After a down week in Week 5, the Crimson Tide alumni came roaring back in Week 6. Two former Heisman Trophy winners had some of the best games of their careers, and two All-Pros resumed their strong play. Here is the rundown on the top performances from former Alabama players during this week’s NFL action.
-2015 Heisman Trophy winner and Alabama’s all-time leading rusher Derrick Henry had the best game of his young NFL career in primetime on Monday Night Football. The Tennessee Titans running back carried the ball a career-high 19 times for a career-high 131 yards. He sealed the game with a career-long 72-yard run, easily surpassing his previous best of 25 yards.
Analysts like the NFL’s Bucky Brooks marveled at Henry’s prodigious talent during his breakout game.
After all that, though, Jon Gruden bestowed the prestigious Gruden Grinder award on quarterback Marcus Mariota. That snub will be a glaring vacancy on Henry’s resume until he finally earns his long-awaited Gruden Grinder. Until then, the Heisman is a nice consolation.
-Mark Ingram, 2009 Heisman Trophy winner and current New Orleans Saints running back, had the fifth multi-touchdown game of his seven-year career on Sunday. He carried the ball 25 times for 114 yards and two scores and also caught five passes for 36 yards. His 25 carries were his most in nearly three years and the third most of his career.
-Detroit Lions defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson had a “defensive lineman’s dream”on Sunday, intercepting a pass from Saints quarterback Drew Brees and returning it two yards for a touchdown. He also made seven tackles.
-Baltimore Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley earns a spot on this list for the third straight week, courtesy of his 11 tackles, one of which was for loss, against the Chicago Bears. Mosley is tied for the NFL lead in tackles with 55, the most he has ever had through six games of a season.
-New York Giants All-Pro safety Landon Collins intercepted a pass from Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian deep in Giants territory and returned it 21 yards. It was Collins’ first interception of the season after catching five last year.
-Washington Redskins rookie defensive lineman Jonathan Allen suffered a Lisfranc injury against the San Francisco 49ers and is expected to miss three to four weeks, per NBC Sports Washington’s Rich Tandler.
Reuben Foster, a rookie linebacker for the 49ers, returned to practice this week — albeit in a limited fashion — for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 1. He was inactive for Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins, but general manager John Lynch said fans can expect to see Foster back on the field soon.
“We feel like we’re very close, if not this week, in the near future, to having Reuben Foster back,” Lynch said on Friday. The 49ers also released 4-time All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman on Friday, confirming that they view Foster as their future at the position.
