Alabama Players in the NFL Week 4 Tracker: Julio Jones Sets Falcons All-Time Receptions Record

There could be double-digit former Crimson Tide players squaring off when Baltimore visits Washington

Author:
Kristi Patrick
Publish date:
Oct 5, 2020 11:16 PM EDT

Former University of Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones needed just one reception against Green Bay to become the Atlanta Falcons' all-time leader in receptions, and did so on a first-quarter screen pass Monday night.

With 809 career receptions, Jones surpassed former teammate Roddy White, who ended his career with 808 catches.

"It's a great achievement and a great accomplishment to be mentioned because Roddy kind of taught me the game early in my career," Jones said in a statement about moving ahead of White. "Being able to put up numbers the way he put up numbers, having the ability to surpass him is nothing but love on both ends. Being mentioned in the same sentence as Roddy White, what he stands for as an Atlanta Falcon, what he did here for 11 years."

Jones did not finish the game, though, due to a hamstring injury. He had four catches for 32 yards.

O.J. Howard Likely Out for Season with Achilles Injury

Former University of Alabama tight end O.J. Howard suffered an Achilles injury in the second half of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 38-31 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

"He was having a great, great game," Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said during his postgame press conference. "I thought Tommy (Brady) was gonna throw it to him for the touchdown when he threw it to Ke'Shawn (Vaughn), but it looks like he has a ruptured Achilles and will probably be done for the year."

Howard caught three passes for 50 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

How Rescheduling from Coronavirus Impacts Crimson Tide Players

The harsh realities of the coronavirus caught up with the NFL this week when numerous players on both Kansas City and New England, including quarterback Cam Newton, had positive COVID-19 tests.

That's on top of an outbreak on the Tennessee Titans. The Associated Press reported on Saturday that defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons was added to the reserve/COVID-19 list, and with two staff members also testing positive for COVID-19, the team’s total number of confirmed cases since Sept. 24 was up to 18.

The Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans game originally scheduled for Sunday has been rescheduled for Week 7 on Sunday, October 25 at noon CT on CBS.

The Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens game will move from Week 7 (October 25) to Week 8 on Sunday, November 1 at 1:00 PM ET on CBS.

The Steelers and Titans now each have a Week 4 bye and the Ravens bye, originally set for Week 8, will now be in Week 7.

The New England-Kansas City game scheduled for 3:25 p.m. Sunday will be played on Monday at 6:05 p.m. on CBS. The Atlanta Falcons-Green Bay Packers game will shift to an 7:50 p.m. kickoff on Monday on ESPN.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Isaiah Buggs, DE; Minkah Fitzpatrick, S; J.C. Hassenauer, C

Tennessee Titans: Rashaan Evans, LB; Derrick Henry, RB

New England Patriots: Anfernee Jennings, LB (RB Damien Harris is still on the injured list but could be activated, and LB Dont'a Hightower opted out this season).

Kansas City Chiefs: Gehrig Dieter, WR, practice squad

Marlon Humphrey signs $98.75 million contract extension

Marlon Humphrey got emotional during his press conference Thursday, and with good reason.

The Ravens announced they had signed a five-year extension with the Pro-Bowl cornerback. The deal is worth $98.75 million, or $19.75 million per season, according to multiple reports.

"For me being the highest-paid was never really a factor," the former Alabama standout said. "The biggest thing was staying a Raven."

Humphrey, who has emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, was slated to become a restricted free agent in 2022.

For more coverage check out Raven Country.

Seahawks Sign Tim Williams to Practice Squad

Former Alabama linebacker Tim Williams has a new NFL home as he was signed to Seattle Seahawks' practice squad on Wednesday.

Williams, a 2017 third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, has appeared in 20 games, recording 18 tackles and 2.0 sacks. He was released exactly a year ago today, Oct. 1, and subsequently played one game with the Green Bay Packers.

The Seahawks had two open roster spots with defensive end Rasheem Green going on injured reserve late last week and the release of linebacker D'Andre Walker on Tuesday. Defensive back Ryan Neal was promoted off the practice squad, with Williams and defensive back Damarious Randall added.

Week 4 Preview

Week 4 of the NFL season figures to be an interesting one if for no other reason other than the strong contrasts various teams are experiencing.

On one hand, as the NFL enters October and closes the first quarter of the 2020 season, teams are scoring points and touchdowns at unprecedented levels.

NFL teams have combined to score 281 total touchdowns, 273 offensive touchdowns (passing and rushing combined) and 2,446 total points, all the most in NFL history through Week 3.

The Packers are averaging the most points scored per game (40.7), with the Seahawks (37.0), Bills (31.0), Ravens (30.3), Chiefs (30.3) and Falcons (30.0) all averaging at least 30.

It's also resulted in a lot of comebacks, including three teams overcoming deficits of at least 10 points to win last week. In 10 of 48 games this season, a team has overcome a deficit of at least 10 points to win, tied with the 1987 season (10) for the second-most such games through the first three weeks in NFL history. Only the 2011 season (11) had more.

In 18 games this season, teams have come back to win or tie after trailing in the fourth quarter. On three occasions, a team has come back to win after trailing by at least 17 points at any point. That’s one game per week on average.

Meanwhile, the league issued the following statement:

"On Tuesday morning, the Titans COVID testing results returned three new player positives and five new personnel positives. The Titans will suspend in-person club activities starting today. Likewise, the Vikings, who played the Titans on Sunday, will also suspend in-person club activities. Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available."

Matchup of the Week

The two teams that have had the most former Crimson Tide players of late square off, and they just happen to be 45 minutes apart. Baltimore is visiting Washington on Sunday.

The Ravens have defensive back Anthony Averett, offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman, guard D.J. Fluker, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and running back Mark Ingram II, with wide receiver DeAndrew White on the injured list.

The Washington roster has defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, linebacker Ryan Anderson, safety Landon Collins, linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton, defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne and wide receiver Cam Sims. Linebacker Reuben Foster is on the injured list, and offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher in on the practice squad.

Week 4 Notes

• Wide receiver Amari Cooper had nine catches for 86 yards last week for Dallas. He had eight receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown catch in his last game vs. Cleveland (2018 with Raiders). Copper is aiming for his third in row vs. the Browns with eight-plus catches and 125-plus receiving yards, and his third straight at home with 90-plus receiving yards.

• Derrick Henry rushed for season-high 119 yards and two touchdowns last week, his seventh game with 100-plus rushing yards and two-plus rushing touchdowns since 2018, the most in the NFL. He's rushed for 115-plus yards in three of his past four games. Henry has also rushed for 517 yards (129.3 per game) and four touchdowns in his past four games at home. The Tennessee Titans running back leads the NFL with 319 rush yards this season.

• After having a rough game at Miami on Week 2, Bills cornerback Levi Wallace answered his critics with an interception against the Rams last week. It helped lead to a 35-32 victory as Buffalo improved to 3-0..