5 Former Crimson Tide Players Who Will Key Their Team's Playoff Chances: Bama in the NFL Tracker Week 15

Keeping up with and how to watch former Alabama players with the Ultimate Bama in the NFL database.

Nov 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) rushes the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

It's a must-win weekend for NFL teams that are on the wrong side of the playoffs line as there only four weeks remaining in the regular season. The Kansas City Chiefs, who have played in the last three Super Bowls, are obviously the team getting the most attention in that regard as they're two games out of the AFC wild card. However, they're far from alone.

No playoff berths have been clinched entering Week 15, marking just the third time that's happened since realignment in 2002, the others being 2014 and 2021. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are virtual locks int he AFC, along with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC as they all have at least 10 wins.

If that group looks a like surprising, seven of the eight divisions have a team in first place or tied for first that did not win its division last season: AFC East (New England), AFC North (Pittsburgh), AFC South (Jacksonville), AFC West (Denver), NFC North (Green Bay), NFC South (Carolina) and NFC West (Seattle).

So there's a lot to play for, and a ton to be decided. Here are five former Alabama Crimson Tide players who will be heavily leaned upon by their teams during the playoff chase:

1. Tua Tagovailoa

Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field following a game against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium. | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The season is on the line and the 6-7 Dolphins are two games back in the wild-card standings. The AFC East is out of reach. If Miami is going to get there, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will have to be the one to lead it there beginning with the high-profile Monday game against the Steelers. The last time he faced them the left-handed passer threw for 261 yards and a touchdown. The final three opponents on the schedule are the Bengals, Buccaneers and at the Patriots.

2. Derrick Henry

Nov 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs with the ball against Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The 6-7 Ravens are just one game behind in the AFC North, and two behind in the wild-card chase. Moreover, they have a very tough schedule remaining of at the Bengals, Patriots, at Packers and at the Steelers, which could decided the division title. It's December, so a lot of teams are worn down, and the last thing a lot of defenders will want to do is try and stop the human wrecking ball Derrick Henry, while Lamar Jackson hasn't looked like himself this season.

3. Jahmyr Gibbs

Dec 4, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) scores a touchdown against Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell (14) and safety Donovan Wilson (6) during the second half at Ford Field.Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

You might be surprised to see his name on this list, but at 8-5 the Lions are currently on the outside looking in for the NFC playoffs. Plus, this week they're facing a team trying to secure home-field advantage, the Los Angeles Rams. Jahmyr Gibbs has 11 games with multiple rushing touchdowns and with at least two rushing touchdowns on Sunday, can tie Jim Brown (12 games),Earl Campbell (12) and Eric Dickerson(12) for the most games with multiple rushing touchdowns by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history. The Lions finish up with the Steelers, at the Vikings and at the Bears.

4. Quinnen Williams

Nov 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (92) warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

A big reason why the Cowboys traded for Quinnen Williams (besides trying to fill the gap left by Michah Parsons) was to make a playoff push, and at 6-6-1 Dallas knows it has to win out and hope for a collapse between the Eagles (8-5), 49ers (9-4) and Bears (9-4), and not have the Lions (8-5) in their way. Impossible? No. Extremely difficult? Yes. Left on the schedule are the Vikings this week, followed by the Chargers, and then road games at the Commanders and Giants.

5. Will Anderson Jr.

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) and Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre (5) celebrate after sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The one thing that's different with Will Anderson Jr. from everyone else on this list is that his team is on target to make the playoffs, albeit barely. At 8-5, Houston would be the last wild-card team in the AFC thanks to a tiebreaker with the Colts — that's why last week's game against the Chiefs was so important. The Texans have the 3-10 Cardinals this week, followed by the Raiders, at the Chargers and then the Colts, possibly for the AFC South title. Anderson has been a tear, with at least one tackle for a loss in nine straight games, the longest active streak in the league. The more he messes up opposing offenses, the better the chances of DeMeco Ryan's team playing in the postseason.

Bama in the NFL Statistical Leaders

Category, Name, Team, Statistic (Second)
Passing yards: Jalen Hurts, Eagles, 2,754 (Tua Tagovailoa 2,407)
Passer rating: Mac Jones, 49ers, 97.4 (Jalen Hurts 96.0)
Rushing yards: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions, 1,062 (Derrick Henry 1,025)
Receptions: DeVonta Smith, Eagles, 64 (Jahmyr Gibbs 58)
Receiving yards: DeVonta Smith, Eagles, 839 (Jaylen Waddle 812)
Forced fumbles: Will Anderson Jr., Texans; Quinnen Williams, Jets/Cowboys) 3
Fumble recoveries: Will Anderson Jr., Texans; and Minkah Fitzpatrick, Dolphins, 2
Tackles: Jordan Battle, Bengals, 101 (Xavier McKinney, 80)
Interceptions: Jordan Battle, Bengals; Kool-Aid McKinstry, Saints, 3

Bama in the NFL Week 15 Tracker

For the full set of statistics on how the former Crimson Tide players did this week, check out our elaborate Bama in the NFL Week 15 Tracker. It will be updated throughout the weekend until every game is concluded:

Bama in the NFL tracker injury update.. Click to view full stats | Kristi F. Patrick/BamaCentral

The Ultimate Bama in the NFL Database

Contract Info, Status of Former Alabama Crimson Tide Players
Active Crimson Tide Players by Team, Position
All-Time Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL
All-Time Crimson Tide Draft Selections

Bama in the NFL: Game of the Week

There are so many possibilities, and on paper a good argument can be made for the Lions at Rams, but we're going with the Dolphins at Steelers on Monday. It's Tagovailoa against Aaron Rodgers, Miami's back is against the wall, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick gets a shot at his former team. We also love the potential matchup of Jaylen Waddle going against Joey Porter Jr., and maybe Jalen Ramsey as well. Meanwhile, in addition to trying to stay on top of the AFC North, the Steelers (7-6) are looking to record their 22nd consecutive season with a .500-or-better record and surpass the Dallas Cowboys (21 consecutive seasons from 1965-85) for the longest such streak in NFL history.

Bama In The NFL: Week 15 Notes

• Gibbs leads the NFL with 47 scrimmage touchdowns (39 rushing, eight receiving) since entering the league in 2023, and ranks second with 16 scrimmage touchdowns (13 rushing, three receiving touchdowns) this season. With his next score he'll break the tie with Barry Sander for the most touchdowns by a player under the age of 24 all-time and the most touchdowns by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.

• There may no one better in the NFL at putting a setback behind him than Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. In case you missed it last week, he had five turnovers, but wide receiver DeVonta Smith hasn't seen anything different from the quarterback. “Same Jalen,” Philadelphia Eagles On SI reported . “You don't sit there and beat yourself up over things like that. In this game, stuff like that happens. Everybody is gonna have a game where they're down. You tell me somebody that you know that don't have games like that.” The last time he had a four-interception game, Hurts responded by going 20-for-25 with 242 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions against the Giants.

• Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams just missed having his third 100-yard receiving performance in five games last week, finishing with 92 against Dallas. He's also been targeted more of late, with at least seven in four of those games. The last time he faced the Rams he had five catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.

• Josh Jacobs is closing in on 1,000 rushing yards, with 817 on 206 carries this season. He's already there in scrimmage yards with 1,068. It's the seventh straight season he's reached that mark, tying Henry for the most since 2019. Jacobs is dealing with a knee injury so he's questionable to play as Green Bay heads to Denver, where the Broncos are riding a 10-game winning streak and will be looking to show if they're a real Super Bowl contender. It's a great December matchup that will only be better with Jacobs playing, and players like Patrick Surtain II trying to top him.

Finally, for those of you planning ahead to Chistmas wekeend, the NFL finalized its Week 17 schedule. Saturday, Dec. 27 will feature a doubleheader starting with the Houston Texans at the Los Angeles Chargers at 4:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network, followed by the "Peacock Holiday Exclusive" featuring the showdown between Derrick henry and Josh Jacobs with the Baltimore Ravens at the Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m. ET.

The Christmas Day doubleheader will be on Netflix, the Dallas Cowboys at the Washington Commanders at 1 p.m. ET, Detroit Lions at the Minnesota Vikings at 4:30 p.m. ET. On Christmas night, the Denver Broncos will play at the Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

How to Watch: NFL Week 15

Thursday’s Score
Atlanta Falcons 29, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28

Sunday’s Games
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. (Fox)
New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Washington Commanders at New York Giants, 1 p.m. (Fox)
Las Vegas Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. (Fox)
Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday’s Game
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

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