Published Jan 14, 2025
Tide Watch NFL: Derrick Henry, Will Anderson dominate Wild Card weekend
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Jack Knowlton  •  TideIllustrated
Staff Writer
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@JackKnowlton_

The 2024 NFL regular season is officially in the books. The league has been dominated by former Alabama players and several began their journeys to Super Bowl LIX over the weekend during the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Each week, Tide Illustrated will break down the top performances of former Crimson Tide players in the NFL along with a roundup of all former Alabama players in the pros.

Here’s a look at the top Alabama performers and a roundup of how every former Tide player made an impact in their respective Wild Card matchups.

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Offensive star of the week: Derrick Henry

Henry was once again a superstar for the Baltimore Ravens in their rivalry playoff matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers and made history while doing so. His 186 rushing yards in Baltimore’s 28-14 win tied former running back Terrell Davis for the most playoff games with at least 150 yards on the ground with four.

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Henry has been nothing short of a monster for the Ravens this season. He’s now rushed for at least 135 yards in the last four games and his two scores helped push the Ravens past their division rivals and into the Divisional Round. Henry will have the chance to break Davis’ record and Baltimore will lean on the former Tide back against the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

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Defensive star of the week: Will Anderson Jr.

Anderson was instrumental in helping the No. 4 seed Houston Texans defend home field against the upstart No. 5 seed Los Angeles Chargers. The Texans held the Chargers to just 261 yards of offense and sacked quarterback Justin Herbert four times. Anderson was responsible for 1.5 of those.

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Alongside former Alabama linebacker Henry To’o To’o, Anderson has helped turn Houston into a formidable defense and added three tackles and a pair of pass deflections in the victory over Los Angeles. Herbert felt the pressure all game and threw four interceptions after tossing just three during the entire regular season.

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Anderson, To’o To’o and a few other former Tide players will look to lead Houston to an upset victory in a tough road matchup in the Divisional Round. The Texans will face the No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday in a rematch from the regular season which the Chiefs won 27-19.

Here’s how other former Alabama players performed last week.

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans

Texans

WR John Metchie: 4 catches for 28 yards, 1 fumble lost.

TE Irv Smith Jr.: Played 17 snaps on offense.

DE Will Anderson Jr.: 3 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks, 2 pass deflections.

LB Henry To’o To’o: 6 tackles.

LB Christian Harris: 1 tackle.

Chargers

OL Bradley Bozeman: Started at center, played 56 snaps on offense.

DL Justin Eboigbe: Inactive.

P JK Scott: 5 punts for 221 yards with a 44.2-yard average and a long of 55.

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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

Ravens

RB Derrick Henry: 26 carries for 186 yards, 2 touchdowns.

CB Marlon Humphrey: 4 tackles, 1 quarterback hit.

Steelers

RB Najee Harris: 6 carries for 17 yards, 3 catches for 41 yards.

S Minkah Fitzpatrick: 9 tackles.

Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills

Broncos

CB Patrick Surtain II: 5 tackles.

Bills

WR Amari Cooper: 2 catches for 8 yards.

Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Packers

RB Josh Jacobs: 18 carries for 81 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 catches for 40 yards, 1 fumble (not lost).

S Xavier McKinney: 5 tackles.

Eagles

QB Jalen Hurts: 13 of 21 for 131 yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 carries for 36 yards, sacked twice for 10 yards.

WR DeVonta Smith: 4 catches for 55 yards.

LG Landon Dickerson: Started at guard, played 60 snaps on offense.

OL Tyler Steen: Played 5 snaps on special teams.

CB Eli Ricks: Inactive.

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Washington Commanders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Commanders

RB Brian Robinson Jr.: 10 carries for 16 yards, 4 catches for 22 yards.

DT Jonathan Allen: Started at DT, played 28 snaps on defense.

DT Daron Payne: 1 tackle.

Buccaneers

LB Chris Braswell: 1 quarterback hit.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams

Vikings

OL Cam Robinson: Started at tackle, played 74 snaps on offense.

LB Dallas Turner: 1 tackle.

K Will Reichard: 1 of 1 on field goal attempts.

Practice squad players

Bills — S Kareem Jackson

Chargers — S Eddie Jackson

Ravens — OL Darrian Dalcourt

Texans — Anthony Averett

Injured reserve

Eagles DT Byron Young — Placed on IR Oct. 25 with a hamstring injury.

Ravens CB Jalyn Armour-Davis — Played on IR Jan. 3 with a hamstring injury.