In his second NFL season, former Gadsden City High School standout Darnell Mooney was a 1,000-yard receiver in 2021. But in the past two seasons combined, Mooney didn’t have 1,000 receiving yards as injuries and spotty quarterback play depressed his production.

That didn’t keep the Atlanta Falcons from signing Mooney to a three-year, $39 million contract in the offseason as a free agent. In his first game for Atlanta, Mooney had one reception for 15 yards in an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 8.

But on Monday night, Mooney’s signing paid off for the Falcons as Atlanta rallied to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-21.

Mooney’s first reception of the game was a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins as the Falcons took a 15-10 lead with 1:21 left in the third quarter.

After Philadelphia drove 70 yards on 17 plays for a touchdown and, after stopping Atlanta on downs at the Falcons 39-yard line, added a field goal, Atlanta got the football at its 30-yard line trailing by six with 1:39 to play. Mooney had back-to-back receptions of 21 and 26 yards, setting up a 7-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to wide receiver Drake London with 34 seconds to play.

After an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against London, Younghoe Koo made a 48-yard extra point to give the Falcons a one-point lead.

Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III ended the game when he intercepted Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts at the Falcons 32 with 19 seconds to play.

Mooney had three receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown. He hadn’t had that many receiving yards in a game since Oct. 2, 2022, when he had four receptions for 94 yards in the Chicago Bears’ 20-12 loss to the New York Giants.

Six other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Atlanta-Philadelphia game:

· Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) started at safety for the Eagles. Blankenship led Philadelphia with 10 tackles.

· Eagles defensive back James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Landon Dickerson (Alabama) started at left guard for the Eagles.

· Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll (Auburn) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) started at defensive end for the Eagles. Huff did not record any stats.

· Jalen Hurts (Alabama) started at quarterback for the Eagles. Hurts completed 23-of-30 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and one interception and ran 13 times for 85 yards and one touchdown. Hurts threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith as Philadelphia took a 7-3 lead with 5:15 left in the first half and scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak as the Eagles went in front 18-15 with 6:47 remaining in the game.

· Falcons running back Jase McClellan (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Falcons linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· DeVonta Smith (Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Eagles. Smith had seven receptions for 76 yards and one touchdown. Smith caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts as Philadelphia took a 7-3 lead with 5:15 left in the first half.

· Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen (Alabama) did not record any stats.

· Eagles defensive tackle Byron Young (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

Atlanta (1-1) plays the Kansas City Chiefs at 7:20 p.m. CDT Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Philadelphia (1-1) plays the New Orleans Saints at noon Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

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

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

Alabama vs. Georgia is always one of the biggest games in college football, and this year’s contest will have a former president in attendance.

Current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will be inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabam, on Sept. 28 to watch the Crimson Tide take on the Bulldogs. The news was confirmed by person with knowledge of Trump’s campaign schedule to Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The 45th President of the United States frequently attends sporting events, and even did so when he was in office. He has been at the annual Army-Navy game, the College Football Playoff national championship game and even the World Series. He recently attended the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race and is frequently spotted at UFC events.

In addition to the 2018 national championship game, Trump has seen the Crimson Tide at home before. He was at the star-studded matchup in 2019 between Alabama and LSU in Tuscaloosa. There, he was cheered when he was shown inside the stadium jumbotron. It was the first time a sitting president attended an Alabama football home game.

Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday. The suspect, who authorities said never fired a shot, was arrested and Trump was not harmed.

John Wahl, a chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said in a statement to Tuscaloosa News he doesn’t know if the incident will change Trump’s planned visit, but he is “extremely excited” about the idea of Trump attending the game.

“The people of Alabama have a special relationship with Donald Trump and the Republican Party is always excited to welcome him to our state,” Wahl said.

Both Alabama and Georgia have this week off before their highly-anticipated matchup.

Former Alabama Football players continue to show-out in the NFL, and Week 2 was no different. The Crimson Tide is always well represented on Sundays, and any time you flip the channel you are bound to see a former ‘Bama player making plays on both sides of the ball.

An Alabama player scored a touchdown for the 86th consecutive week, h/t to Alabama Pro Updates on twitter for tracking that. I have no idea if that is an NFL record, but it’s gotta be.

Narrowng down to five performances is never easy, and it certainly wasn’t this week. Marlon Humphrey, Xavier McKinney, and Brian Branch all picked off passes, but they fell just short of the list this week. Will Reichard is another honorable mention after hitting his first field goal in the NFL and finishing 3/3 on the day.

Of course, there’s still Monday Night Football to be played, and Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith might have something to say about this list, but for now:

5. Derrick Henry

It was a losing effort for the Ravens as Baltimore fell to a disappointing 0-2 on the young season, but Derrick Henry did what Derrick Henry does. He carried the ball 18 times and gained 84-yards and scored his second touchdown of the season against the Raiders.

He had a highlight reel run in the third quarter where he hit his patented stiff-arm and sent a Raiders defender flying:

Henry looks to be getting more comfortable in Baltimore, and the Ravens should figure things out soon enough and get back to looking like the AFC contender they typically are.

4. Will Anderson Jr.

In his first opportunity in a primetime spot this season, the Terminator once again showed why he’s one of the best young edge rushers in the NFL. The reigning defensive rookie of the year helped lead a dominant defensive effort for the Texans against No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Bears.

Anderson finished with 1.5 sacks on the night and should’ve gotten one more, but the elusive Williams evaded it. Led by former Alabama LB DeMeco Ryans at head coach, the Texans are off to a 2-0 start, and Anderson will continue tormenting quarterbacks the rest of the season.

3. Josh Jacobs

With Jordan Love injured, the Packers had little choice but to lean on Josh Jacobs as they looked to avoid an 0-2 start in a home game against the Colts. Most pundits didn’t give them a chance, but Jacobs put the team on his back and helped deliver Green Bay a key victory, likely with a few Alabama fans in attendance who made the trip to Green Bay on Sunday after watching the Tide roll over Wisconsin on Saturday.

Jacobs carried the ball 32 times and picked up 151 yards in the process. He’s up to 235 yards rushing through two weeks to begin his Green Bay tenure on a high note. He’s yet to find the endzone in two weeks, but the Jacobs signing is paying immediate dividends for the Packers so far.

2. Brian Robinson Jr.

It was a career day for Brian Robinson as he helped lead the Commanders to a 21-18 win over the division rival Giants. Robinson turned 17 carries into 133 yards, setting his career high on the ground in the process. He also pulled a houdini act on a career-long 40-yard rush on a 3rd-and-1:

It was the most carries Robinson has received since November 19th last season, a fact he was well aware of in the postgame. It was also the first 100-yard rushing game Robinson has had since his rookie season in 2022 when he eclipsed the century mark in a November win over the Falcons.

Hopefully Robinson continues to see his role expand and he remains a focal point for Washington.

1. Calvin Ridley

After a year-long suspension from the NFL in 2022, Ridley made his return last season for the Jaguars and played well enough to earn a 4-year, $92 million contract with the Titans. In his second game as a Titan, Ridley delivered.

Ridley scored the first rushing touchdown of his NFL career on a 10-yard end-around. Late in the third quarter, Ridley hauled in a 40-yard touchdown that tied the game.

The Titans ultimately would fall 24-17 to the Jets to drop to 0-2 on the young season, but Ridley had the only multi-touchdown game of the week from a former Tide player.