Defensive end Za’Darius Smith wasn’t with the Philadelphia Eagles when they squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. The Greenville High School alumnus didn’t join the Eagles until Sept. 5 – the day after Philadelphia opened its 2025 season with a 24-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

But Smith was on the field for Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch, and 10 days after signing his contract, Smith contributed four tackles, shared a sack and recorded one tackle for loss to kick off his 11th NFL season in Philadelphia’s 20-17 victory.

Smith pushed his career total to 69.5 sacks when he and safety Andrew Mukuba took down quarterback Patrick Mahomes for an 11-yard loss on a third-and-8 snap from the Philadelphia 27-yard line. The Chiefs settled for a field goal that cut the Eagles’ lead to 7-3 with 11:42 left in the first half.

Smith recorded nine sacks in nine games with the Cleveland Browns and eight games with the Detroit Lions in 2024.

During his three Pro Bowl seasons, Smith had 13.5 sacks in 2019 and 12.5 sacks in 2020 for the Green Bay Packers and, after a back injury limited him to one game in 2021, 10 sacks in 2022 for the Minnesota Vikings.

Smith was among the 32 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the second Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.

Five other former state players were involved in the Philadelphia-Kansas City game:

Eagles cornerback Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) did not record any stats.Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) started at safety for the Eagles. Blankenship made two tackles.Chiefs defensive lineman Brodric Martin (Northridge, North Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Eagles cornerback Mac McWilliams (UAB) dressed for the game but did not play.Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

In the other Sunday games:

Baltimore Ravens 41, Cleveland Browns 17

Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) made one tackle on special teams.Browns safety Christopher Edmonds (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Quinshon Judkins (Pike Road) started at running back for the Browns in his NFL debut. Judkins ran for 61 yards on 10 carries and caught three passes for 10 yards. A second-round selection in the NFL Draft on April 25, Judkins started practice this week and was activated on Saturday.Ravens offensive tackle Carson Vinson (Alabama A&M) was designated as a game-day inactive.Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play. Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) made one tackle on special teams.

Cincinnati Bengals 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 27

Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) started at defensive end for the Jaguars. Hines-Allen made six tackles and registered three quarterback hits.Bengals defensive end Cedric Johnson (Davidson) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made all his kicks – a 31-yard field goal and four extra points.Jaguars quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) dressed for the game but did not play.Jaguars defensive back Caleb Ransaw (Sparkman, Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.Jaguars safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig (Fultondale) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) made three tackles and broke up two passes.

Dallas Cowboys 40, New York Giants 37 (OT)

Cowboys cornerback Trikweze Bridges (Lanett) did not record any stats.Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) started at cornerback for the Giants. Flott made two tackles and broke up two passes.Giants tight end Qadir Ismail (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Cowboys linebacker Shemar James (Faith Academy) was designated as a game-day inactive.Giants defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) was designated as a game-day inactive. A foot injury kept Nunez-Roches out of the lineup.George Pickens (Hoover) started at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Pickens had five receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. Pickens’ first touchdown for Dallas came on a 6-yard pass from quarterback Dak Prescott as the Cowboys took a 34-30 lead with 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter.Reddy Steward (Austin, Troy) started at cornerback for the Cowboys. Steward made four tackles and broke up one pass. In his second NFL season and third regular-season game, Steward made his first start.Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Tolbert had two receptions for 16 yards and four kickoff returns for 85 yards. Tolbert had one kickoff return for 20 yards in his NFL career entering Sunday’s game.Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) started at defensive end for the Cowboys. Williams made one tackle.Jameis Winston (Hueytown) was designated as the Giants’ emergency quarterback. Winston could play only if Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart could not.

Detroit Lions 52, Chicago Bears 21

Lions linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) made two tackles on defense and two tackles on special teams.Lions linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) made two tackles on special teams. Detroit elevated Rice from the practice squad to make him eligible to play.

New England Patriots 33, Miami Dolphins 27

Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Hill had six receptions for 109 yards and one punt return for 19 yards. The 41st 100-yard receiving performance (including the playoffs) of Hill’s career included a 47-yard reception on third-and-13 from the Miami 26-yard line, which led to a Dolphins’ field goal for a 17-13 lead with 10:41 left in the third quarter.Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made five tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and returned a punt 8 yards.Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) made one tackle on defense and one tackle on special teams.Patriots wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

San Francisco 49ers 26, New Orleans Saints 21

Forty-Niners defensive end Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) made four tackles, recorded one sack and forced one fumble. On a fourth-and-1 snap at the New Orleans 42-yard line, Huff had a strip sack of Saints cornerback Spencer Rattler with 57 seconds to play.Saints running back Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) did not record any stats.Forty-Niners cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (South Alabama) made two tackles on special teams.Forty-Niners defensive back Siran Neal (Eufaula, Jacksonville State) made one tackle on special teams.

Buffalo Bills 30, New York Jets 10

Bills offensive tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.Jets wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett (Jackson, South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Bills defensive end Javon Solomon (Troy) did not record any stats.Quincy Williams (Wenonah) started at linebacker for the Jets. Williams made five tackles and broke up one pass.

Seattle Seahawks 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 17

Seahawks safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. Steelers punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama) averaged 55.3 yards on four punts, with a 42.8-yard net.  Waitman had a 54-yard punt returned 8 yards to the Seattle 30-yard line, a 60-yarder returned 22 yards to the Seattle 48, a 64-yarder for a touchback and a 43-yarder for a fair catch at the Seattle 9.

Los Angeles Rams 33, Tennessee Titans 19

Rams outside linebacker Jamil Muhammad (James Clemens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Titans guard Clay Webb (Oxford, Jacksonville State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. Rams cornerback Darious Williams (UAB) broke up one pass.

Arizona Cardinals 27, Carolina Panthers 22

Mike Jackson (Spain Park) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Jackson made one tackle and broke up one pass.Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Indianapolis Colts 29, Denver Broncos 28

Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (Spanish Fort) made one tackle on special teams.Colts running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Riley Leonard (Fairhope) was designated as the Colts’ emergency third quarterback. He could play only if Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson could not.Colts safety Trey Washington (Hewitt-Trussville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Atlanta Falcons 22, Minnesota Vikings 6

Falcons cornerback Cobee Bryant (Hillcrest-Evergreen) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) started at wide receiver for the Falcons. Mooney had two receptions for 20 yards after missing the season-opening game last week because of a shoulder injury.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Week 2 started on Thursday night, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Washington Commanders 27-18.

Week 2 concludes on Monday, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans square off at 6 p.m. CDT at NRG Stadium in Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders meet at 9 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. ABC and ESPN will televise the first game, and ESPN will televise the second game.

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