Before Sunday, Darnell Mooney’s single-game high for receiving yards had been 126 on 12 receptions in the Chicago Bears’ 31-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 9, 2022.
After signing with the Atlanta Falcons as an NFL free agent in March, Mooney moved out of Minnesota’s division by leaving the Bears. But the Vikings showed up on the Falcons’ schedule on Sunday, and the former Gadsden City High School star reached another career high as he piled up 149 yards on six receptions.
Mooney’s big game did not allow Atlanta to keep pace with Minnesota, though, as the Vikings scored a 42-21 victory.
Mooney was on the receiving end of Atlanta’s two longest plays on Sunday – passes of 49 and 28 yards from quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Mooney’s sixth 100-yard game of his career was his second this season. Mooney drew closer to his second 1,000-yard season by boosting his 2024 totals to 57 receptions for 873 yards and five touchdowns.
Mooney took over the team lead for receiving yards during the game. Wide receiver Drake London came out of the contest with 75 receptions for 866 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 for the Falcons.
Mooney was among the 21 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the 14th Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.
Three other former state players were involved in the Atlanta-Minnesota game:
- Vikings defensive tackle Travis Bell (Jeff Davis) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Vikings defensive back Bobby McCain (Oxford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) handled the kneel-downs for the final 44 seconds of the game.
In the other Sunday games:
Miami Dolphins 32, New York Jets 26 (OT)
- Dolphins defensive tackle Shakel Brown (Troy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Dolphins wide receiver Grant DuBose (Park Crossing, Miles) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
- Dolphins defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy) did not record any stats.
- Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Hill had 10 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown and a 6-yard run. Hill scored on a 4-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with 9:03 left in the fourth quarter as Miami tied the score at 23-23. Hill’s 35th 100-yard game was his first since the season-opener.
- Dolphins cornerback Siran Neal (Eufaula, Jacksonville State) made two special-teams tackles.
- Quincy Williams (Wenonah) started at linebacker for the Jets. Williams made two tackles.
New Orleans Saints 14, New York Giants 11
- Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) dressed for the game but did not play. Flott entered the game with a questionable designation because of quadricep and knee injuries.
- Giants offensive tackle Chris Hubbard (UAB) was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury kept Hubbard off the field.
- Giants defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) was designated as a game-day inactive. A shoulder injury kept Nunez-Roches out of the lineup.
Philadelphia Eagles 22, Carolina Panthers 16
- Eagles safety Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) was designated as a game-day inactive. A concussion kept Blankenship out of the lineup.
- Eagles fullback Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) did not record any stats in his 2024 season debut. Philadelphia elevated Blasingame from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
- Eagles defensive back James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
- Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
- Michael Jackson (Spain Park) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Jackson made two tackles and broke up two passes.
- Panthers tight end Jordan Matthews is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Cleveland Browns 14
- Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) started at linebacker for the Browns. Diabate led Cleveland with seven tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
- Browns safety Chris Edmonds (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Steelers cornerback Zyon Gilbert (Jeff Davis) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Steelers linebacker Jeremiah Moon (Hoover) did not record any tackles.
- Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (Hoover) was designated as a game-day inactive. A hamstring injury kept Pickens out of the lineup.
- Browns wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount) returned three punts for 44 yards before muffing a punt that Pittsburgh recovered at the Cleveland 20-yard line with 2:53 to play.
- Steelers punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama) averaged 52.3 yards on six punts, with a 45.0-yard net. Waitman had a 60-yard punt returned 14 yards to the Cleveland 17-yard line, a 38-yarder out of bounds at the Cleveland 37, a 54-yarder returned 11 yards to the Cleveland 38, a 48-yarder returned 19 yards to the Cleveland 47, a 55-yarder to a fair catch at the Cleveland 36 that moved to the Browns 21 because of a penalty and a 58-yarder that was muffed and recovered by Pittsburgh at the Cleveland 20-yard line.
- Steelers wide receiver Quez Watkins (Athens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville) made one tackle on special teams.
- Jameis Winston (Hueytown) started at quarterback for the Browns. Winston completed 24-of-41 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Winston threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy as Cleveland took a 7-3 lead with 5:50 left in the first quarter and a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Njoku for the game’s final touchdown with 7:19 remaining.
- Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, Las Vegas Raiders 13
- Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) had a 1-yard run, caught a pass that lost 3 yards, returned two punts for 30 yards and ran back two kickoffs for 59 yards.
- Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
- Raiders quarterback Carter Bradley (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Raiders cornerback Keenan Isaac (Midfield, Alabama State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Jacksonville Jaguars 10, Tennessee Titans 6
- Titans offensive tackle Chandler Brewer (Florence) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Jaguars defensive end DJ Coleman (Jacksonville State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) started at outside linebacker for the Jaguars. Hines-Allen had two tackles, recorded one sack, registered another tackle for loss and broke up a pass. Hines-Allen has seven sacks this season and 52 in his career.
- Jaguars wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Seattle Seahawks 30, Arizona Cardinals 18
- Seahawks safety AJ Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) was designated as a game-day inactive.
- Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Seahawks outside linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) started at cornerback for the Cardinals. Thomas made two tackles.
Los Angeles Rams 44, Buffalo Bills 42
- Bills defensive tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
- Bills defensive end Javon Solomon (Troy) did not record any stats.
- Darious Williams (UAB) started at cornerback for the Rams. Williams made six tackles.
San Francisco 49ers 38, Chicago Bears 13
- Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) started at tight end for the Bears. Everett did not record any stats.
- Forty-Niners cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (South Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
- Bears cornerback Reddy Steward (Austin, Troy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Kansas City Chiefs 19, Los Angeles Chargers 17
- Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Kimani Vidal (Troy) ran for 34 yards on eight carries.
- Chiefs wide receiver Montrell Washington (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
