Breakout Season for Kool-Aid? Oh Yeah! Bama in the NFL Tracker Week 6

As the National Football League moves into the heart of October and nears midseason, some breakout candidates are beginning to emerge among former Alabama Crimson Tide players.

Can quarterback Mac Jones count even though he was a starter before with the New England Patriots? We're not sure. However, linebacker Jihaad Campbell is looking good with the Philadelphia Eagles. and offensive beast Tyler Booker is still a beast in the run game with the Dallas Cowboys.

The frontrunner so far, though, is cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Remember him? The guy with the cool name who was an All-American during Nick Saban's final season. But he left early fro the draft, he had a fracture in his in his right foot that kept him fom participating in the combine, and then was a second-round selection by the New Orleans Saints at No. 41 overall.

He kind of disappeared, although some of that was circumstantial as the Saints were already set at the position with Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor working in the nickel package. McKinstry grew and developed while waiting for his time, and it didn't take long.

In November, with the season already lost, the Saints traded the four-time Pro Bowl selection Lattimore to Washington (along with a fifth-round pick) for 2025 third-, fourth-, and sixth-round selections. During the offseason, Adebo left in free agency. McKinstry wasn't just a projected starter, he was suddenly "the" guy in the room.

Granted, he's being tested, having yielded 220 yards and three touchdown receptions through the first five games as quarterbacks always go after the new guys in the secondary. Yet last week against the Giants he had three passes defensed and two fourth-quarter interceptions — the first two of his NFL career — in the Saints’ 26-14 comeback victory over the New York Giants.

He was just the fourth Saints defensive back in a decade to be named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, but the 10th former Crimson Tide defensive back to earn the honor over the same time period (most recently Brian Branch in Week 6, 2024).

Look for the Saints to keep aiming for the future (there's a lot of speculation out there than Alvin Kamara could be the next veteran to be traded), but New Orleans knows it has one important piece to the puzzle set with Kool-Aid.

Kool-Aid McKinstry gets his first career INT! 🧃

NYGvsNO on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Jjd1Au0SzW
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025

Bama in the NFL Week 6 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 6 Tracker. It will be updated throughout the weekend until every game is concluded.

Bama in the NFL Tracker | Kristi L. Patrick

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

Game of the Week

Strange but true, there are only two games this week in which both teams have a winning record, San Francisco at Tampa Bay, and Seattle at Jacksonville. We want to go Lions at Chiefs, and are tempted by the Cowboys at Panthers, but for Alabama fans we're going with the 49ers and Buccaneers. It may not be with San Francisco, but Jones might be earning another shot at becoming an NFL starting quarterback.

SEE ALSO: What Mac Jones would have to do to take Brock Purdy's job on the 49ers

Making a Run at History

Detroit running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are the only pair of running back teammates each with at least four touchdowns this season. Overall, they're scored a touchdown in the same game 14 times, tying Dallas’Daryl Johnston and Emmitt Smith for the most games among running back teammates each scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl era. The really scary thing is that they've both only been on the Lions since 2023.

Running Back Scoring Tandems

The running back teammates with the most games in which each scored a touchdown in NFL history:

Teammates, Team, Games
Frank Gifford and Alex Webster, N.Y. Giants, 20
Alan Ameche and Lenny Moore, Baltimore Colts, 18
Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor, Green Bay, 15
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, Detroit, 14
Daryl Johnston and Emmitt Smith, Dallas14

With every other tandem in that group, one of the players has ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A Different Kind of Tua Watch

We've unfortunately became accustomed to keeping an eye on Tua Tagovailoa's health status with the Miami Dolphins, especially when it comes to concussions, but now the entire franchise is limping along and a major shakeup may be at hand.

Last week the Dolphins blew a 17-point lead to Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers to drop to 1-4, leading the Tagovailoa to say during his postgame press conference: “We’ve got to figure this out, and we’ve got to figure this out now. This feeling sucks."

The defense is struggling and the offense isn't lighting up any scoreboards. The line has four injured players including both starters on the right side and can't protect Tagovailoa enough for him to throw downfield. Even so, one of his leading targets Tyreek Hill suffered a horrific injury and is out for the season with a dislocated knee and multiple torn ligaments, including his ACL. Consequently, with everything underneath the coverage Tagovailoa's completion percentage is rising, but he's not getting yards. Defensive backs can focus on being ballhawks and limiting the speedy receivers to short gains.

The pressure is growing for owner Stephen Ross to make a move, which has both general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel in the spotlight, and it's only getting brighter. What happens with them will likely dictate any decision about Tagovailoa's future. He's signed through 2028, which means major salary-cap implications, but it's looking more and more likely that Miami will have a top draft spot next spring — the kind that could be used on a top-rated quarterback.

Bama in the NFL Week 6 Notes

• Baltimore running back Derrick Henry had a rushing touchdown in Week 5, giving him 110 rushing touchdowns to tie Walter Payton for the fifth-most in NFL history. He needs ten more to surpass Adrian Peterson with 120. Emmitt Smith has the record with 164, followed by LaDainian Tomlinson (145) and Marcus Allen (123).

• Devonta Smith is coming off his first 100-yard game of the season, but he's been telling reporters in Philadelphia that not everyone was "on the same page" during last week's the 21-17 loss to the Broncos. He led team with eight catches for season-high 114 yards, and has topped 60 receiving yards in two of the last three games. “We made improvements in certain areas,” Smith said this week. “We still can be a lot better.” For more see Philadelphia Eagles On SI

• Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets is one of of four players in NFL with a tackle for a loss in five in five games this season. Meanwhile, A'Shawn Robinson of the Carolina Panthers had two tackles for a loss and his fist sack of the season last week.

• The Lions got a second opinion on cornerback Terrion Arnold's shoulder injury and he's no longer expected to have surgery, which is always good news. The team is being cautious, and rightfully so, but it looks like we'll see him back on the field this season.

How to Watch: NFL Week 6

Thursday's Games
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, 7:15 p.m. CT (Prime Video)

Sunday's Games
Denver Broncos vs New York Jets (Tottenham, London), 8:30 a.m. (NFL Network)
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens, noon (Fox)
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers, noon (Fox)
Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts, noon (Fox)
Seattle Seahawks at Jacksonville Jaguars, noon (Fox)
Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins, noon (CBS)
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers, noon (CBS)
New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints, noon (CBS)
Tennessee Titans at Las Vegas Raiders, 3:05 p.m. (Fox)
Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers, 3:25 p.m. (CBS)
San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3:25 p.m. (CBS)
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday's Games
Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons, 6:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders, 7:15 p.m. (ABC)

Bye week: Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings

We'll Leave You With This ...

This is stil pinned to the top of his twitter/X account. Note when it was initially posted:

Can’t be scared to stay down for a minute 💯 it don’t last long 🤧 It’s a marathon not a sprint 🤡 pic.twitter.com/3XAPkVcci1
— Kool-Aid “🎰” McKinstry (@GaQMcK1) September 5, 2021

Kristi Patrick at Travelmation - www.EscapeWithKristi.com | Call today!