Georgia flexes NFL muscle: 12 former players in Philadelphia-Green Bay game

Twelve former Georgia football teammates were reunited for a Monday Night Football game in Green Bay, serving up a reminder of the Bulldogs most glorious years.

Not surprisingly, there was a decidedly defensive slant, as it was the first NFL game to be scoreless at halftime in more than a year — Dec. 10, 2023 — before Philadelphia prevailed over the Packers, 10-7.

Six former UGA players lined up for the Eagles, and six lined up for the Packers — 11 of the 12 players former defensive stars, and four of those former first-round NFL draft picks.

Former Georgia Butkus Award winner Nakobe Dean led Philadelphia with seven tackles and forced a fumble, while former UGA Outland Trophy winner Jordan Davis had three tackles from his defensive line position.

Former Georgia All-American Nolan Smith had a sack and two QB hits in his first game back off the injured reserve, while fellow former UGA All-American Jalen Carter had three tackles and two passes defended.

Kelee Ringo, whose pick-six sealed Georgia’s 33-18 CFP Championship game win over Alabama, lined up at cornerback for the Eagles, while Georgia’s leading tackler on the 2022 championship season Smael Mondon Jr. saw action on special teams and recorded a tackle.

The Eagles’ defense gave up 261 yards and held Green Bay to a season-low seven points on its nine offensive drives.

For the Packers, former first-round pick Quay Walker led the way with six tackles, including two tackles for loss, while Javon Bullard, the defensive MVP of the 2023 CFP Championship, had three tackles. Former first-round pick Devonte Wyatt had three tackles and a tackle for loss.

Defensive linemen Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse were also dressed out for Green Bay, which saw tight end John FitzPatrick appear on 14 snaps.

Green Bay yielded only 10 points to the defending Super Bowl champions on 60 plays.

Kirby Smart was more interested in the fellowship the former Georgia players continue to show in the NFL ranks.

“I’m happy for those guys, first of all, and the fact that I think about 9 or 10 of them jumped in a picture together and sent that picture around to our staff and players,” Smart said.

“It’s meaningful that they care enough to take that photo after the game, and says a lot about, you know, the history and pride, that those guys have for the University of Georgia, and most of them overlapped, at least one or two years.”

Matthew Stafford continued his NFL MVP pace in the Los Angeles Rams’ 42-26 win over San Francisco, completing 24-of-36 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns.

Stafford leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (25) and is fourth in the league in passing yards (2,427).

Jalon Walker continues to make an impact for Atlanta, making six tackles with a sack, tackle for loss, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the Falcons’ 31-25 loss to Indianapolis. Walker’s four sacks are the most among NFL rookies. Charlie Woerner had a catch for 14 yards for Atlanta.

Brock Bowers had a catch for 31 yards for the Las Vegas Raiders, while Eric Stokes started at cornerback and was in on three tackles in the 10-7 loss to Denver.

D’Andre Swift continued to spark Chicago, carrying 13 times for 80 yards while also catching five passes for 18 yards in the Bears’ 24-20 win over the New York Giants. Former first-round pick Andrew Thomas started at offensive tackle for the Giants.

Malaki Starks recorded his second interception in as many weeks and made four tackles as Baltimore beat Minnesota, 27-19. Roquan Smith had six tackles, a pass defended and a QB hit for the Ravens, while John Jenkins had a tackle and pass defended from his defensive tackle position and Nick Moore had 11 successful long snaps.

Arian Smith played 30 offensive snaps and had a carry for 13 yards in the New York Jets 27-20 win over Cleveland. Tyson Campbell had five tackles and a pass defended for the Browns.

Trevor Etienne returned two punts for 15 yards and a kickoff for 30 yards for Carolina in its 17-7 loss to New Orleans.

Xavier Truss dressed for the first time in his career as a reserve offensive lineman for the Saints.

Tykee Smith had eight tackles and an interception for Tampa Bay in its 28-23 loss to New England. Jared Wilson started at guard for the Patriots, as they gained more than 400 yards and gave up one sack.

Robert Beal Jr. had four tackles on the 10 snaps he had on defense for San Francisco in its 42-26 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Ladd McConkey had four catches for 107 yards and a touchdown for the Los Angeles Chargers in their 25-10 win over Pittsburgh. Darnell Washington had a catch for 15 yards for the Steelers. Broderick Jones started at offensive tackle for the Steelers and played all the offensive snaps.

Kamari Lassiter had two tackles and one pass defended and Nick Chubb had five carries for 47 yards and a catch for 5 yards in Houston’s 36-29 win over Jacksonville. Travon Walker had a tackle and QB hit for the Jaguars.