Since making two starts for the Green Bay Packers in September with starting quarterback Jordan Love sidelined by a knee injury, Malik Willis had not played. On Sunday, the Packers needed Willis again. In September, he had helped Green Bay win both his starts. On Sunday, Willis came through again.
Love left the Packers’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with 11:41 left in the third quarter because of a groin injury. But when the game was over, Green Bay had a 30-27 victory on Brandon McManus’s 24-yard field goal on the final snap.
When the Packers started their final possession at their 30-yard line with 1:48 to play, Willis had completed 3-of-4 passes for 5 yards and run twice for 25 yards against the Jaguars.
On the second snap of the final series, Willis connected with wide receiver Jayden Reed for a 51-yard gain to the Jacksonville 15-yard line. From there, the Packers ran down the clock to get the win on the final snap.
Green Bay scored a touchdown on three of Willis’ five full possessions at the helm, including a 3-yard touchdown pass from Willis to tight end Tucker Kraft as the Packers took a 27-17 lead with 14:06 left in the game.
Willis was among the 21 former Auburn players who got on the field on the eighth Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.
Three other former Auburn players were involved in the Green Bay-Jacksonville game:
· Tank Bigsby started at running back for Jacksonville. Bigsby ran for 78 yards on 18 carries and caught two passes for 8 yards in his first NFL start. Bigsby came into Sunday with two receptions in 24 career games.
· Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) did not record any stats.
· Packers defensive end Colby Wooden made two tackles and broke up one pass.
In the other Sunday games:
Philadelphia Eagles 37, Cincinnati Bengals 17
· Eagles offensive tackle Jack Driscoll did not record any stats.
· 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.
· Eagles tight end C.J. Uzomah is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Detroit Lions 52, Tennessee Titans 14
· Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Lions. Davis made two tackles, broke up one pass and recovered one fumble. Davis recovered a fumble at the Tennessee 26-yard line to set up a third-quarter touchdown.
· Titans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Titans cornerback Roger McCreary (Williamson) made three tackles, recorded one sack and registered two tackles for loss.
Houston Texans 23, Indianapolis Colts 20
· Colts cornerback Jaylin Simpson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.
· Texans offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Arizona Cardinals 28, Miami Dolphins 27
· Cardinals defensive tackle Angelo Blackson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Cardinals inside linebacker Owen Pappoe made two tackles on special teams.
· Dolphins wide receiver Anthony Schwartz is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
New England Patriots 25, New York Jets 22
· Patriots defensive tackle Marcus Harris (Park Crossing) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones made one tackle.
· Jamien Sherwood started at linebacker for the Jets. Sherwood led New York with 11 tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
Atlanta Falcons 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26
· K.J. Britt (Oxford) started at inside linebacker for the Buccaneers. Britt led Tampa Bay with 10 tackles.
· Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Buccaneers running back D.J. Williams is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Los Angeles Chargers 26, New Orleans Saints 8
· Chargers long snapper Josh Harris handled the snaps for six punts, three extra points and two field goals. But Harris also had an off-target snap that went out of the end zone for a safety and the first points of the game.
Buffalo Bills 31, Seattle Seahawks 10
· Derick Hall started at strongside linebacker for the Seahawks. Hall made three tackles.
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· Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson) was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury kept Pritchett off the field a week after he made his first NFL start.
Denver Broncos 28, Carolina Panthers 14
· Derrick Brown is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Bo Nix (Pinson Valley) started at quarterback for the Broncos. Nix completed 28-of-37 passes for 284 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and ran five times for 4 yards and one touchdown. Nix threw two touchdown passes and scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the second quarter as Denver built a 28-7 halftime lead.
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· Jarrett Stidham dressed for the game but did not play.
Kansas City Chiefs 27, Las Vegas Raiders 20
· Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson connected on field goals of 54 and 32 yards and made two extra points.
· Raiders tight end John Samuel Shenker caught a 7-yard pass for the first reception of his NFL career.
Washington Commanders 18, Chicago Bears 15
· Bears defensive tackle Byron Cowart made two tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
· Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) started at cornerback for the Commanders. Igbinoghene made two tackles.
San Francisco 49ers 30, Dallas Cowboys 24
· Forty-Niners kicker Anders Carlson made all his kicks – field goals of 50, 44 and 41 yards and three extra points. San Francisco elevated Carlson from its practice squad and to make him eligible to play.
· Carl Lawson started at defensive end for the Cowboys. Lawson made three tackles and recorded one quarterback hit.
· Cowboys wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Week 8 started on Thursday night, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30-20.
Week 8 concludes on Monday, when the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AmarkG1.
