To get Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL trade on Aug. 28, the Green Bay Packers gave up two first-round draft picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
While Green Bay fans celebrated getting one of the NFL’s premier pass-rushers, there was a nagging concern: How would the Packers defense stand up against the run without Clark?
“I for sure took that personal,” Green Bay defensive tackle Colby Wooden said on Sunday after the Packers started the 2025 season by beating the Detroit Lions 27-13 in an NFC North rivalry game. “I’ll tell you, like, my dad called me Thursday: ‘Do me a favor. Shut them up.’ Hey, bet, so, you know, I just did my job. Went out there, stopped the run.
“I took it personal, honestly. I felt like it was kind of disrespectful, like, ‘Oh, they going to run the ball,’ so I made it my mission to – we, excuse me -- we made it our mission to stop the run.”
The first game of Wooden’s third NFL season was his second NFL start. Wooden made six tackles, recorded two tackles for loss and registered on quarterback hit against the Lions. Wooden had three tackles for loss in 30 games entering Sunday.
The Lions finished with 46 rushing yards as David Montgomery had 25 yards on 11 carries and Jahmyr Gibbs had 19 yards on nine carries.
“We know what they want to do,” Wooden said. “Last year, they wanted to run – what do they call them? -- Sonic and Knuckles or whatever. They wanted to run them 30 times, so we know they want to run that ball. We got to do our job and stop the run, so they can get back and let (Parsons) go get him.”
Wooden was among the 20 former Auburn players who got on the field on the first Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.
Three other former Auburn players were involved in the Detroit-Green Bay game:
Packers safety Jaylin Simpson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Lions safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) did not record any stats in his first game for Detroit. Thomas signed with the Lions on Aug. 27 after five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Packers quarterback Malik Willis dressed for the game but did not play.
In the other Sunday games:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, Atlanta Falcons 20
Jamel Dean started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Dean made six tackles and broke up three passes. The sixth game of Dean’s career with at least three pass breakups was his first since Oct. 14, 2021, when he had one interception and three breakups in a 28-22 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Buccaneers defensive tackle Jayson Jones (Calera) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cincinnati Bengals 17, Cleveland Browns 16
Browns tight end Sal Cannella is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Indianapolis Colts 33, Miami Dolphins 8
Dolphins linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) did not record any stats in his first game with Miami. Britt signed with the Dolphins as a free agent in the offseason after four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for the Colts after he missed the final five games of the 2024 season.
Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Carolina Panthers 10
Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby had 12 yards on five rushing attempts and returned a kickoff 20 yards.
Derrick Brown started at defensive end for the Panthers. Brown made four tackles after he missed the final 16 games of the 2024 season because of a knee injury.
Jaguars linebacker Jalen McLeod is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Las Vegas Raiders 20, New England Patriots 13
Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson was wide left on a 58-yard field-goal attempt, then connected from 51 and 40 yards. Carlson also made two extra points.
Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Patriots. Davis made four tackles and broke up two passes in his first game with New England. Davis joined the team as a free agent in March.
Raiders wide receiver Shedrick Jackson (Hoover) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Patriots cornerback DJ James (Spanish Fort) made one tackle.
Raiders defensive tackle JJ Pegues was designated as a game-day inactive. Pegues joined Las Vegas in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 26.
Arizona Cardinals 20, New Orleans Saints 13
Saints linebacker Eku Leota is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cardinals inside linebacker Owen Pappoe made one tackle on special teams.
Pittsburgh Steelers 34, New York Jets 32
Jets defensive tackle Byron Cowart is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jamien Sherwood started at linebacker for the Jets. Sherwood tied for the team lead with six tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
Washington Commanders 21, New York Giants 6
Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) made one tackle and broke up one pass.
Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones did not record any stats in his first game with Washington. Jones signed as a free agent in the offseason after nine seasons with the New England Patriots.
Darius Slayton started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton was targeted once but did not have a reception.
Denver Broncos 20, Tennessee Titans 12
Titans linebacker Dorian Mausi recovered a fumble in his NFL debut. An undrafted rookie, Mausi recovered a muffed punt at the Denver 24-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Titans cornerback Roger McCreary (Williamson) made five tackles and intercepted one pass. McCreary got the third interception of his NFL career by picking off Denver quarterback Bo Nix at the Tennessee 46-yard line to end the Broncos’ second possession.
Bo Nix (Pinson Valley) started at quarterback for the Broncos. Nix completed 25-of-40 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, ran eight times for 18 yards and lost one fumble. Nix threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton as Denver took a 10-6 lead with 16 seconds left in the first half.
Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham dressed for the game but did not play.
San Francisco 49ers 17, Seattle Seahawks 13
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall made two tackles and registered two quarterback hits.
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson) made one tackle on special teams.
Forty-Niners offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Los Angeles Rams 14, Houston Texans 9
Rams running back Jarquez Hunter was designated as a game-day inactive. Hunter joined Los Angeles as a fourth-round selection in the NFL Draft on April 26.
Week 1 started on Thursday night, when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-20, and continued on Friday night, when the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-21.
Week 1 concludes on Monday, when the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Soldier Field in Chicago. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AmarkG1.
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