DG173

We are just a few more ticks of the clock away from turning the calendar to 2019; but I'm still not done with 2017 yet. Not even close. All I can do is apologize for being so late; but it's just that I spent so much time saving photos from the NFL's 2017 season that I don't want to have done it for nothing. Therefore the next several dread galleries will feature lots of those photos. And in dread gallery #173 we'll be looking at lots of photos of players with their helmets off. The photos are from before, during, and after the game; and we'll do them in that order.

1. Falcons DE Takkarist McKinley's dreads had several different looks during his rookie season; but probably they never looked better than they did here on opening day, as he signs autographs for Falcons fans at Soldier Field before playing his first NFL game. Being eased back into action after recovering from offseason surgery on his shoulder, McKinley played just 14 snaps and finished with 2 tackles (1-1) in his debut as the Falcons defeated the Bears 23-17.


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2. WR Demarcus Robinson finds some Chiefs fans on hand at Sports Authority Field in Denver before facing the Broncos in Week 17. It looks like he's signing a fan's banner; but that can't be confirmed in this shot because you can't see if he's holding a pen or not. With the Chiefs resting their better players, Demarcus was targeted a career high 10 times in the game but caught only 3 passes (for 31 yards) in the Chiefs' 27-24 victory.

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3. Buccaneers WR Freddie Martino needs a locker room mirror to make sure to apply his eye black just right before facing the Panthers at Charlotte in Week 16. Martino had a productive game with 2 catches for 57 yards in 9 snaps on offense along with 3 tackles (1-2) in 16 snaps on special teams; but it would have been a merrier Christmas for Freddie had the Bucs won, which they didn't. A Cam Newton TD run with 35 seconds remaining gave the Panthers the win 22-19 and dropped Tampa Bay to 4-11.

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4. WR Marcus Johnson has raindrops falling on his dreads before the Eagles' home game vs. the Cardinals in Week 5. During the game Johnson got his 1st reception of the season (for 6 yards) while playing 14 snaps on offense in the Eagles' easy 34-7 victory. In 2018 Johnson has a new team (Colts) and sadly, a new look too, after cutting off his long dreads during the offseason.

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5. Another player now on the ex-dread list for 2018, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, warms up before the 49ers' road game vs. the Colts in Week 5. Witherspoon, who didn't move into the starting lineup until the middle of his 2017 rookie season, played only 11 snaps and recorded his 1st NFL tackle (1-0) as the 49ers lost to the Colts 26-23 in overtime.

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6. Ahkello Witherspoon has his dreads reduced as he prays for good health - and a 49ers' victory - before the home game vs. the Seahawks in Week 12. Witherspoon played 76 snaps and finished with 1 tackle (1-0) and 1 PBU in the 49ers' 24-13 defeat, dropping them to 1-10. The wins starting coming the next week, and the 49ers finished the season at 6-10.
It was very disappointing to me when I saw that Ahkello had cut off his dreads. Now in the final month of the 2018 season I see that he's growing his hair longer again; so hopefully he's going to bring the dreads back.

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7. Another prayer and another ex-dread ..... CB Maurice Canady (#26) and DT Willie Henry, two of the four players with dreads the Ravens picked in the 2016 Draft, get ready to play the Browns in Cleveland in Week 15. Canady had 6 tackles (6-0) in 51 snaps and Henry had 1 (1-0) in 46 snaps as the Ravens beat the Browns 27-10. It was during training camp (I think) before the start of the 2018 season that Henry cut off his dreads. Thankfully Canady still has his.

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8. After Hurricane Irma prevented the Buccaneers from playing the Dolphins in Week 1, CB Vernon Hargreaves works on his ball skills before the Week 2 season opener vs. the Bears. Hargreaves was the only member of the Bucs' D to play all 64 snaps on defense, and he finished with 4 tackles (4-0) as the Bucs whipped the Bears 29-7. To say the least Vernon's career hasn't gone the way he was hoping it would. After playing all 16 games as a rookie in 2016, he has been injured often the last two seasons. The 11th pick in the 1st round of the 2016 Draft has only 1 career INT so far.

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9. LB/DE Jadeveon Clowney enjoys giving his dreads a little shake before the Texans' road game at Jacksonville in Week 15. But there wasn't much enjoyment once the game began. Clowney finished with 4 tackles (2-2) as the Jaguars slaughtered the Texans 45-7, dropping them to 4-10. In two meetings with the Jaguars in 2017 the Texans were outscored 74-14. What a difference a year makes, huh?

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10. 8 days after being traded from the Steelers to the Browns, WR Sammie Coates, wouldn't you know it, gets to play his first game for his new team against his old one. Coates meets up with fellow WR Antonio Brown before the Steelers and Browns face each other at Cleveland in the season opener. Coates played 16 snaps, all on special teams, as the Browns began their winless season with a 21-18 loss to the Steelers.

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11. Two days after they both were traded (not for each other) WR Kelvin Benjamin (left photo) and CB Rashard Robinson warm up on opposite ends of the field for the second time in 2017 before the Bills face the Jets on Thursday night in Week 9. The two began the season against each other when the Panthers met the 49ers in Week 1. One of Robinson's 4 tackles that afternoon was a tackle of Benjamin; but he didn't get the chance to tackle him again in this one because KB was inactive for the game. Robinson played only 7 snaps, all on special teams, as the Jets beat the Bills 34-21.

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12. Rookie S Rayshawn Jenkins has his dreads completely unleashed as he takes the field either for the game or for warmups (the caption didn't say which) for the Chargers' big road game against the Chiefs in Week 15. As was the case all season Jenkins played more snaps on special teams (23) than on defense (7) and had 2 tackles (1-1) as the Chargers, with a chance to move into 1st place in the AFC West, instead lost to the Chiefs 30-13.

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13. Another Chargers rookie, WR and 1st round draft pick Mike Williams, keeps his dreads slightly hidden as he warms up for the Week 11 game vs. the Bills. Gametime temperature was 76 degrees, so I don't know what the jacket is for. After missing the season's first 5 games while recovering from a back injury, Williams only got his feet wet during his rookie season, playing only 234 snaps all year. 41 of those snaps and a season high 5 of his 11 receptions came against the Bills as the Chargers rolled to a 54-24 victory.

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14. DE Chris McCain introduces a couple of his guests to RB Melvin Gordon before the Chargers take on the Eagles in Week 4. I viewed photos of several games in which McCain took youngsters around the field before Chargers games; so it was really disappointing to find out about the off field trouble he had that cost him his 2018 season. Hopefully he'll be back in the NFL in 2019.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2802453-chris-mccain-reaches-plea-deal-after-allegedly-grabbing-spitting-on-woman
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15. ..... A little later Melvin Gordon, now with his dreads unleashed, warms up with teammates before the game. The Eagles held Gordon to a season low 29 total yards (22 rushing, 7 receiving) on 11 touches; and the Chargers dropped their 3rd straight on their home stand, falling to 0-4 with the 26-24 loss to the Eagles.

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16. Wrapping up our look at the pregame dreads of the LA Chargers, here are S Tre Boston's locks - and the shadows they cast - before the Week 7 game vs. the Broncos. This photo is huge; so if you click on it and then save it, you can get a really close look at some of Boston's long locks. Tre played all 64 snaps on defense and finished with 3 tackles (1-2) as the Chargers shut out the Broncos 21-0 to get their 1st home win of the season.

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17. At Colts training camp on Aug. 8 WR Chris Briggs warms up before practice with some of his locks reduced, some not. I'd love to be able to post some action shots of these dreads, but unfortunately there aren't any. A week after this shot was taken Briggs was released by the Colts, and that's the last anybody's heard from him as far as the NFL is concerned .....

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18 ..... This Colts WR, on the other hand, everybody has heard from. Playing in the Pro Bowl for the 4th straight year, T.Y. Hilton runs after a catch and takes time to sign autographs at practice on Jan. 24, four days before the game. Hilton ranked 18th in the NFL and 4th among players with dreads with 966 yards receiving in 2017.

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19. At Pro Bowl practice on Jan. 25 Packers WR Davante Adams shows (in public, at least) he has no hard feelings for Panthers LB Thomas Davis. On an interception return during their game in Week 15 Davis launched himself at Adams and delivered an illegal, blindside, helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked Davante out of the game (and the next two games too) with a concussion. Davis was suspended one game. A month after that Adams was healthy enough to play in his 1st career Pro Bowl, after finishing the season with 74 catches for 885 yards and 10 TD. 

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20. WR Tyreek Hill of the Chiefs didn't get his dreads started until early in his 2016 rookie season, so you can't see them (yet) during games. But here at practice before the Pro Bowl you can see them just fine as he gets in a little work. Hill has made the Pro Bowl in both of his first two seasons, selected as a kick returner. And in 2018 he's well on his way to making it three Pro Bowls in a row.

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21. Most players who attend get dressed up for the NFL Honors show on the night before the Super Bowl. Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins, on the other hand, has a style all his own as he arrives for the event following the 2017 season on Feb. 3 at Minneapolis. Hopkins was not expected to win any awards, and he didn't. But he did get one vote (out of 50) for offensive player of the year, after catching 96 passes for 1,378 yards and leading the league with 13 TD catches.

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22. Even though he keeps them reduced for every game, RB Alex Collins' dreads are always impressive, especially so in these shots from two days after Christmas, as he carries the ball with his helmet off during the Ravens' indoor practice before facing the Bengals in Week 17. Collins rushed for 78 yards and 1 TD in that fateful loss to the Bengals and finished the season with 973 yards rushing and 6 TD.

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23. It's been a while since WR Martavis Bryant allowed his dreads to become permanently reduced; so now when he fully unleashes them, there aren't that many locks. After being suspended for the Steelers' game at Detroit in Week 8 and not playing in Week 9 (Steelers bye week), Bryant warms up for the Week 10 road game at Indianapolis. Martavis had 3 catches for 42 yards and added a catch for a 2-point conversion in the Steelers' 20-17 victory over the Colts.

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24. With dreads like these, it hurt to have to have to add WR Sammy Watkins' name to the ex-dread list back in August, and it still hurts now. Before playing his first season without dreads in 2018, Watkins played his final season with dreads for the Rams after being traded from the Bills during training camp. Here Sammy warms up for the Rams games in Week 2 vs. Washington (left photo) and Week 3 on the road against the 49ers (right photo). Watkins had just 2 catches for 30 yards vs. the Redskins but had his best game of the season vs. the 49ers, catching 6 passes for 106 yards and scoring the first 2 of his 8 TD.

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25. Saints RB Alvin Kamara may be the most well known player with dreads to wear jersey #41 and play while wearing a nose ring, but he's not the only one. Getting ready to play the Vikings in Week 11 (left photo) and the Saints in Week 12 (right photo) is Rams S Marqui Christian, no doubt the player with the longest dreads to play while wearing a nose ring. Christian, playing mostly on special teams, had only 9 tackles in 2017, and none of them came in these two games even though he was on the field for a total of 49 snaps in them.

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26. With his dreads completely unleashed (for a change), Bengals CB Adam Jones takes a timeout from preparations for his Week 2 duel with WR DeAndre Hopkins of the Texans to hand his gloves to a young fan at Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals failed to scored a touchdown for the second straight week, losing to the Texans 13-9.

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27. With his dreads reduced (as usual), Bengals CB Dre Kirkpatrick runs onto the field at Paul Brown Stadium alongside a member of the U.S. Army during player introductions before facing the Browns in Week 12, as the Bengals, who were on the road the three previous games, have to wait until Nov. 26 to play their Salute to Service game. Kirkpatrick led the team with 9 tackles (7-2) and 2 PBU in the 30-16 victory over the Browns.

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28. Another season, another team for S D.J. Swearinger. After playing his previous season openers for the Cardinals (2016), Buccaneers (2015), and Texans (2013-14), Swearinger is introduced at FedEx Field on opening day in 2017 before playing his first game in a Washington Redskins uniform. He had 5 tackles (5-0) and 1 PBU in the 30-17 loss to the Eagles. It appears D.J.'s days of bouncing around are over. After his solid 2017 season, during which he arguably was the best safety with dreads in the league, he re-signed with the Redskins on a 3-year contract. 


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29. DE Demarcus Lawrence isn't enjoying the view from the bench in Week 10, and that's because that's the game the Cowboys were beaten by the Falcons 27-7. While another DE with dreads, Adrian Clayborn, was stealing the show with 6 sacks for the Falcons, Lawrence had to settle for 1 sack and 6 tackles (2-4).

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30. LB Antonio Morrison started growing the 2nd edition of his dreads in 2016, but I didn't officially re-welcome him to the house until 2017. With the Colts trailing the Jaguars during the 2nd half in Week 13, Coach Pagano pays Morrison a visit on the bench ..... "I don't care if they call a penalty; just go out there and tears their heads off! Just like you did last time .....

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31. ..... 'Last time' was on the opening drive of the Colts' first meeting with the Jaguars in Week 7, as Antonio Morrison grabs RB Chris Ivory's helmet - and a couple of his locks along with it - in an attempt to stop him on 3rd and 1. Ivory will not be denied, however, picking up 2 yards on the carry plus another 15 on the facemask penalty. 6 plays later Ivory finished the drive with a TD, the only points the Jaguars would need in their 27-0 road victory. Morrison totaled 20 tackles in the two games against Jacksonville, but the Colts were outscored by an aggregate 57-10 in the two games.

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32. Here's another shot from game #2 between the Colts and Jaguars in Week 13. S Matthias Farley, about 5 months before cutting off his dreads and going with a completely shaved head (link below), has his helmet come off while tackling TE Marcedes Lewis on a 5-yard reception in the 2nd quarter. Farley had a team high 7 tackles (5-2) in the 30-10 loss to the Jaguars.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiFlFEHAEIy/




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33. Also in Jacksonville, back in Week 6, another DB with dreads loses his helmet while trying to tackle a Jaguars tight end. CB Nickell Robey-Coleman of the Rams stops James O'Shaughnessy after a catch for a 9-yard gain with :03 remaining in the 1st half. At least he kept his mouthguard. The Jaguars missed a 54-yard FG attempt on the next play, keeping the Rams' lead at 24-14. This was the only tackle of the game for Robey-Coleman, but he did also have a key interception in the 4th quarter in the Rams' 27-17 victory.

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34. The only way to see the dreads of Cardinals S Tyrann Mathieu was when his helmet was off. And, as I mentioned during the last NFC West dreads focus that I did, it was off at least a couple of times during games. Here's the proof. At Indianapolis in Week 2 Mathieu's helmet ends up behind QB Jacoby Brissett as he tackles Brissett at the Cardinals' 43-yard line after an 11-yard run late in the 2nd quarter. It was Tyrann's 3rd and last tackle of the game; but he made his presence felt in a big way later, intercepting a pass by Brissett on the first snap in overtime to set up the FG (4 plays later) that gave the Cardinals a 16-13 victory .....

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35. ..... And here on Thursday night in Week 10 Tyrann Mathieu again has his helmet pop off, on one of his 6 tackles (5-1) against the Seahawks, as he stops RB J.D.McKissic at the Seattle 40-yard line for a 7-yard reception on 1st and 10 during the 2nd quarter. The drive ended with a FG 7 plays later, upping Seattle's lead to 12-7. McKissic finished with 46 total yards (26 rushing, 20 receiving) on 9 touches in the Seahawks' 22-16 road win.

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36. Rookie RB D'Onta Foreman of the Texans seems to be in a good mood after losing his helmet on one of his carries during the 4th quarter in the Week 4 blowout of the Titans. Maybe it's because the Texans are so far ahead. On the field for a season high 24 snaps, Foreman had a season high 13 carries (for 45 yards) in the Texans' 57-14 home win.

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37. After a collision with the ground knocks his helmet part of the way off, WR Will Fuller pushes it all of the way off. The rough landing was worth all the pain though, because it comes in the end zone in Seattle during the 2nd quarter in Week 8. Arriving too late to break up the pass on 2nd and 8, CB Richard Sherman smashes Fuller to the ground as he makes the catch, and Will hangs on for the 20-yard TD, giving the Texans a 21-14 lead: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000869024/Will-Fuller-gets-up-to-score-second-TD-of-the-day ..... Earlier in the game Fuller had a 59-yard TD catch, and he finished with 5 catches for 125 yards; but the Texans still lost to the Seahawks 41-38.

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38. The approach of an unexpected and unusual late September thunderstorm in Green Bay sends DT Ricky Jean Francois and all the rest of the players to the locker room for a brief break at the end of the 1st quarter of the Bears-Packers game on Thursday night in Week 4. Jean Francois had 1 tackle (1-0) in his 23 snaps on the field .....

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39. ..... The odd thunderstorm notwithstanding, the most notable occurrence of the game came in the 3rd quarter, when LB Danny Trevathan knocked WR Davante Adams out cold with an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit. After the play Trevathan draws the ire of Packer players, including RB Aaron Jones (#33 in photo above) and QB Aaron Rodgers (#12 in photo on right). The field mic picked up the sound of the hit so clearly that at first I was afraid that Adams might be dead. It was that scary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC9yYkgXX30 ..... Davante's night was over (you think?). He finished with 2 catches for 13 yards and 1 TD. But thankfully the injury wasn't as bad as it looked. He "only" suffered a concussion and was back on the field (and scoring the winning TD) against Dallas in Week 5. Trevathan got a 1-game suspension.

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40. After being ejected from the game at New England early in the 3rd quarter in Week 12, Dolphins CB Bobby McCain is consoled and then escorted to the sideline by teammate Walt Aikens, he of the seriously reduced dreads. McCain got into a scuffle with WR Danny Amendola after a play and "punched" him with his forearm. Before hitting the showers McCain got his 2nd (and last) INT of the season. Dolphins trailed 21-10 at the time he exited the game and went on to lose 35-17. As fate would have it McCain and Amendola are now teammates, with hostilities renewed (but only very briefly) between the two during a training camp practice .....


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41. ..... A couple of hours later in Week 12, at the Broncos-Raiders game, WR Cordarrelle Patterson takes it upon himself to escort WR Michael Crabtree away from any further trouble right after Crabtree had a fight with his old pal, Aqib Talib. The feud between Crabtree and Talib, which began hilariously when Talib yanked off Crabtree's necklace during their Week 17 game in 2016, seemed to be over when their first meeting in 2017 (Week 4) went by without incident. But no, it was far from over. Crabtree was just waiting to get Talib on his home turf, and he didn't take long to rekindle hostilities in the Week 12 game at Oakland. On the first play of the Raiders' second possession of the game Crabtree first went after the Broncos other CB, Chris Harris, sucker punching him in the stomach and getting away with it. And then on the next play Crabtree went after Talib, and it pretty much turned into a full-scale brawl. Patterson eventually came off the bench and over to Crabtree to calm him down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-6Dt-0lloM ..... In addition to being ejected from this game Crabtree and Talib both were suspended for one more game.

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42. OK. Back to more peaceful times now. The dreads of RB Brandon Bolden take center stage in this shot as the Patriots' running backs celebrate a TD by D.J. Foster against the Jaguars during Week 1 of the preseason. 

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43. The caption to this photo said that this shot of LB Darren Bates came after the Texans had 3 false start penalties in a row late in the 4th quarter of the Titans' Week 13 home game; so it's no wonder he's so fired up. The penalties turned a 4th and 4 into a 4th and 19, which the Texans then converted, only to have the drive end on an interception on the next play. RB Derrick Henry then iced the game three plays later with a 75-yard TD run with :46 to play. Bates had no stats in his 21 special teams snaps as the Titans avenged their blowout loss to the Texans in Week 4 with a 24-13 victory.

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44. Minus his helmet and skull cap, which both were pulled off while he was being tackled out of bounds by CB Nevin Lawson, WR Sammie Coates celebrates after making a 38-yard reception to the 9-yard line on the Browns' first offensive snap of the game at Detroit in Week 10. The Browns settled for a FG four plays later. The play was by far the biggest gain of the season for Coates, who finished the year with just 6 receptions for 70 yards and 0 TD.

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45. Traded from the Dolphins 5 days earlier, RB Jay Ajayi wastes no time endearing himself to Eagles fans, acknowledging them after scoring his 1st TD of the season (left photo) and again as he exits after the game (right photo) after the Eagles' 51-23 thumping of the Broncos in Week 9. Ajayi, who scored no touchdowns in 7 games for the Dolphins before the trade, took one 46 yards to the house on his 5th carry in an Eagles uniform to make the score 31-9 in the 2nd quarter and finished the game with 77 yards rushing on 8 carries.

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46. Anger, disappointment, frustration, and exasperation. All of the above emotions are displayed by LB Jadeveon Clowney (right photo) after the Patriots score a TD with 23 seconds remaining to take a 36-33 lead over the Texans and by WR DeAndre Hopkins (left photo) after the Texans' Hail Mary pass is incomplete on the final play of the game at Gillette Stadium in Week 3. Clowney scored his 1st career TD earlier in the game, and Hopkins finished with 7 catches for 76 yards; but the Texans, who had lost to the Patriots by an average of 24 points on their first five visits to Foxborough, let a golden opportunity to get their first ever road win against the Patriots slip away.

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47. You can almost count all of the locks on the head of Dont'a Hightower in this shot of the Patriots LB as he leaves after playing his best game of the season against the Jets in Week 6. Hightower tied for the team lead with 7 tackles (6-1) and got his 2nd sack of the season in the Patriots' 24-17 road victory. Dont'a's season would unfortunately come to an end just one week later after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in New England's win over Atlanta.

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48. LB Reuben Foster has his dreads pointing in every direction as he heads off the field following the 49ers' 15-14 road win over the Bears in Week 13. The 49ers outgained the Bears 388-147 in total yards but trailed for all of the game's final 3 quarters until kicking their 5th FG of the game with :04 on the clock to win it. Foster led the 49ers in tackles with 7 (7-0). Don't know who ended up with his jersey .....

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49. ..... A few minutes before Foster made his exit, and 700 miles away, RB Jerick McKinnon celebrates after the Vikings' big 14-9 road victory over the Falcons in Week 13. Making the victory especially sweet for McKinnon is that he is a native of Atlanta. Jerick scored the game's 1st TD on a 2-yard reception in the 2nd quarter and finished the afternoon with 52 total yards (24 rushing, 28 receiving) on 14 touches in his 42 snaps on the field .....

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50. ..... On the same field 4 days later, in the first game of Week 14, S Kemal Ishmael (#36) and LB DeVondre Campbell show off their dreads - and their grills - as they leave after the Falcons scored the last 10 points of the game in the 4th quarter to knock off the Saints 20-17. Campbell, who played all 52 snaps on defense, finished with 6 tackles (4-2), while Ishmael had 2 tackles (1-1) in his 32 snaps on the field .....

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51. ..... On the same field back in Week 2, in the Falcons' first ever regular season game at Mercedes Benz Stadium, CB Desmond Trufant is all smiles while he exits after finishing his interview after being named one of the players of the game in the Falcons' 34-23 victory over Green Bay. Trufant made only 2 tackles in his 80 snaps on the field; but it was his two big plays that helped the Falcons quickly increase their lead from 17-7 to 31-7. His INT in the last minute of the 1st half set up a short TD drive, and in the first minute of the 2nd half he scooped up a sideways pass (which QB Aaron Rodgers was trying to make a forward pass) that hit the ground and took it 15 yards to the house : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LbRDgGHS94
The two plays earned Desmond NFC defensive player of the week honors as well as a place on the dread stars list for Week 2.

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52. Back in much happier days than he's had recently, RB Kareem Hunt heads off the field after shining brightly in his 1st NFL game. In the Thursday night season opener at New England Hunt scored the first two of the three touchdowns the Chiefs scored in the 4th quarter as they wiped out a 27-21 deficit and beat the Patriots 42-27. After fumbling on his 1st carry of the game, Kareem made up for it, and then some, rushing for 148 yards on 17 carries, catching 5 passes for 98 yards, and scoring 3 TD. 

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53. Cardinals RB Andre Ellington makes the day even happier for a young Cardinals fan, handing him his gloves following Arizona's 18-15 victory over San Francisco in overtime in Week 4. Despite being robbed of a TD on a questionable replay review ruling, Ellington had a happy day himself, making the dread stars list for the only time all season after finishing with 104 total yards (18 rushing, 86 receiving) on 14 touches in his 46 snaps on offense.

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54. And to think of it, if she hadn't injured her arm, this Bills fan would never have gotten WR Kaelin Clay's autograph to take with her and display every day and everywhere she went. Already experiencing the high of watching the Bills improve to 3-1 with their 23-17 upset of the Falcons in Atlanta, the woman excitedly accepts Clay's signature on her cast after the game ... although it wasn't anything done specifically by him during the game that contributed to the victory. In his 16 plays on the field the only stats Kaelin had were 2 incomplete passes thrown to him.

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55. WR Davante Adams greets Packers fans on his way to the locker room after improving to 4-0 in his career in games against the Bears at Soldier Field. Not much of a factor in the previous years' victories, Adams made a made a major impact late in the Packers' 23-16 win in Week 10. His first ever TD catch at Soldier Field upped Green Bay's lead to 23-13 with 5:29 remaining in the game. Then on the Packers' next drive, with the score 23-16, he had a 42-yard reception on 3rd and 10 with 2:04 to play that would have helped ice the game if the Packers hadn't missed a FG attempt 4 plays later. Davante finished with 5 catches for 90 yards. The Packers held on to get their 8th straight road victory against the Bears, a streak I'm very happy to say has come to an end in 2018.

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56. After making his way through the Packers fans in the front row, rookie CB Donatello Brown doesn't let the appearance of some Browns fans take the smile off his face following the Packers' 27-21 road win over the Browns in overtime in Week 14. Nothing could ... because this was the 1st career game for Brown, an undrafted, 26-year old rookie. He played 3 special teams snaps in the game and for the season ended up with no stats in 18 total snaps in the Packers' final 4 games of the season. He did not make the team for the 2018 season.

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57. Back when he was still on speaking terms with Redskins fans ..... CB Josh Norman greets a couple of them after the Redskins win their final home game of the season in Week 16 on Christmas Eve. Even though the game had no impact on the playoff picture, Norman played all 74 snaps on defense and had 5 tackles (4-1) in the 27-11 win over the Broncos.

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58. In the last game he has played with his dreads flowing at full blast, CB Richard Sherman signs the flag of one Seahawks fan and the #24 Marshawn Lynch jersey worn by another after the Seahawks hold on to defeat the Rams 16-10 at the Coliseum in Week 5 .....

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59. ..... Before greeting fans, Sherman meets up with RB Todd Gurley. Sherman played all 74 snaps on defense and finished with 6 tackles, including 1 TFL and also including 2 tackles of Gurley. For Gurley this was his least productive game of the season. He gained just 50 total yards (43 rushing, 7 receiving) on 16 touches and had a fumble at the 1-yard line that resulted in a touchback, costing the Rams points on their opening drive of the game .....  

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60. Four weeks later Richard Sherman meets with rookie QB Deshaun Watson after Watson torched the Seahawks' defense for 402 yards passing and 4 TD on just 19 completions at Seattle in Week 8. Sherman, who finished with 4 tackles (1-3), gave up his share of those yards but also came away with his first two (and only two) interceptions of the season in the Seahawks' 41-38 victory. Waiting his turn to greet Sherman is CB Marcus Williams (#40), who also got his only INT of the season in the game .....

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61. ..... A little later Richard Sherman exchanges jerseys with DeAndre Hopkins - two of the best players with dreads ever at their positions; and they show their mutual respect with the messages that accompany their signatures (which are large enough to read in this shot if you click on it and save it) .....

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62. .... DeAndre Hopkins lugs his helmet, shoulder pads, and Sherman's jersey with him as he trudges toward the locker room. He's just had the second most productive game of his career; but when it doesn't come in a victory, it's hard to celebrate it. DeAndre finished with 8 catches for 224 yards and 1 TD, the 2nd 200-yard game of his career, trailing only the 238 yards he had vs. the Titans (in a win) in 2014.

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63. A couple of future Hall of Famers meet on a football field for probably the last time after the Texans' 31-21 home win over the Cardinals In Week 11. WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald had 2 (one each) of the 4 TD scored by players with dreads in the game. Fitzgerald finished with 9 catches for 91 yards, while Hopkins had a modest 4 receptions for 76 yards. With Fitzgerald close to retirement and with the Cardinals and Texans not playing each other in the Super Bowl anytime soon, this likely was their last meeting. The two might be the first two WRs with dreads elected to the Hall of Fame (although T.Y. Hilton might have something to say about that).

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64. It's still early, but still it's not much of a reach to say these two WRs with dreads won't be elected to the Hall of Fame. After rookies Keon Hatcher of the Raiders and Chad Williams of the Cardinals took this picture following their 1st NFL preseason game, their careers have gotten off to much slower starts than they had hoped. The undrafted Hatcher spent the entire season on the practice squad and wouldn't make his 1st NFL reception until Week 2 of 2018. Williams, a 3rd round draft pick, had a tremendously disappointing rookie season, finishing with a mere 3 catches for 33 yards; and his 2018 season hasn't been much better. But at least their dreads look good.

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65. A couple of former northeast Ohio HS stars - neither of whom starred in college for Ohio State - get together after the Chiefs' 29-13, AFC West-clinching victory over the Dolphins in Week 16. RB Kareem Hunt rushed for 91 yards and 1 TD for the Chiefs in the game, while RB De'Veon Smith saw action only on special teams for 12 snaps for the Dolphins. After Hunt (from Willoughby) and Smith (from Warren) played at schools 63 miles apart in HS, they played 51 miles apart in college - Hunt at Toledo and Smith at Michigan.
Smith is no longer wearing his jersey because .....

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66. ..... He has already exchanged it for the jersey of another Michigan man, Chiefs rookie WR Jehu Chesson. The majority of Chesson's 18 snaps in this game were on special teams, so perhaps the two bumped into each other once or twice. Smith and Chesson were teammates for all four of their seasons (2013-16) in college for the Wolverines.

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67. RB Derrick Henry and LB Reuben Foster were teammates for their first three seasons in college at Alabama until Henry decided (after winning the Heisman in 2015) to skip his senior season. The two exchange jerseys after the 49ers' last-second 25-23 home win over the Titans in Week 15. Henry played only 15 snaps in the game and had 7 carries for 19 yards rushing and 2 catches for 9 yards; while Foster led the 49ers with 9 tackles (8-1), including one tackle of Henry .....

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68. .... A couple of months earlier at Levi's Stadium Reuben Foster manages a smile while posing next to fellow LB Jaylon Smith following the Cowboys' 40-10 drubbing of the 49ers in Week 7. Foster was on the field for 53 (out of 75) snaps as the Cowboys' offense racked up 501 total yards. He finished with 5 tackles (2-3), including 1 TFL. Smith has good reason to smile, as one of his 3 tackles (2-1) went for his 1st career sack, which was a strip sack that the Cowboys recovered.
Smith, who missed all of his 2016 rookie season due to injury, made up for lost time in 2017, going all in on these postgame jersey swaps. It wouldn't surprise me if he finished the season with 16 opponents' jerseys .....

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69. After the Cowboys' 27-7 loss to the Falcons in Week 10 Jaylon Smith for some reason acquires the jersey of LB Sean Weatherpoon. There's no obvious connection between the two, and I'm not going to spend any time trying to find one. Smith had 4 tackles (3-1) and 1 TFL in 50 defensive snaps; while Weatherspoon finished with 1 tackle (1-0), his only tackle of the season and likely the final tackle of his career .....

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70. ..... One week earlier Jaylon Smith swaps jerseys with another LB, Terrance Smith of the Chiefs, after the Cowboys' 28-17 home victory. Other than their name, there's no obvious connection between these two either. They were both rookies in 2016, and the only time they met in college was during Florida State's huge 31-27 win over Notre Dame in 2014. In their first NFL meeting Terrance (21 special teams snaps) actually played more than Jaylon (17 defensive stats), but Jaylon was the only one with any stats (3 solo tackles).

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71. When you exchange jerseys with your brother, you usually get one back with the same name as yours, as is the case here after the Eagles' big 43-35 road win over the Rams in Week 14. Actually WR Sammy Watkins and CB Jaylen Watkins are only half brothers - with the same father, different mothers - and grew up near each other but not in the same house. Although Jaylen is 19 months older, they both were picked in the 2014 Draft - Sammy in round 1 and Jaylen in round 4. Sammy had only 3 catches (for 21 yards) in this game, although one of them went for a 1-yard TD that cut the Eagles' lead to 24-21; and Jaylen didn't get the chance to cover his brother, as only 1 of his 17 snaps were on defense.

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72. A pair of 36's meet after the Falcons defeat the Buccaneers in Atlanta 34-20 in Week 12. Either this picture was taken too soon, before S Kemal Ishmael can get his jersey off, or he just isn't giving it away to CB/S and former teammate Robert McClain. McClain was with the Falcons when Ishmael first came into the league in 2013, and they were teammates again the next season. In the game McClain played 50 snaps (mostly on defense) and Ishmael played 29 snaps (mostly on special teams). They both finished with 1 tackle (1-0).

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73. RB Jerick McKinnon signs his jersey after the Vikings' 26-9 road loss to the Steelers in Week 2; but who is he going to give it to? Well, your guess is as good as mine. I looked at a lot of pictures from this game but couldn't find the answer. It would make the most sense that he would exchange it with S J.J. Wilcox, his former college teammate; but Wilcox was not in uniform for this game, out due to a concussion. In his 32 snaps McKinnon had 16 yards rushing on 3 carries, 3 catches for 9 yards, and kickoff returns of 27 and 25 yards.

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74. A couple of players who starred in separate high schools in Georgia nearly a decade ago meet for the first time after an NFL game, and it's a game all the way over across the ocean in London. This time the photographer gets the shot of Jerick McKinnon's trading partner, and it's none other than RB Isaiah Crowell after the Vikings defeat the Browns 33-16 in Week 8. McKinnon and Crowell both made the dread stars list, as they were the game's two leading rushers. McKinnon had 122 total yards (50 rushing and 72 receiving) on 20 touches; while Crowell finished 118 total yards (64 rushing, 54 receiving) on 15 touches. Crowell's 26-yard TD run gave the Browns an early 6-0 lead. McKinnon had a 1-yard TD run followed by a run for a 2-point conversion late in the 3rd quarter that wiped out Cleveland's 16-15 lead and put the Vikings ahead to stay.

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75. A couple of former teammates at Wisconsin who have spent more time in their NFL careers on practice squads than on active rosters don't miss their chance to exchange jerseys after the Broncos face the Redskins in Week 16. Rookie RB Dare Ogunbowale, after playing 3 snaps in his first ever NFL game, and 2nd year TE Austin Traylor, active since mid-November and playing in his 6th NFL game, swap after the Redskins' 27-11 victory. Traylor had 1 catch for 14 yards, while Ogunbowale had no stats .....

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76. About three and a half hours later in Week 16 a couple of former LSU stars exchange their jerseys after the Cardinals defeat the Giants 23-0. LB Kelvin Sheppard and S Tyrann Mathieu were teammates at LSU, but for only one season - in 2010, when Sheppard was a senior and Mathieu a freshman. This is their first meeting after an NFL game since Mathieu's rookie season in 2013. They both played all of the snaps on defense for their teams in this one. Mathieu had 7 tackles (5-2), while Sheppard led the Giants with 9 (9-0).

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77. This time it's Tyrann Mathieu's turn to be the elder statesman in a postgame meeting of former LSU teammates. Mathieu signs, swaps, and shakes hands with CB Jalen Mills after the Eagles spank the Cardinals 34-7 in Week 5. The two were college teammates in the Tigers' secondary only in 2012, when Mills was a freshman. Mills had dreads in that freshman season but has been going with the green hair since being drafted by the Eagles in 2016. In their first meeting as pros they both play nearly (but not quite) all of their teams' snaps on defense. Mathieu finished with 3 tackles (2-1). Mills had 4 tackles (4-0) and 3 PBU.

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78. I guess the photographer couldn't wait for Vikings S Anthony Harris to sign his jersey after the Vikings' 13-9 victory over the Falcons in Week 13. His jersey is blank while LB LaRoy Reynolds' jersey includes, among other things, the area codes of their hometowns in Virginia. Reynolds, from Norfolk, is repping the 757 while Harris (born in Richmond, high school a half hour south of Richmond in Chesterfield) is from the 804. The two were teammates in college at UVa for two seasons (2011-12). They both played almost exclusively on special teams in this one, with Harris finishing with 1 tackle (1-0), and Reynolds with 3 (2-1).

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79. Two of Palmdale's finest swap jerseys after the Broncos and Bengals meet for the 3rd straight year, in Week 11. Despite being from the same hometown and being born two months apart in 1992, LB Todd Davis and CB Josh Shaw went to separate high schools and have never been teammates. Davis and the Broncos won their meetings in 2015 and 2016, but Shaw and the Bengals get the 20-17 road victory on this day. They both finished with 5 tackles (3-2), with Shaw also being credited with 1 PBU. 

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80. WR Julio Jones, with a bandana over his beginner dreads, and WR Freddie Martino, with reduced dreads, meet up after the Falcons' 34-20 victory over the Buccaneers in Week 12. The two were teammates when Martino was a rookie in 2013, although he spent almost all of that season on the Falcons' practice squad. Freddie's saying, "Damn, Julio, I wish I could be more like you," after having an up-close view of the 3rd game of Jones' career with 250+ yards receiving. Jones finished with 12 catches for 253 yards and 2 TD, while Martino had no stats in his 13 snaps on the field. 

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81. Freddie Martino has his dreads right for the second meeting with the Falcons, at home on Monday night in Week 15. After the Falcons' 24-21 win over the Bucs, Martino exchanges jerseys with S Ricardo Allen. The two were rookies with the Falcons together in 2014, and both spent most of that season on the practice squad. On this night Martino played 19 snaps (6 offense, 13 special teams) and had 1 catch for 11 yards. Allen started, played all 59 snaps on defense and had 1 tackle (0-1) .....

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82. ..... Also after the game in Week 15 another former Falcon, RB Jacquizz Ridgers, meets up with Kenny Ozuwah, whose dreads have really come a long way since he became the Falcons' assistant equipment manager in 2010. The dreads behind Rodgers in this shot are on the head of Kemal Ishmael (I think). Jacquizz played only 2 snaps on offense but contributed on special teams with his longest kickoff return of the season (45 yards).

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83. WR Andre Roberts tries to cheer up WR and former teammate Golden Tate after the Falcons' 30-26 road win over the Lions in Week 3. He's probably not succeeding. The two were teammates in 2016, Roberts' only season with Detroit. As you may recall, this was the game in which Tate thought he had scored a TD to put the Lions ahead with 8 seconds remaining in the game, only to have it (correctly) overturned on a replay review because his knee was down short of the goal line; and since the Lions were out of timeouts, 10 seconds had to be run off the clock (by rule), ending the game without the Lions getting a chance to run another play. Earlier in the game Roberts (on his only offensive snap) had a 12-yard reception (his only reception of the season) along with kickoff returns of 16 and 38 yards and punt returns of 27 and 11 yards as the Falcons improved to 3-0. 

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84. Coach Reid and former Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles hug after the Chiefs defeat the Broncos 29-19 in Kansas City on Monday night in Week 8. Charles, the Chiefs' all-time leading rusher with 7,260 yards in 9 seasons (he also had 2,457 yards receiving), made the Pro Bowl 4 times, including Reid's first two seasons in KC in 2013-14. Two serious knee injuries abbreviated 3 of his 9 seasons, including his last two (2015-16) before he was released. In his first career game against the Chiefs Jamaal gained 18 yards on his 1st carry, 4 yards on his 2nd carry, and on his 3rd carry had the ball ripped out of his hands by CB Marcus Peters, who scooped up the fumble and took it to the house for the first points of the game. He finished the game with 8 carries for 39 yards.

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85. QB Blake Bortles extends his hand to shake with Chris Ivory's after the Jaguars rout the Texans 45-7 in Week 15 and clinch their first playoff berth in 10 years (Let's hope it's not another 10 before they clinch their next one). With starting RB Leonard Fournette out due to injury, Ivory started and gained a career high 212 yards rushing on 17 carries. Nah, he didn't. Of course not. I'm just joking. Actually he got just 42 yards on those 17 carries. The most he gained in a game in his two seasons with the Jaguars was 107, and his career high is 166 yards while with the Jets in 2015.

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86. CB Nickell Robey-Coleman celebrates in the locker room after the Rams clinch their first playoff berth in 13 years (and their first division crown in 14) with a 27-23 road win over the Titans in Week 16. It's also the first playoff berth for Robey-Coleman, who signed with the Rams as a free agent during the offseason after playing the first 4 years of his career with the Bills. Nickell had 2 tackles (2-0) in his 49 snaps on the field against the Titans.

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87. They didn't contribute very much to the victory, but three of the Eagles' 7 players with dreads are right in the middle of the locker room celebration in this shot after their 38-7 romp over the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, the team's first conference title in 13 years. Rookie CB Sidney Jones (left to right) and DE Steven Means were inactive for the game; and RB LeGarrette Blount played only 11 snaps, although he did have a powerful 11-yard TD (which put the Eagles ahead to stay) on one of his 6 carries.

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88. On the day after their season ended with a 31-26 road loss to the Saints in the 1st round of the playoffs, the Panthers clean out their lockers; and WR Austin Duke makes sure to get the autograph of DE Julius Peppers on his jersey before he leaves. Duke, a Charlotte native, was 9 years old when Peppers played his rookie season in the NFL for the Panthers in 2002. Unfortunately for Austin, an undrafted rookie, he never got to wear that jersey during the regular season. After making 5 catches for 75 yards in the preseason, he was cut and then spent the season on and off the Panthers' practice squad. He didn't make the team or the practice squad in 2018, and now his dreads are gone too.

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89. And we finish DG173 right back where we started, with Falcons DE Takk McKinley. After having his dreads dyed brown and then green for most of his rookie season, Takk had his dreads cut shorter and got them reduced for what turned out to be the final game of the season. McKinley is alone with his thoughts after the Falcons' tough 15-10 road loss to the Eagles in the 2nd round of the playoffs. He had 2 tackles (2-0), including 1 sack, in the game. Takk upped his sack total from 6 as a rookie to 7 in 2018; but, as you probably heard, the Falcons '18 season was even more disappointing than the end of '17.