NFL '17 Dread News - Week 20

All they did was delay the inevitable. All they really did was make it easier for their opponent. All the Minnesota Vikings did when they miraculously defeated the New Orleans Saints in the 2nd round of the NFC Playoffs was give their fans false hope. Anybody who saw the improbable ending of that game and concluded that the Vikings must be some sort of "team of destiny" obviously hasn't followed them long enough. One week later, with a chance to become the first team ever to play in a Super Bowl on their home field, the Vikings turned back into who we thought they were - the same old Vikings. The ones that always find a way to break their fans' hearts. This time it was in the form of a no-doubt-about-it 38-7 beatdown by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 21. DE Vinny Curry (photo above, raising the George Halas Trophy) and RB Jay Ajayi (first photo below) were just a small part of the huge celebration going on after the Eagles clinched the franchise's first NFC crown in 13 years.

Come on Vikings fans, you didn't really think you were going get to see the Vikings in the Super Bowl, did you? With so much going against you? Not only were the Vikings up against the curse of hosting the Super Bowl, there were a couple of other things that suggested they were going to have no chance against the Eagles. A graphic shown early during the Fox telecast of the game brought to light that teams that play their home games in a domed stadium - like the Vikings - were 0-12 all time when playing conference championship games on the road and outdoors. Not only that, it would've been even more sobering for Vikings fans if they had mentioned that the average score of those 12 losses was 33-11. Only 2 of those 12 games were close games decided by less than 10 points; and included among the 10 blowouts was, of course, the Vikings' most recent appearance in the NFC title game in the 2000 season, a game in which they were getting beaten so badly that Randy Moss hilariously (well, it was funny to me) left the bench and went back to the locker room well before the end of the game.

And the other bit of history working against the Vikings was that not only would they be outdoors, they'd be in Philadelphia. In their early years the Vikings always won in Philadelphia (4-0 from 1961-76). But once Coach Vermeil showed up and lifted the Eagles out of their doldrums in the late 1970's, the Vikings stopped winning in Philadelphia, posting a 2-9 record between 1981 and 2016 (and one of the wins was in a Week 16 game that the division-leading Eagles could afford to lose). When you also include WR Alshon Jeffery's guarantee (made at the end of last season) that he was going to win the Super Bowl this season and also that my crystal ball picked the Eagles to be NFC champs this year ..... well, the Vikings should have just stayed home and saved the air fare and the humiliation. I mean, Saints players must have been sick to their stomachs while watching the Vikings lay their egg, knowing that they should have been on the field, not the Vikings; and knowing that if they were playing, things surely wouldn't be going as easily for the Eagles as they were.

Ben Maller was so happy. In fact, on the morning of Dec. 11, on his overnight show on Fox Sports Radio, Maller was giddy. Now I have no idea why Maller dislikes the Eagles; but he left no doubt that night just how intense of an Eagles hater he is, beginning his show in celebration mode after Eagles QB Carson Wentz had suffered a season-ending knee injury about 8 hours earlier. Never mind that even without Wentz (for the 4th quarter), the Eagles had still gone on to get a huge road victory over the Los Angeles Rams and seize the driver's seat in the NFC playoff race. That didn't matter. All that did matter, according to Maller, was that without Wentz, the Eagles' season was over. Oh, they had a big enough lead in the NFC East to be able to hang on and win the division. But once the playoffs started, they were going to be one and done. Uh, sorry Ben. The Eagles had other ideas; and they sure put a stop to your party, didn't they?

The Vikings actually scored first, going 75 yards in 9 plays on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. But that was just fool's gold. Almost unbelievably they never scored again. The momentum shifted dramatically on their second drive, when QB Case Keenum was hit while throwing a pass on 3rd and 8, and the ball was easily picked off by CB Patrick Robinson, who then proceeded to make a sensational 50-yard return to the house (photo on right) to tie the game. Upon returning to the sideline Robinson headed for the oxygen bottle after his (literally) breathtaking play, and you probably noticed that his hair was in beginner dreads. That might be a good thing, but we'll wait and see. Robinson is one of those guys I've really been frustrated with over the years (Julio Jones is another). When he entered the league in 2010, he had really great, long dreads. But he cut them off near the end of the 2011 season, and ever since then it seems like he's been trying to decide whether or not he wants to grow them back. The way he looks now is the closest he's gotten to actually bringing them back; but I'm not welcoming him back to the house unless he still has these dreads at the start of next season. So, even if it was, I didn't count P-Rob's TD as the first one of the game by a player with dreads; but it wouldn't be much longer before there was one that counted.

Next it was the Eagles' offense's turn to shine. Their two RBs with dreads accounted for 33 of the 75 yards on a 12-play drive that put them ahead to stay. Ajayi carried twice for the first 20 yards. 6 plays later LeGarrette Blount picked up 2 yards on 2nd and 2 on his first carry for a 1st down at the Minnesota 26-yard line; and 4 plays after that he ran over a defender near the 5-yard line on his 11-yard TD run (photo on left) that made the score 14-7. Blount, who had his dreads reduced for the 2nd straight game, finished with 21 yards rushing on 6 carries.

The second - and last - critical turning point of the evening came late in the 2nd quarter. After both teams punted, the Vikings began a drive at their own 15-yard line and in 10 plays had reached the Eagles' 16. It was 3rd and 5, and it seemed at worst they would get a field goal. But instead Keenum turned the ball over again, on a fumble while being sacked. There was just 3:16 on the clock, but the Eagles proceeded to score not just once, but twice before halftime. First Jeffery got open deep on 3rd and 10 for a 53-yard TD catch (photo on right) with 1:09 remaining. Then after getting the ball back with just 29 seconds to play following a punt, they moved 60 yards in 3 plays - receptions by Ajayi for 11 and 13 yards before and after a big 36-yard gain on which TE Zach Ertz toasted All-Pro S Harrison Smith. The FG on the last play of the half made it 24-7, and the TD at the end of an 8-play, 75-yard drive to begin the 2nd half made it 31-7.

The Vikings then drove from their 25-yard line to the Eagles' 7 in 8 plays. But after the next three plays were all incomplete passes, it was 4th and goal. There was still 6:31 to play in the 3rd quarter, so I thought they should have kicked a FG there. You know, get some points on the board, get the comeback started, give your defense some hope. But they went for it and came away empty. CB Ronald Darby was beaten by WR Adam Thielen on a pass into the end zone but was close enough to Thielen to distract him, and he couldn't make the catch. With the Vikings throwing 48 passes in the game, Darby had some big stats, finishing with 7 tackles (5-2), including 4 tackles of RB Jerick McKinnon (one of those in photo on left), and 3 PBU. He also made a big play that didn't show up on the stats sheet, throwing the key block that allowed Robinson to score on his interception return early in the game.

The Eagles then scored on their 4th straight possession, driving 92 yards in 12 plays to make the score 38-7 and turn the remaining 14:10 on the clock into garbage time. It was shocking how easily the Eagles moved the ball. During the regular season the Vikings' D by far led the league in fewest points (15.8) and total yards (276) allowed per game and lowest 3rd down conversion percentage allowed (25.2%) and were 2nd (to the Jaguars) in fewest 1st downs allowed per game (16.2). But on this night, even with 2nd string QB Nick Foles at the helm, the Eagles made absolute mincemeat of it - to the tune of 456 total yards, including 352 yards passing by Foles, 27 first downs and 10 for 14 (!) on 3rd down conversions. I don't know which member of the Vikings' D played the worst, but CB Trae Waynes certainly was in the running. Waynes finished with 3 tackles (2-1), twice got beat for touchdowns, and the only PBU he got credit for (photo above on right) came on a play that should have instead been another TD, as on the second play of the Eagles' opening drive WR Torrey Smith beat him deep but had to slow down for the underthrown pass, allowing him to catch up and knock the ball out of Smith's hands.

McKinnon accounted for about a third of the Vikings' 333 total yards, so he made the dread stars list. And I'm going to include Ajayi (photo on left) on the list too. After finishing 2 yards short of the 100 total yards needed last week, incredibly he was 1 yard short this week. But it would seem ridiculous to have McKinnon on the list and not Ajayi because more of the J-Train's yards helped his team score than did McKinnon's. So I got to put him on the list too. And it also sure was nice to see Ajayi with his dreads flowing at full blast.

The triumph by the Eagles was kind of a hollow victory for my crystal ball - because it was supposed to be the Baltimore Ravens opposing the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Instead with the Ravens, CB2's pick to win it all, nowhere to be found when the playoffs began, the Jacksonville Jaguars took on the New England Patriots for the AFC crown. Historically speaking, this was the worst possible matchup for the Jaguars. They had beaten New England only once in the 22 years of their existence and never on the road, going 1-10 and 0-7 respectively. But this year the Jaguars would have their best chance to knock off the Patriots. They got on the plane to Foxborough knowing they were the more talented team and had a real chance to bring home the franchise's first conference championship. Well, just like the Atlanta Falcons last year, and the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, the Jaguars went back home knowing they had lost a game to the Patriots they should have won. Coach Belichick knew it too. I can't remember ever seeing Belichick celebrate the way he did after the Patriots converted on 3rd and 9 to pick up the 1st down with 1:30 to play that sealed their 24-20 victory. The Jaguars thus remain one of only 4 teams currently in the league that have never played in a Super Bowl.

The game couldn't have started much better for the Jaguars. The Patriots came out smoking, taking the opening kickoff and in 6 plays driving 65 yards to the 10-yard line; but the Jaguars made them settle for a FG. Then the Jaguars' offense took the field and moved the ball well on their first three possessions. The first drive stalled near midfield, but the next two hit the jackpot. After going 76 and 77 yards on those drives (TE Marcedes Lewis finishing the 76-yarder with a 4-yard TD catch early in the 2nd quarter in photo on right), the Jaguars led 14-3. And when the Patriots then punted for the 3rd straight time, the Jaguars were poised to take an even bigger lead into halftime. But after playing mistake-free football for 27 minutes, the Jaguars suddenly started making one mistake after another.

I was thrilled when the Jaguars seemingly converted on 3rd and 7, picking up the 1st down on a 12-yard reception by Lewis to the New England 32 with 2:15 on the clock. With the Patriots already down to 1 timeout left, now they would have very little (if any) time to score before halftime. And no matter when they next got the ball, they very likely were going to be trailing either 17-3 or 21-3. But none of that came to pass because the 12-yard gain didn't count. The Jaguars didn't snap the ball in time. The delay penalty wasn't called immediately, so all the players and some of the officials reacted as if there was no penalty. But finally, after the play was over, the flag was thrown, and the Jaguars found out they hadn't gotten a 1st down. Argh! Of course, the Jaguars did not then convert the ensuing 3rd and 12; so the Patriots got the ball back with still 2:02 on the clock, still down only 14-3.

And the next thing you knew the Patriots were driving 85 yards in 67 seconds, thanks in no small part to back-to-back penalties on the Jaguars' defense, which moved the ball from the Patriots' 40-yard line to the Jaguars' 13. There were still 55 seconds remaining after the TD that made the score 14-10. Three hours later the Eagles moved 60 yards in 29 seconds just before halftime; but the Jaguars, with nearly twice as much time, timidly just let the clock run out. And just like that, instead of leading by 14 or 18, the Jaguars were up by only 4. I should have known right then the Jaguars weren't going to win; but once the 2nd half began, they went right back to making you believe they would.

Similar to the way the 1st half went, the Jaguars scored on 2 of their first 3 possessions and stopped the Patriots on all three of theirs. But this time the Jaguars settled for field goals instead of getting touchdowns; so the score was 20-10 early in the 4th quarter. After punting on their first two drives of the half, the Patriots turned it over on their third, with LB Myles Jack making a great play to both strip and steal the ball from RB Dion Lewis after he had gained 20 yards on a well-executed trick play. At that point the Jaguars had a 10-point lead and the ball, just 13:37 away from the Super Bowl. But from that point on the Patriots raised their level of play, and the Jaguars started faltering under the pressure.

On three possessions with the lead in the 4th quarter - the first with the score 20-10 and the other two after the Patriots closed to within 20-17 - the Jaguars made exactly 1 first down (total), never making it past their own 42-yard line. That's not how you beat the Patriots. After the last of those drives, thanks to a poor punt and 20-yard return, the Patriots started at the Jaguars' 30-yard line. And five plays later WR Danny Amendola made a 4-yard TD reception in the back of the end zone (photo above on left) to give them the lead 24-20 with 2:48 to play.

Suddenly facing their biggest deficit of the game, the Jaguars quickly moved the ball to the New England 38-yard line on a 29-yard reception by WR Dede Westbrook. But after a sack on 2nd down, it was 4th and 15 with 1:53 remaining. The Jaguars still had all 3 of their timeouts, so they could have punted and tried to pin the Patriots inside their own 5-yard line. But they went for it, and CB Stephon Gilmore nicely broke up up the pass to Westbrook (photo above on right) near the 15-yard line.

The Patriots still needed to get a 1st down to ice the game. It didn't look like they were going to get it. But after runs for -3 and 4 yards on the first two plays, they ran a simple, conservative run off left tackle on 3rd and 9, and unbelievably Lewis gained 20 yards, sending Belichick and all of Patriot Nation into celebration. SMH. Up until that 20-yard run, the Patriots biggest gain on the ground all day had been 5 yards, and none of their RBs had picked up a rushing first down. But when it mattered the most, the Jaguars couldn't stop it. Just like they couldn't stop anything else in that 4th quarter either. In the first 3 quarters the Patriots gained 173 total yards on 39 plays. They got twice that many in the 4th quarter, 174 on 22 plays (not including the three kneel-downs at the end of the game), and that doesn't even include the 36 yards they picked up on a PI penalty by the great All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey that significantly changed field position.

I'm sorry about the lack of dreads in the photos, but I can't help it that there were so few players with dreads on the field. When the Jaguars had the ball, there were usually 3 or 4 players with dreads on the field, none of whom ever touched the ball. And there were no players with dreads at all on the field (for either team) on all 64 plays the Patriots had the ball, which is almost impossible in this day and age. The only players with dreads on the stats sheet were members of the Patriots defense. DT Malcom Brown (holding the Lamar Hunt trophy in the locker room after the game in photo on left above) had 4 tackles (4-0), DT Ricky Jean Francois had 5 tackles (3-2), and Gilmore had 5 tackles (5-0) and 2 PBU. Thankfully the Eagles have a few more players with dreads than the Jaguars, so there should be plenty of good photos from the Super Bowl.
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DREADS FOCUS

Ever since the Super Bowl was played, I've been working on the blog at a more leisurely pace (aka a snail's pace). And now that it's March already and rosters are changing quickly, instead of listing the players with dreads on each team's current roster, I'll list the players that were on the roster when the the 2017 season ended.

NFC EAST
     Best player with dreads: Demarcus Lawrence
     Player with best dreads: Dwayne Harris

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DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys may have one of the league's best players with dreads, but that's not going to be enough for them to salvage a decent grade. This was the only team in the league with no touchdowns and no interceptions by anyone with dreads. There are only 4 players with dreads on the team, and only one with dreads that can easily be seen. And that one - Jaylon Smith - was on the field with his dreads reduced far too often this season; but at least he was on the field. After missing all of his 2016 rookie season while trying to recover from a very serious knee injury, Smith (photo on left) played all 16 games this season (starting 6) but wasn't the same great player he was in college before he got injured. Hopefully his knee will continue to get stronger and enable him to improve as his career goes along. In 2017 Smith had 80 tackles (50-31), 3 TFL, 1 sack, 2 FF, and 2 PBU.

Demarcus Lawrence (photos on right and at bottom) bounced back strong from the back injury that ended his 2016 season in December and caused him to miss the playoffs. He started all 16 games and made the Pro Bowl for the first time after recording 14.5 sacks, the most by any player with dreads in 2017. While Lawrence's dreads are finally long enough (barely) to escape the confines of his helmet, Kevon Frazier's still aren't quite long enough yet. Hopefully by next year. Playing on special teams more than defense, Frazier finished with 33 tackles, 2 TFL, and 2 FF. The Cowboys' only offensive player with dreads, 7th round rookie Noah Brown (photo below on left), was considered a project when he was drafted; so it's not surprising he had only 4 catches for 33 yards in 13 games (161 offensive snaps) in his 2nd season with dreads. Hopefully there will be much more productive games in his future.

Five players with dreads who played for the Cowboys in 2016 didn't this year. CB Brandon Carr, S J.J. Wilcox, and DT Rodney Coe all were FA that were not re-signed. DT Cedric Thornton was cut at the end of TC. And then there's WR Lucky Whitehead. Already on thin ice, Whitehead got the ax when the Cowboys found out just after TC began that there was a warrant out for his arrest - because he had missed a court date for a shoplifting charge. The Cowboys didn't even wait to find out that the police screwed up and the whole thing was a case of mistaken identity. Actually though, Lucky likely wasn't going to make the team anyway. The Cowboys had already drafted a player they expected to replace him as their kick returner. So, all this did was give him a head start on finding a new job, which he did with the Jets.

Signed late in TC, LB Lamar Louis was released at the end of TC, as was DE Lenny Jones. CB Leon McFadden spent his 1st season with dreads on IR until being released at the end of November. Injured all of his rookie season in 2016, WR Chris Brown was released in February.

ROSTER

WR Noah Brown
S Kavon Frazier
DE DEMARCUS LAWRENCE
LB JAYLON SMITH


GRADE: C-

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NEW YORK GIANTS

When you're expecting to have a good season but instead have to endure an injury-filled, disastrous season (3-13), your roster often is like a revolving door. And so it was with the Giants, as 15 players with dreads were among the 77 total players who appeared in at least one game for them in 2017. Only 8 of the 15 were with the team the whole season.

My crystal ball predicted this would finally be the season the Giants reached double figures in touchdowns scored by players with dreads; but that immediately started looking unlikely because the Brandon Marshall who signed as a FA played like a washed-up Brandon Marshall instead of the in-his-prime Brandon Marshall the Giants were hoping he would be. Marshall (photo above) was indecisive about getting his dreads started in 2016 but took the plunge this year. Unfortunately his 1st season with dreads was his least productive (3.6 catches per game) since his 2006 rookie season. In the first 5 games Brandon had 33 passes thrown to him but caught only 18 of them for only 154 yards and 0 TD. At that rate he would have had to play 32 games just to get to 1,000 yards. I'm surprised the Giants didn't ask for their money back. Marshall didn't play beyond that 5th game, and he wasn't the only one.

Already off to an 0-4 start, the Giants' season pretty much went up in flames when their four best WRs were injured in the Week 5 loss to the Chargers, including superstar Odell Beckham, Marshall, and Dwayne Harris all gone for the season. Just like his teammates, Harris' season got off to a bad start (he ended up with averages of just 6.9 and 20.9 on punt and kickoff returns respectively). But after Marshall and Sterling Shepard both suffered ankle injuries in the 2nd quarter vs. the Chargers, we were finally going to get a chance to see Dwayne's super long dreads (left photo above) on the field on offense. Well, that lasted for all of 8 plays before he too went down, with a broken foot, on the 2nd half opening kickoff. He and Marshall both had surgery and went on IR. Next man up Roger Lewis (right photo above, warming up before the Week 12 game at Washington) ended up starting 8 games (that's 8 more than he expected) and was nothing special, finishing with 36 catches for 416 yards and 2 TD in his 1st season with dreads.

The Giants' two starters with dreads on defense played well. Damon Harrison (left photo above) played all 16 games and had 76 tackles (51-25), 7 TFL, 1,5 sacks, and got the 1st INT of his career. With his long, permanently-reduced dreads, Janoris Jenkins (right photo above, actually making peace with Cowboys WR Dez Bryant in Week 1) tied Lewis for the team lead in TD by players with dreads, as he returned 2 of his 3 interceptions to the house. With the Giants already out of the playoff picture at 2-9 and trying to move up in the draft order by losing as many games as possible, Jenkins was put on IR at the end of November and had surgery on his ankle so that he wouldn't do something that would help the team win. I'm guessing that if the Giants were in the playoff race, that surgery would have waited until after the season. Jenkins' spot in the starting lineup went to someone else with long reduced dreads. That would be Brandon Dixon (right photo below), who had been with 5 other teams (mostly on the PS) in his 4 years in the NFL before signing with the Giants' PS in mid-October. Beginning in Week 13, Dixon got the first 5 starts of his career and did nothing to spoil the Giants' plan to move up in the draft order. He had 21 tackles, 4 PBU, and 1 FF and seemed to be giving up a lot of catches and yards too.

The Giants finished the season with two LBs with dreads that weren't with them at the start. Kelvin Sheppard signed as a FA in early November for his second tour of duty with the Giants and immediately moved into the starting lineup. He had 49 tackles and 2 PBU in 7 games and also got the first 2 interceptions of his career (he celebrates one of them in left photo above) in the Week 17 win over Washington. After being let go by the 49ers, Ray-Ray Armstrong joined the team in late November and saw most of his action on special teams, finishing with 10 tackles and 2 FF in 5 games. In his 1st season with dreads Nat Berhe played almost exclusively on special teams (267 snaps) but did manage to record 1 sack in the 40 snaps he played on defense. Drafted to rush the passer, rookie Avery Moss (left photo below) played 248 snaps on defense in 11 games but didn't get any sacks.

Paul Perkins (right photo below) did no better in his 2nd season than he did as a rookie in 2016. In fact, he did much worse. Limited to 11 games (3 of the 5 he missed were due to a rib injury), his numbers were as hideous as can be for a RB - 90 yards rushing on 41 carries (ouch!). He also caught 8 passes for 46 yards. At least he was on the field 101 snaps on special teams, so he wasn't totally useless.

After signing as a FA during the offseason, D.J. Fluker (photo at bottom) played 9 games (6 starts) on the O-line before going on IR with an injured toe. Rookie O-lineman Jessamen Dunker spent all season on IR after injuring his foot early in TC. After spending nearly all of his 2016 rookie season on the PS, D-lineman Ishaq Williams spent all of 2017 on IR after injuring his knee during OTA practices in May and undergoing surgery. After being released by the Cardinals during TC, Marquis Bundy signed with the Giants and spent almost all of his 1st season with dreads on the PS. I don't know whether starting S Landon Collins has his hair in dreads or braids. But they always look like braids; and as long as that continues, I'm not welcoming him to the house.

DE Devin Taylor (in November) and DT Khyri Thornton (in December) were with the team for a couple of weeks but didn't do anything before being let go. LB J.T. Thomas played 2 games before suffering a groin injury, then was put on IR for 2 months before being released. DE Cap Capi started the season on the PS then played 2 games in October before suffering a hamstring injury that landed him on IR for 5 weeks before he was released. After injuring his leg during the preseason, G Adam Gettis and his super long dreads spent 3 months on IR before being released. Undrafted rookie WR Jerome Lane was cut at the end of TC. S Valentino Blake signed as a FA in the offseason but decided early in TC that he didn't want to play anymore and was put on the retired list.

ROSTER

LB RAY-RAY ARMSTRONG
S Nat Berhe 
WR Marquis Bundy

CB BRANDON DIXON
G Jessamen Dunker (IR)
G D.J. Fluker (IR)
WR DWAYNE HARRIS (IR)
DT DAMON HARRISON
CB JANORIS JENKINS (IR)
WR Roger Lewis 
WR Brandon Marshall (IR)
DE AVERY MOSS
RB PAUL PERKINS
LB KELVIN SHEPPARD
DE ISHAQ WILLIAMS (IR)


GRADE: A-

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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

It hasn't taken long to do a roll call of the Eagles' players with dreads each season over the years. But things took a turn for the much better this year. Thanks to 5 players who weren't on the team in 2016, the Eagles' 2017 roster includes 7 players with dreads. And that doesn't include Patrick Robinson, whom I didn't welcome to the house yet even though his hair has been in beginner dreads for most of the season.

The most important development was that LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi scored 5 touchdowns between them this year. Not only was that total tops in the NFC East, they also happened to be the first 5 offensive TD by any Eagle with dreads since Eldra Buckley scored the only TD of his career in 2009. Blount (right photo above), who signed as a FA during the offseason, played all 16 games and led the team with 766 yards rushing. His 4.4 average per carry was his best since 2013. A starter with the Dolphins before being acquired by the Eagles in a midseason trade, Ajayi (left photo above) got only 10 carries per game in his 7 games with the Eagles but made them count, rushing for 408 yards (5.8 per carry). More often than not Ajayi and Blount played with their dreads reduced this season (although not in these two photos); but even though I don't like it, I realize that sometimes it's a necessity for RBs with long dreads. And speaking of reduced .....

I used to like Ronald Darby's dreads; but not this year. Darby, unfortunately, is one of those who this year changed from usually being on the field with his long dreads flowing to always being on the field with them reduced. And not just reduced, seriously reduced (photo on left). I mean, this just isn't what we want to see. What a shame. I can forgive a RB for having his dreads reduced, but DBs should never be on the field with reduced dreads. Acquired from the Bills in a trade during TC, Darby missed half of the season after seriously injuring his ankle in the season opener. But upon getting healthy, he played very well, as expected, recording 6 PBU and 3 INT in 8 games.

After spending his 2016 rookie season mostly on the PS, Marcus Johnson made the team this year and had 5 catches for 45 yards in 10 games. With Darby reduced, Johnson held the crown for this best dreads on the team (left photo below) ..... until Dannell Ellerbe showed up, that is. Idle since being let go by the Saints near the end of TC, Ellerbe signed as a FA in mid-November but didn't see regular action until near the end of the regular season. A serious contender for best dreads in the division, Ellerbe (right photo below) has been plagued by injuries in most of his 9 NFL seasons. And it didn't take long for the bug to bite again, as he missed the NFC title game vs. the Vikings with a hamstring injury.

A 1st round talent, Sidney Jones fell to the Eagles in the 2nd round of the 2017 Draft because he tore his Achilles tendon 6 weeks before the Draft. He was healthy enough to play by the end of the season and played in the Week 17 game vs. Dallas; but the Eagles picked him with the idea he wouldn't be ready to make the starting lineup until 2018. Steven Means got most of his playing time on special teams in the 6 games he played. S Trae Elston was on the field for 7 snaps on special teams and had 1 tackle in his one-night stand with the Eagles in Week 3.

Sadly, LB Najee Goode cut off his dreads near the end of TC. So did rookie S Tre Sullivan, who was injured during the preseason but was brought back in November on the PS. FA CB Leodis McKelvin was not re-signed, and nobody else signed him either; and neither did anybody else sign CB Ron Brooks or O-lineman Dallas Thomas after the Eagles released them at the end of TC. In his 1st season with dreads O-lineman Dillon Gordon was on the PS for 3 months before until being let go in early December. As you can see Robinson clearly has beginner dreads (photo below). But as I mentioned earlier in this report, only if he still has these dreads growing when next season begins will I welcome him back to the house.

ROSTER

RB JAY AJAYI
RB LeGARRETTE BLOUNT
CB RONALD DARBY 
LB DANNELL ELLERBE
WR MARCUS JOHNSON 
CB SIDNEY JONES
DE STEVEN MEANS


GRADE: B-

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WASHINGTON REDSKINS 

The NFC East was the only division in 2017 that had more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (13) by players with dreads; and the Redskins made a significant contribution to that total of 15, tying the Giants, Rams, and Ravens for the team with the most INT by players with dreads with 6. There are 4 DBs with dreads on the roster - two you know about (D.J. Swearinger and Josh Norman) and two (Bashaud Breeland and Deshazor Everett) you might not know about because they just got their dreads started this season.

Surprisingly, and for the first time since 2013 (when he played only 7 games) Norman (photo on left) had no interceptions. He missed 2 games in October with a broken rib but was on the field for 901 snaps and finished with 64 tackles, 9 PBU, 2 FF, and 1 FR - but no picks. Breeland finished the season with 18 PBU and 1 INT in 15 games (all starts). I guess when you're on the island on the opposite side of the field from Norman's, there's a lot more traffic. Breeland returned his lone pick 96 yards to the house, but he didn't enjoy it as much as he would have liked. It came in Week 14 off of a pass by Kellen Clemens, who was only in the game, of course, because the Chargers were so far in front. All Bashaud's pick 6 meant was the Redskins lost 30-13 instead of 30-6 (or 37-6). The only photos I could find of Breeland with his helmet off are ones in which he has his dreads reduced, including the one on the right above, where Redskins owner Daniel Snyder locks arms with him and Norman to show solidarity before the Week 3 game vs. the Raiders.

Signed as a FA after stints with the Texans, Buccaneers, and Cardinals, Swearinger hopefully has found a home with the Redskins. Indeed he has if he continues to play like he did this year. On the field - usually with his dreads reduced - for nearly 1,100 snaps on defense, Swearinger (photo on left above) was outstanding, finishing with 79 tackles, 1 sack, 6 PBU, 4 INT, 1 FF, and 1 FR. All he didn't do was score; and he was oh, so close to doing that too in Week 10 vs. the Vikings, getting knocked out of bounds at the 2-yard line by QB Case Keenum on an INT return (Norman consoles/congratulates a disappointed D.J. after the play in photo at bottom). In his 1st season with dreads Everett (right photo above) handled regular duty on defense as well as a full load on special teams. He had 62 tackles, 10 of which were on special teams, 5 PBU, and 1 FF in 14 games (8 starts).

There were two other players with dreads in the starting lineup. Ziggy Hood has had braids for most of his 9 NFL seasons but converted to dreads a couple of years ago. Those dreads were almost always reduced this season, but I did find one shot of them (right photo above) flowing full blast. Hood started in 13 of the 15 games he played and had 25 tackles (but no TFL). Mason Foster (left photo above) suffered an injury to his shoulder (torn labrum) in Week 2 and toughed it out for 3 more games before having to go on IR. He had 31 tackles, a half sack, 1 INT, and 1 FF in those 5 games and has already been re-signed for next season.

With dreads arguably longer than any RB in the league, Rob Kelley (photo on right) didn't enjoy the same success he had as a rookie in 2016 - probably because he wasn't healthy. An ankle injury lingered all season until he also injured his knee in Week 10, forcing him to go on IR. After rushing for 704 yards (4.2 per carry) and scoring 8 TD last season, his numbers fell to 194 yards (3.1) and 3 TD in 7 games this year. Also dealing with injuries were two of the team's three O-linemen with dreads. Ty Nsekhe, his dreads now just long enough to start becoming visible outside of his helmet, missed 5 games after undergoing core muscle surgery in early October. At about the time he returned, T.J. Clemmings (photo on left below, checking his phone while warming up before facing the Cowboys in Week 8), who was claimed off waivers when the Vikings let him go at the end of TC, went on IR with an ankle injury after appearing in 6 games (2 starts). The other O-lineman, Demetrius Rhaney, hardly played at all after being signed in late November.

Other than Kelley, the only player with dreads to touch the ball on offense was Brian Quick, who had 6 catches for 76 yards in 11 games in his first season with dreads. He rarely played on offense but was a regular on special teams. After a couple of stops elsewhere, undrafted rookie Dare Ogunbowale was signed to the PS in mid-December and was activated 10 days later and actually was on the field a little bit - mostly on special teams - in the last 2 games of the season. Cut at the end of TC, Ondre Pipkins was brought back to the PS in mid-October and spent the rest of the season there. After missing all of his rookie season in 2016 with an elbow injury, Keith Marshall missed all of his 2nd season too, with a serious knee injury.

CB Greg Toler and DT Ricky Jean Francois were FA that were not re-signed. WR Rashad Ross, before he cut off his dreads, was released in June. S Josh Evans, just starting the 2nd edition of his dreads, was released shortly after TC began. RB Matt Jones and CB Tevin Homer were cut at the end of TC, as was TE E.J. Bibbs, let go because he was injured. Cut at the end of TC by the Rams, rookie WR Shakeir Ryan was signed to the PS in late September and was on it for 6 weeks before being let go.


ROSTER

CB Bashaud Breeland

OT T.J. CLEMMINGS (IR)
S Deshazor Everett
LB MASON FOSTER (IR)
DT ZIGGY HOOD
RB ROB KELLEY (IR)
RB KEITH MARSHALL (IR)
CB JOSH NORMAN
OT TY NSEKHE
RB DARE OGUNBOWALE 
DT ONDRE PIPKINS (PS)
WR Brian Quick
C DEMETRIUS RHANEY 
S D.J. SWEARINGER


GRADE: B+

===============================================================================
===============================================================================

NFC NORTH 
     Best player with dreads: Danny Trevathan
     Player with best dreads: Trae Waynes

===============================================================================
CHICAGO BEARS

After missing 7 games due to injury in his first season with the Bears in 2016, Danny Trevathan missed only 4 games (one due to a suspension) this year and was on the field just enough for me to name him the division's best player with dreads. He had serious competition for the honor from teammate Akiem Hicks (among others). After winning the Super Bowl in his final season with the Broncos in 2015, Trevathan (photo on left) joined a team that has tasted victory just 8 times combined since he arrived. But it's not his fault; he has played well when he's been healthy. This season he ended up with 89 tackles (60-29), 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 4 PBU, and the team's only interception by a player with dreads. Bucking the trend, Danny actually had his dreads reduced less often than in previous seasons. But still, over the years, unfortunately, he hasn't allowed his dreads to get very long. His dreads were already out of his helmet during his senior season in college at Kentucky. Now 6 years later they should be way longer than this.

Although it was hard to tell, Hicks did start growing dreads this season for the first time in his career, which began in 2012. But even with beginner dreads, he felt the need to have them reduced for several games, mostly near the end of the season. Reducing short dreads is totally unnecessary, of course, and it makes them look like braids. Hicks (dreads not reduced in photo on right from Week 8) had his second straight outstanding season, giving the team a strong pass rush up the middle. And on a team that seemingly gets bit by the injury bug more often than other teams, he has started all 32 games since signing as a FA in 2016. This season he totaled 54 tackles (39-15), a team-leading 8.5 sacks, and 2 FR.

I hoped this would be the year the Bears would end their 5-year drought of having no offensive touchdowns scored by players with dreads. I thought that either or both of two WRs would be the first with dreads to score on offense for the Bears since Marion Barber did so 6 times in 2011. But sadly, the drought continues.

After playing 4 years with the Steelers, Markus Wheaton signed as a FA in March and did plenty of time in his own personal pit of misery, going through his second straight injury-plagued season. An appendicitis early in TC caused him to miss needed practice time. As soon as he recovered from that (in fact, in his first practice) he broke a finger, which caused him to miss the first 2 games of the regular season. He later missed Weeks 6, 7, and 8 with a groin injury. And things didn't go any better in the 11 games he was healthy enough to play. Hoping to provide the Bears with a sorely-needed deep threat, Wheaton (warming up for the game at Detroit in Week 15 in photo on left above) instead was no threat. He couldn't get in sync with either of the team's two new quarterbacks, and the result was he finished with some of the ugliest and most embarrassing numbers a WR could possibly put up. On the field for a total of 187 snaps, he caught only 3 of the 17 passes thrown to him all season. That's no misprint. 3 catches (on 17 targets) for 51 yards in 11 games. And adding to my aggravation even more was that Markus had his dreads reduced for all 11 games.

Hard to believe, but Wheaton's 3 catches were more than the Bears' other WR with dreads had. One more. After making 1 catch on his first 46 snaps on the field in the season opener, Kevin White (photo on right) broke his shoulder blade while being tackled after catching a pass on his 47th snap and was done for the year. Again. This after he finished both of his first two seasons on IR too, both of those times with a broken leg. In his three seasons with the Bears since being the first player with dreads taken (and 7th overall) in the 2015 Draft the numbers are horrifying: 5 games played, 43 games missed due to injury, and only 193 yards and 0 TD on 21 catches in those 5 games. I'm still hoping one day White will show everybody why he was picked so high in the Draft. But he's almost out of time, just one year to go on his contract. All you can do is pray and hope he stays healthy. Not being able to see Kevin's long dreads on the field these past 3 years has been really disappointing.

Two other Bears with dreads finished the season on IR. Willie Young (left photo above and with Hicks in photo at bottom) had 2 sacks in the first 4 games before tearing his triceps. Pernell McPhee (right photo above) lasted until he injured his shoulder in Week 15. Playing about 30 snaps per game, he finished with 21 tackles and 4 sacks in 13 games. Young and McPhee both were released recently, so it's highly unlikely you'll see them in a Bears uniform again.

There was no pick 6 for Cre'von LeBlanc (left photo above) this year (as there was in his rookie season in 2016). He had 17 tackles, 1 sack, 3 PBU, and 1 FF in 15 games as a reserve DB. After signing as a FA in the offseason, John Jenkins had 8 tackles in 8 games as a reserve D-lineman. Deon Bush (right photo above, with fellow Miami native Justin McCray after the Week 4 game at Green Bay) played in 13 games mostly on special teams in his 1st season with dreads. Undrafted rookie Rashaad Coward spent 3 months on the PS before being added to the active roster. He played 11 snaps in the Week 14 win over the Bengals but then not at all after that.

FA DT Will Sutton was not re-signed. G Cyril Richardson, LB Kelvin Sheppard, CB B.W. Webb, and rookie WR Pig Howard all were cut at the end of TC. CB Alex Carter was on the PS for 2 weeks in early December before being let go.


ROSTER

S Deon Bush
DT RASHAAD COWARD
DT Akiem Hicks
DT JOHN JENKINS
CB CRE'VON LeBLANC
LB PERNELL McPHEE (IR)
LB DANNY TREVATHAN
WR MARKUS WHEATON
WR KEVIN WHITE (IR)
LB WILLIE YOUNG (IR)


GRADE: B-

===============================================================================
DETROIT LIONS

Once again the Lions failed to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons (they haven't done it since making it in 3 straight years in 1993-95); just don't blame anyone with dreads for that failure. I haven't taken the time to do an exact count, but I'd guess the Lions had players with dreads on the field for fewer snaps than every other team except Buffalo in 2017.

There was no obvious choice for the best player with dreads in the NFC North, but Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah (photo on left) certainly got serious consideration. His 12 sacks were the third most by any player with dreads in the league. Unable to get his dreads started in college (BYU wouldn't let him), Ansah has been growing them out since he was a rookie, and after 5 years they're finally easily visible .....

But they're still the second shortest of the 6 players with dreads on the Lions' 2017 roster. As expected, rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin (photo on right) stood out on special teams; but playing only 239 snaps on defense in 14 games indicates he's got a lot of improving to do if he's going to be more than just a good special teams player. On the field along with Reeves-Maybin on most (all?) of his special teams plays was Steve Longa, 11 of whose 13 tackles this season were on special teams. Longa, who played this season with a heavy heart after his father was killed accidentally by an SUV in September, played most of his 1st season with dreads with the dreads hiding underneath a skull cap, although you could see them a bit after the game vs. the Vikings on Thanksgiving (left photo below).

After making the team despite not being drafted, rookie Tion Green (right photo below) watched and waited until he finally got on the field in Week 13. He rushed for 165 yards in 5 games and scored the Lions' only 2 TD by anyone with dreads. And his 3.9 average per carry was the best of any RB on the team (but I guess that's not saying much, is it?).

Bradley Marquez lost his job with the Rams mostly because he got injured during the preseason. When the Lions signed him to their practice squad immediately after the Rams released him in early November, he replaced Reeves-Maybin as the player with the longest dreads on the team, even with them reduced (see photo at bottom). Marquez remained on the PS until Week 17, when he finally got on the field for 19 special teams snaps in the win over Green Bay.

DE Armonty Bryant (4 games) and DT Khyri Thornton (6 games) began the season suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Bryant was released as soon as his suspension ended. Thornton got another chance but was released too after playing in 4 games when it became evident he wasn't playing as well as last year. After being released by the Seahawks in mid-December, Rodney Coe was claimed by the Lions off waivers but didn't play in any of the final 3 games of the season. DE Devin Taylor and LB Josh Bynes were FA that were not re-signed. WR Keshawn Martin signed as a FA but didn't make the team. He was cut at the end of TC , as was CB Alex Carter.

ROSTER

DE ZIGGY ANSAH
DT RODNEY COE
RB TION GREEN 
LB Steve Longa
WR BRADLEY MARQUEZ
LB JALEN REEVES-MAYBIN


GRADE: C-

===============================================================================
GREEN BAY PACKERS

The Packers missed the playoffs for the first time in 9 years; but that was more because their quarterback got injured than anything you can blame on their players with dreads. FA RB Eddie Lacy was not re-signed; but the Packers had no difficulty once again leading the division in touchdowns scored by players with dreads. Davante Adams and rookie Aaron Jones combined to give the Packers 14 TD by players with dreads, third most in the NFC. Unfortunately it's going to be another year before everybody can be certain that they indeed have dreads while they're making their house calls. There were times you could see Adams' dreads when his helmet was on (see photo on left in Week 10 at Chicago), but just barely. Most of the time you couldn't (unless you had binoculars).

There was no obvious choice for the best player with dreads in the NFC North, but Adams (also in photo at bottom, where you can see his dreads better) certainly got serious consideration. A concussion suffered in Week 15 at Carolina cost him the final 2 games of the season and a chance to finish with over 1,000 yards. He ended up with 74 catches for 885 yards and 10 TD. Adams' first concussion of the season, in Week 4 vs. the Bears, briefly had everyone scared to death. A vicious, illegal hit by Danny Trevathan appeared to have seriously injured (or even killed) him. But fortunately it was "only" a concussion, and Davante was back on the field 10 days later and making 2 TD catches, including the game winner, against the Cowboys.

After beginning the season #3 on the depth chart, Jones ended up starting 4 times after the two RBs ahead of him got injured. Jones was impressive carrying the ball, but apparently he needs a lot of improvement blocking in pass protection if he wants to earn more playing time. He made the dread stars list twice and rushed for 448 yards (5.5 per carry!) and 4 TD, including the game winner in overtime vs. the Buccaneers in Week 13. As you can see (photo on right) Aaron's dreads are long enough to be seen outside of his helmet; but when he had them reduced, you couldn't see them, which was an issue in some of the games.

Kevin King (photo on left), the first of the team's two 2nd round draft picks this season, showed flashes of his talent but was held back all season by a nagging shoulder injury that eventually landed him on IR after Week 13. He finished with 28 tackles and 5 PBU in 9 games (5 starts). But please, Kevin, next year it's OK if you turn your dreads loose, you know. This year I don't think he had his dreads reduced, but he did have them banded together most or all of the time, and that just was not necessary. They're not long enough yet for him to need to do that.

Badly needing to upgrade their defense, the Packers signed two FA with dreads - DT Ricky Jean Francois and Davon House. Cut after Week 1 then re-signed a week later before being cut again for good 5 weeks later, Jean Francois wasn't much of a factor in the 60 snaps he played in 6 games. House (left photo below), however, was in the starting lineup in every game he played. He missed 4 games due to injuries and was his usual mediocre self in his 12 games played, finishing with 44 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, and 5 PBU.

After being cut at the end of TC, undrafted 26-year old rookie Donatello Brown (right photo above) signed with the PS but wasn't activated until Week 9. He appeared only briefly (and exclusively) on special teams in 4 games. The team's other 5 undrafted rookies with dreads also were cut at the end of TC: LB Johnathan Calvin, WR Montay Crockett, DT Izaah Lunsford, RB Kalif Phillips, and S Aaron Taylor. Of those only Lunsford was brought back to the PS, and he was on it all season. Along with Lacy, FA LB Julius Peppers also was not re-signed.

ROSTER

WR Davante Adams
CB DONATELLO BROWN
CB DAVON HOUSE
RB AARON JONES  
CB KEVIN KING (IR)
DT IZAAH LUNSFORD (PS)


GRADE: C-

===============================================================================
MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Before Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt took the league by storm, it was expected that Dalvin Cook would be the rookie RB with dreads that would have the most success in 2017. But my crystal ball's prediction that Cook would lead all rookies with dreads in touchdowns went up in flames when he went down with a season-ending injury in Week 4. The Vikings' 2nd round draft choice, Cook (photo on left) was off to an outstanding start, appearing on the dread stars list twice in his first 3 games, before tearing his ACL on his 13th carry of the game vs. the Lions. He ended the season with 354 yards rushing (4.8 per carry), 11 catches for 90 yards, and 2 TD. At that rate, had he played the whole season he would have finished first in the league in rushing, not Hunt.

Of course, the Vikings' season didn't go up in flames along with Cook's thanks in part to the good job done by Jerick McKinnon in his 1st season with dreads. Sharing time with Latavius Murray, McKinnon was just 9 yards short of a 1,000-yard season, finishing with 570 yards rushing and 421 yards receiving on 201 touches. When he didn't have his dreads reduced, Jerick's dreads (photo on right) were just starting to inch their way outside of his helmet. But I'm going to wait until next year before I list his name in capital letters.

The other 5 players with dreads on the Vikings roster are on the defense, and 4 of them played in all 16 games. There was no obvious choice for the best player with dreads in the NFC North, but Linval Joseph got serious consideration.

Joseph (photo on left), who got the 2nd edition of his dreads started near the end of the 2015 season, started all 16 games for the 2nd straight year (and the 4th time in his 8 years in the league) and was named to the NFC Pro Bowl team (for the 2nd straight year) as a replacement after the two players picked to start at DT were unable to play. Linval finished 2017 with 68 tackles (40-28), 3.5 sacks, and 1 FR.

Right after I picked him at #23 in my 2015 countdown of the players with the longest dreads in the NFL, Trae Waynes went out and got those dreads trimmed a little bit. They were noticeably shorter in 2016 but made a nice comeback this season, nearly reaching their previous length. They might not be the longest now, but they still get my vote for the best dreads in the division - mostly because he always has them right. I mean, in his 3 NFL seasons I can't remember a single time he played a game with them reduced. 

Waynes (photo on right), the Vikings' 1st round draft pick in 2015, finally moved into the starting lineup full time in 2017. Not that he was bad, but he didn't have the really big year that my crystal ball predicted. He ended up with just 2 INT, along with 9 PBU, 65 tackles, 4 TFL, and 1 sack. Anthony Harris, also a serious contender for the division's best dreads, logged heavy duty on special teams but also started 3 games on defense and had totals of 18 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 FF, and 2 FR, with the FF and one of the FR coming on the same play as he stripped the ball from Rams WR Cooper Kupp at the 1-yard line (photo on left above) for a huge turnover in Week 11.

Emmanuel Lamur (photo on left from Week 5 and celebrating with McKinnon after the Week 13 win at Atlanta in photo at bottom) appeared in all 16 games but averaged just 5 snaps on defense and 10 on special teams per game. He finished with 17 tackles, 1 PBU, and 1 FR. I'm guessing that he got his dreads trimmed slightly shorter after the 2016 season was over. They sure look shorter.

Sharrif Floyd was unable to contribute to the Vikings' success on defense this season. Again. After spending nearly all of the 2016 season on IR, he spent all of this season on the NFI list - because technically his 2nd injury occurred in the operating room instead of on the football field. While undergoing surgery for the knee injury he suffered in Week 1 last year, the surgeon ended up damaging the nerve in his knee. So Floyd is now in the same boat that Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith was in last year, waiting and hoping the nerve will fully heal, and it takes a long time. Hopefully Sharrif's career isn't over, but it might be.

After he gave them 16 TD in 4 years (but just 8 since he scored 8 as a rookie in 2013), the Vikings did not re-sign former 1st round draft pick and FA WR Cordarrelle Patterson. Just as his dreads were starting to get long, WR Jarius Wright cut them off near the end of the preseason, after scoring 6 TD in his 4 seasons with dreads (2013-16). Rookie TE Bucky Hodges, a 6th round draft choice,was let go after suffering a concussion in the final preseason game - otherwise he probably would have been on the PS. Signed as a FA in May, former Bears DT Will Sutton and his long dreads didn't make the team. He was cut at the end of TC, along with OT T.J. Clemmings.

ROSTER

RB DALVIN COOK (IR)
DT Sharrif Floyd (NFI)
S ANTHONY HARRIS
DT Linval Joseph
LB EMMANUEL LAMUR
RB Jerick McKinnon
CB TRAE WAYNES


GRADE: C+

===============================================================================
===============================================================================


DG

1. TE Marcedes Lewis is congratulated by G A.J. Cann and a couple other O-linemen after his 4-yard TD catch on 1st and goal completes a 76-yard drive and gives the Jaguars a 7-3 lead over the Patriots early in the 2nd quarter of the AFC championship game at Foxborough on Jan. 21. For Lewis, who has been with the Jaguars for all 12 years of his career, it's his 1st ever playoff TD.

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2. On the 4th play of the Jaguars' next drive RB Leonard Fournette is stopped for no gain on 2nd and 2 by DE Ricky Jean Francois and DT Lawrence Guy, as A.J. Cann (#60), DT Malcom Brown (#90) and others look on. Of Jean Francois' 5 tackles in the game, 4 times he stopped Fournette.
Fournette picked up the first down on the next play though, and the drive continued .....

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3. ..... And on the next play, CB Stephon Gilmore sheds a block by WR Dede Westbrook (#12) just in time and is able to tackle Fournette at the New England 15-yard line on a run up the middle, holding him to a 13-yard gain.

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4. The Jaguars retreat to the 18-yard line on the next play. Malcom Brown comes in late to help but doesn't get credit for the tackle as RB T.J. Yeldon is upended by LB Kyle Van Noy for a 3-yard loss after catching a pass .....

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5. ..... But again the Jaguars would not be denied. 3 plays later A.J. Cann is in the end zone again, this time celebrating with Leonard Fournette after Fournette's 4-yard TD run on 1st and goal completes the 10-play, 77-yard drive and ups the Jaguars' lead to 14-3 with 7:06 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Unfortunately - and little did we know it at the time - this would be the Jaguars' last touchdown of the game.  
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6. After getting a chance to play on defense in the Jaguars' win at Pittsburgh a week earlier, it was back to special teams duty only for S Jarrod Wilson. All 19 of his snaps came on special teams plays, including this one, as he takes on RB Rex Burkhead, probably on a punt, during the 2nd half.

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7. After playing a bit on offense and scoring a TD in the Patriots' win over Tennessee a week earlier, RB Brandon Bolden was on the field on special teams only against the Jaguars. Here Bolden celebrates after one of the 22 snaps he played. I think this shot was taken after the Patriots stopped the Jaguars at the 16-yard line on the kickoff return following the TD on which the Patriots cut the Jaguars' lead to 20-17 in the 4th quarter.

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8. On the 4th play of the Jaguars' next possession, Stephon Gilmore gets credit for a PBU, but Dede Westbrook prevents him from getting the INT on a deep pass down the left sideline on 2nd and 9 with 6:34 to play. The Jaguars punted 2 plays later.

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9. Here's a better look at Stephon Gilmore's reduced dreads in another duel with Dede Westbrook. On the 2nd play after the Patriots took a 24-20 lead, Westbrook beats Gilmore on a left sideline route this time and makes the catch, then gets up off the ground trying to advance the ball further, but goes only a couple more yards before Gilmore grabs him and drags him out of bounds. It was the last of Stephon's 5 tackles (5-0), and the 29-yard reception gave the Jaguars a 1st down at the Patriots' 38-yard line with 2:12 to play .....

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10. But 4 plays later the Jaguars are back to the 43-yard line and it's 4th and 15. Instead of punting (they had all 3 timeouts left) they go for it and go deep, but Gilmore stays with Westbrook on a crossing route and knocks the pass away at the 13-yard line. Stephon's 2nd PBU of the game gives the Patriots possession with 1:47 on the clock.







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11. Rookie CB Jalen Myrick alone with his thoughts on the Jaguars bench, expressing the mood of many Jaguars fans after the game. Actually the caption doesn't say when this photo was taken. But with all the communication equipment on the bench next to him discarded and not being used, I'm guessing this was from near or just after the end of the game. Myrick had no stats in his 13 snaps, all of which came on special teams.

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12. Patriots owner Robert Kraft hands off the Lamar Hunt Trophy to Stephon Gilmore during the celebration after the game. Kraft: "That's right, Stephon; this is no dream. You're not in Buffalo anymore. They don't win these in Buffalo."
With this one, the Patriots have now won the AFC championship 8 times in the 17 years since Tom Brady became their starting QB. The Bills' last AFC crown was in 1993.

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13. Ricky Jean Francois enjoys some time with the Lamar Hunt Trophy - and with the Patriots cheerleaders - before leaving the field after the game. It was a much better feeling for Jean Francois than the last time he played in the AFC championship game at Gillettte Stadium. That was in the 2014 season, when he was with the Colts and they got killed by the Patriots 45-7 (the Deflategate game).
Ricky played 22 snaps in this one and finished with 5 tackles (3-2) in the Patriots' 24-20 victory over the Jaguars. It's the 2nd conference championship of his career. The other was in 2012, when he was with the 49ers.
While winning the Lamar Hunt Trophy was nice, the Patriots would still need to win one more game to get the trophy they really wanted. And that game would be against the winner of the NFC Championship Game between the Vikings and the Eagles ......

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14. Vikings RB Jerick McKinnon had his dreads unbanded and at full length for the game, which allowed them to just barely be seen coming out the bottom of his helmet. Here on the 7th play of the game's opening drive McKinnon stiff-arms Eagles CB Ronald Darby (whose dreads you have no trouble at all seeing) in the backfield on 1st and 10 and breaks away toward the left sideline. Darby kept chasing McKinnon and eventually pushed him out of bounds at the Eagles' 29-yard line after a gain of 10. Two plays later the Vikings finished the 75-yard drive with a TD to take a 7-0 lead.




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15. The Eagles go for the quick strike on their opening drive. On the 2nd play of the drive WR Torrey Smith has a chance to catch a deep pass inside the 15-yard line but can't hang on as he gets hit by CB Trae Waynes. Smith actually had Waynes beaten by a step on the post route; and, with an accurate pass, Smith would have had a TD. But the pass was underthrown, forcing Smith to slow down and allowing Waynes to catch up and get credit for a PBU. The Eagles punted 3 plays later.

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16. On the first play of the Vikings' next possession Ronald Darby gets credit for a PBU, as he climbs on the back of WR Stefon Diggs and causes him to lose control of the ball on a short pass in front of the Vikings' bench .....

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17. Two plays later, however, the Vikings convert on 3rd and 10, as Diggs runs and out route in front of Darby, makes the catch, and goes out of bounds at the Minnesota 41-yard line. The 12-yard reception keeps the Vikings' drive alive, but that actually turned out to be a good thing for the Eagles, because 3 plays later ..... 

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18. All three of the players in this shot have dreads, but you can't clearly see any of the dreads. But this was such an important play in the game that I decided to include it anyway. After intercepting a pass on 3rd and 8 at the 50-yard line near the left sideline, CB Patrick Robinson cuts all the way across the field on the return. As he reaches the 20-yard line, the only Viking with a chance to stop him is Jerick McKinnon. But McKinnon can't make the tackle because he gets blocked by Ronald Darby at the 15-yard line. Actually Darby gets leveled by McKinnon, knocked completely off his feet; but he gets the job done, slowing McKinnon down just enough to allow Robinson to get past him and take the return to the house. The 50-yard TD tied the game at 7 with 6:26 remaining in the 1st quarter and was the turning point of the game.

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19. The Vikings' offense came back on the field after the pick six and went three and out and punted. And on the first play of the Eagles' ensuing possession the dozens of photographers at the game have RB Jay Ajayi's 1st carry of the game covered from every angle.
After taking the handoff Ajayi immediately encounters unblocked DE Everson Griffen. It's up to Jay to beat Griffen one-on-one, and he does, as Griffen can only (and barely) get a hand on him 6 yards behind the line of scrimmage .....



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20. ..... As Ajayi cuts forward and into open space with Griffen in pursuit from the rear, his next obstacle is LB Eric Kendricks. Jay cuts to the right and gets past him too 6 yards past the line of scrimmage; but Kendricks is able to get a hand on him and knock him off balance .....









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21. ..... As Ajayi tries to regain his balance, he encounters DE Danielle Hunter (photo above) at the 35-yard line and tries to spin away from him. Jay finally goes down (photo on right) at the 38-yard line, as Hunter is able to make the tackle after a 13-yard gain by the J-Train.








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22. 5 plays later it's 3rd and 10 from the Minnesota 47. After making the catch at the 37, TE Zach Ertz bounces off a hit by Trae Waynes then retreats as he tries to elude Waynes (photo above). Trae tries to wrap up Ertz at the 39-yard line (photo on right); but Ertz, outweighing him by 60 pounds, breaks the tackle and doesn't go down until he picks up the 1st down at the 36.
After failing to convert on 3rd and 4 on their opening drive, the Eagles converted 9 of their next 10 chances on 3rd down. This was the first of those 9.

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23. 6 plays later it's 1st and 10 from the 11. After taking the handoff, RB LeGarrette Blount breaks into the secondary on a run up the middle and is untouched until S Andrew Sendejo tries to stop him at the 5-yard line. 40 pounds heavier than Sendejo and with a head of steam, Blount lowers his shoulder, easily bounces off the hit and keeps on going .....

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24. ..... Sendejo makes a last-ditch effort to stop Blount, trying to grab a hold of his leg at the 2-yard line, as S Harrison Smith comes over to help. But that doesn't work either .....

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25. ..... Smith finally gets Blount on the ground, but not until he's in the end zone. The 11-yard run was the 10th career playoff TD for Blount, and it put the Eagles ahead (to stay) 14-7 early in the 2nd quarter ......







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26. ..... As he gets back to the Eagles' bench Blount celebrates his TD with his position coach, former Eagle RB Duce Staley. Blount finished the evening with 21 yards rushing on 6 carries.
If you'd like to see the video version of photos 19-25, here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdOnx4SEhYE

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27. Following Blount's TD, both teams punted on their next drive, then on their next possession the Vikings drove from their 15-yard line to the Eagles' 34. On the 8th play of the drive Jerick McKinnon is brought down from behind by DE Chris Long at the 21 after a catch and run for a gain of 13 yards on 2nd and 7. It was McKinnon's biggest gain of the game on his 21 touches. This was the Vikings' 4th first down of the drive, but it also was the last. Three plays later they turned the ball over for the 2nd time in the game, as QB Case Keenum fumbled the ball while being sacked, keeping the score at 14-7.

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28. After the Eagles go up 21-7 on a touchdown with 1:09 to play until halftime, they're not satisfied and they try to score again when they get the ball back with 29 seconds remaining. And after picking up 47 yards on the first two plays of the drive, they get 13 more here on the third, as Jay Ajayi, after making the catch on a screen pass, easily breaks the tackle attempt of a lunging DT Linval Joseph 5 yards past the line of scrimmage at the 28-yard line and continues on for another 8 yards before being tackled at the 20 with :05 on the clock. The Eagles kicked a FG on the next play to up their lead to 24-7 at halftime.
Ajayi didn't score any of the Eagles' 5 touchdowns in the game, but he did pick up 5 first downs on his 21 touches. Joseph, whose dreads are too short to be seen with his helmet on, finished with 5 tackles (3-2), including 1 TFL.

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29. Trae Waynes tackled WR Torrey Smith on short passes on the first two plays of the 2nd half. This looks like the first of those, where Waynes, his dreads coming out all sides of his helmet, stops Smith at the 29-yard line for a 4-yard gain after the catch on an out route near the left sideline. Smith picked up 6 yards and a 1st down on the next play .... 

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30. 6 plays later the drive ends with another catch by Torrey Smith, this one for a touchdown. On 1st and 10 the Eagles run a trick play, and Trae Waynes is the one who gets fooled. Thinking the play was going to be a run, he relaxes and stops covering Smith. Once Trae realizes it's a pass, Smith has him beaten by 3 yards, and Harrison Smith comes over to help too late as Torrey makes the catch of a perfect pass by QB Nick Foles for a 41-yard TD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2ROGt7yqw4



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31. It's just not the Vikings' night, and all S Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith can do is stand with hands on hips as the Eagles celebrate Torrey Smith's TD, which ups their lead to 31-7 with 10:05 still to play in the 3rd quarter. The 31 points ties the most points the Vikings allowed in any game during the regular season.
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32. After picking up 2 of the Vikings' first 3 first downs on their next drive, Jerrick McKinnon picks up another one here. With the Eagles blitzing on 3rd and 10, DE Derek Barnett has to drop and cover McKinnon; and after Jerick makes the catch at the 15-yard line, Barnett lunges at him from behind trying to stop him at the 10-yard line, which is 2 yards short of the 1st down. McKinnon though, while in Barnett's grasp, twisted forward and got the 1st down. The 11-yard reception moved the ball to the 7-yard line.
For the game Jerick finished with 40 yards rushing on 10 carries and 11 catches for 86 yards and picked up 9 first downs; but all those yards didn't much help the Vikings get into the end zone, did they?

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33. After incomplete passes on the next 3 plays, it's 4th and goal, still at the 7-yard line. Instead of kicking a FG, the Vikings go for it, and WR Adam Thielen has Ronald Darby beaten on a pass into the end zone. Fortunately for Ronald, Thielen is a bit off balance and can't make the catch. 
But the play wasn't over. After the ball deflected off his hands, Thielen went down and tried to make the catch again. But the ball hit the ground just before he could gain control of it, resulting in an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs with 6:21 remaining in the 3rd quarter.


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34. Trae Waynes' misery continues on the 6th play of the Eagles' next possession. Expecting WR Nelson Agholor to run a short route on 3rd and 5, he lets Agholor get past him on a deeper route and can only watch as Agholor makes the catch 22 yards downfield at the Philadelphia 47-yard line (photo above). Trae tries to make the tackle at the Minnesota 48, but Agholor stiff-arms him (photo on right) and keeps on going .....





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35. ..... With Waynes still struggling to get Agholor down at the 43-yard line, Anthony Harris races over to give him a hand, and they finally get Agholor pushed out of bounds at the 33-yard line after a 42-yard gain. It was the last of Waynes' 3 tackles (2-1) in the game.

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36. Anthony Harris makes another tackle 2 plays later but can't strip the ball away as TE Trey Burton runs after the catch for a 12-yard gain on 2nd and 12 and a 1st down at the 23-yard line.










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37. Anthony Harris makes another tackle 2 plays later (his 4th of the drive), stopping Jay Ajayi at the 2-yard line after a 3-yard run on 1st and goal on the final play of the 3rd quarter. Harris would get one more tackle in the 4th quarter and finish the game with a team-leading 7 tackles (6-1) in 46 snaps. And btw, those are braids, not dreads, that Eric Kendricks (#54) has.
The Eagles tried to get Ajayi a TD on the next play, but the Vikings weren't having it, tackling him for a 3-yard loss. So on 3rd and goal .....

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38. ..... Why not pick on Trae Waynes again?! Beaten on a slant by WR Alshon Jeffery, Waynes can't make a play on the ball as Jeffery goes high to make the catch in the middle of the end zone. But as we all know, in the NFL it's not a catch until you complete the process of making the catch (or something like that); so Trae doesn't give up ..... 

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39. ..... As Jeffery makes his landing, Waynes hits him, hoping to knock the ball loose; but Jeffery holds on tight .....


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40. ..... As required, and much to Waynes' disappointment, Jeffery maintains possession of the ball after hitting the ground, hanging on even as it makes contact with Waynes' helmet. The 5-yard TD catch makes the score 38-7 with 14:10 remaining in the game.








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41. The Vikings were stopped on 4th and 2 on their next possession, and on the 11th play of the drive after that Ronald Darby has a better chance of intercepting the pass on 2nd and 10 than Adam Thielen has of catching it (photo above). Thielen foils Darby's attempt to get the INT, ripping the ball out of his hands as he lands; but S Corey Graham comes over and is in perfect position to grab the deflection, and he gets the INT at the 7-yard line with 5:52 remaining. It was the Vikings' 3rd turnover of the game and the 3rd time that had driven into the red zone and came away with no points.
Instead of getting the pick, Darby had to settle for being credited with his 3rd PBU of the game. He also had 7 tackles (5-2).

From then on it was all over but the shouting ......

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42. ..... And the smiling. There was plenty of both after the game. The caption didn't say whether or not this was after the game; but if it wasn't, it likely wasn't far from it. Ronald Darby enjoys a moment on the Eagles' bench, with rookie CB Sidney Jones (who was inactive for the game) alongside. That's right, Ronald. Just like Stephon Gilmore, you're not in Buffalo anymore either. Because if you were, you'd never be getting ready to play in the Super Bowl.

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43. A smiling Jay Ajayi decks himself out in hat and T-shirt as he is surrounded by cameramen during the celebration after the game. Just like Darby, he too has a team from the AFC East to thank for putting him in this position. With the Dolphins at 4-3 following their 40-0 loss to the Ravens in Week 8, Jay probably didn't think he'd still be playing in February. But he sure did a few days later, after the Dolphins suddenly traded him to the Eagles. On this night the J-Train rumbled for 73 yards on 18 carries, caught 3 passes for 26 yards, and made the dread stars list. And the Eagles clinched their first NFC championship in 13 years after whipping the Vikings 38-7.
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