 29
· Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Lions. Davis made three tackles.
Philadelphia Eagles 28, New York Giants 3
· Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll did not record any stats. Philadelphia elevated Driscoll from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
· Darius Slayton started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton had an 11-yard reception.
· Eagles tight end C.J. Uzomah is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Los Angeles Rams 20, Las Vegas Raiders 15
· Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made five field goals for the third time in his career. Carlson also kicked five field goals in the Raiders’ 36-33 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 25, 2021, and the Raiders’ 35-32 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Jan. 9, 2022. In both those games, Carlson ended the contest with an overtime field goal. On Sunday, Carlson connected from 38, 47, 38, 27 and 27 yards.
· Raiders tight end John Samuel Shenker did not record any stats.
Washington Commanders 40, Carolina Panthers 7
· Derrick Brown is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) started at cornerback for the Commanders. Igbinoghene tied his career high with six tackles. He also had six tackles in a 38-33 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 23.
· Panthers linebacker Chandler Wooten set a career high with six tackles in his 20th NFL game.
Pittsburgh Steelers 37, New York Jets 15
· Steelers defensive tackle Montravius Adams did not record any stats.
· Steelers outside linebacker Eku Leota is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Jamien Sherwood started at linebacker for the Jets. Sherwood led New York with nine tackles.
Week 7 started on Thursday night, when the Denver Broncos defeated the New Orleans Saints 33-10.
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Week 7 concludes on Monday, when the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals meet at 8 p.m. at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. ABC and ESPN will televise the Ravens-Bucs game, and ESPN+ will televise the Chargers-Cardinals game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AmarkG1.
