NFL '13 Dread News - Week 17

I believe I have reached a new low. In each of the first four years of this blog I was able to do at least a couple of weekly reports on the NFL during the season. But this year? Nothing - until now, that is, with the whole regular season already finished. Yes, I'm very disappointed that I haven't done anything yet. Yes, I still very much enjoy doing this blog. But there are only 24 hours in every day; and as long as that remains true I'm not going to have enough time to do all the things I want to do in this blog. Since I have chosen to emphasize college football, the NFL has to take a back seat.

But that doesn't mean I haven't been paying attention. By now you probably know that I love watching the Falcons, Chiefs, Bears, and Jaguars every week. But there are so many commercial breaks during NFL telecasts that I'm able to switch channels often enough to usually catch at least a little action from every game. Coming into Week 17 the Kansas City Chiefs were the only team that knew its playoff fate. At 11-4, they had clinched 2nd place in the AFC West as well as the #1 AFC wild card spot. The four AFC division champions had already been crowned, but their records were so close that none of them knew how they would be seeded for the playoffs. The #2 AFC wild card spot was a free-for-all. Over in the NFC, only 3 of the 6 playoff spots had been clinched, and none of the four division champions had been determined.

It must have been exasperating being a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals as those two teams tried to earn a spot in the playoffs. Ultimately they both failed to make it, and how they failed to make it was nothing short of fascinating. The Cardinals, 9-5 after Week 15, needed to win their final 2 games AND have at least one of these three things to happen: either the Panthers lose to the Saints, the 49ers lose to the Falcons, or the Saints lose to the Buccaneers. Despite 2 interceptions by Seahawks CB Richard Sherman, the Cardinals kept hope alive with a 17-10 win at Seattle in Week 16, the Seahawks' 1st loss at home this season. But the help they needed elsewhere didn't materialize. It looked like the Panthers were going to lose to the Saints; but instead they scored a TD with 23 seconds to go to defeat the Saints. Then it looked like the 49ers, a 14-point favorite, were going to lose at home to the Falcons; but instead with the Falcons down by 3, QB Matt Ryan threw an interception (returned for a TD) on 2nd and 1 from the 49ers' 10-yard line with 1:10 remaining in the game. 

Those late escapes by the Panthers and 49ers in Week 16 were a couple of devastating body blows to the Cardinals' playoff hopes, because there was little chance the Saints would lose at home to lowly Tampa Bay this week. Perhaps that's the biggest reason why the Cardinals came out in a coma last Sunday, quickly falling behind the 49ers 17-0. But leave it to star WR Larry Fitzgerald to wake them up. His 49-yard catch and run to the SF 23-yard line midway through the 2nd quarter was followed by a TD 6 plays later to make it 17-7. Late in the 3rd Fitzgerald had a 24-yard reception to begin a drive that ended with a FG early in the 4th that made it 17-10. And when the Cardinals' other WR with dreads, Andre Roberts, made a nice over-the-shoulder catch for a 34-yard TD with 3:20 remaining, the game was tied at 17. The 49ers quickly regained the lead on a FG with 1:50 to play, and the Cardinals just as quickly tied it back up, with Fitzgerald's 23-yard reception (photo above) moving the ball into range for a FG with :29 on the clock.

But the Cardinals couldn't get the game into overtime. A kickoff return to the 49ers' 40-yard line followed by a couple of quick completions got the 49ers into FG range; and they won it on a 40-yard FG on the last play of the game. Fitzgerald and Roberts both had one of their better games of the season. Roberts finished with 3 catches for 74 yards, and Fitzgerald made the dread stars list (for only the 3rd time this season). Rookie RB Andre Ellington contributed a bit with 42 total yards on 12 touches.As it turned out, even had the Cardinals defeated the 49ers, it wouldn't have mattered. The Saints, as expected, beat the Buccaneers 42-17 - which means that despite finishing with a 10-6 record, the Cardinals will be watching the playoffs on television.
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As for the Steelers .....
You know, I was feeling mighty smart back in October when the Steelers came out of the gate with a 4-game losing streak. You might recall I predicted them to finish in last place in the AFC North with a 6-10 record. But give them credit. They kept battling and ended up proving me wrong. Having recovered from the 0-4 start, they came into Week 17 at a mediocre 7-8. But that still was good enough to still be in the running the final AFC wild card spot, 1 game behind the Chargers, Dolphins, and Ravens (all 8-7). Obviously the Steelers would need all 3 of those teams to lose while themselves winning their own game.

The Steelers took care of their business with a 20-7 home victory over the Cleveland Browns. It was the best game of the season for rookie LB Jarvis Jones (photo above), who finished with a team high 9 tackles (8-1), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU. I haven't followed the Steelers at all this season, so I didn't know how well (or not) Jones had been doing. I did know that he wasn't making big plays on a regular basis the way he did last season in college for Georgia; so I figured he must be having a disappointing season. But I felt a bit better about Jarvis after reading an article (link below) from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website. Evidently rookies hardly ever even play, let alone do well, in the team's complicated defensive system. So I'll excuse him for only getting 1 sack all season. But there better be a lot more sacks than that starting next season.

http://www.triblive.com/sports/steelers/5327245-74/jones-steelers-game#axzz2pFVOlkUo
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With their victory secured, the Steelers went looking for help. And they found it (!) in the early afternoon games. At Miami, the Dolphins - who I predicted would win the AFC East - dropped to 3rd place, completing their tumultuous season with a 20-7 loss to the N.Y. Jets. And at Cincinnati .....

There will be no repeat Super Bowl victory this season by the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals finished the season a perfect 8-0 at home and at the same time eliminated the defending champs from the playoff race with a 34-17 victory in a game that had a lot of highlights by players with dreads. For the Ravens, CB Lardarius Webb finished with 4 tackles (3-1), 1 PBU, and got his 2nd INT of the season. He also got beat for a 16-yard TD by WR Marvin Jones (photos above), who made a circus catch late in the 2nd quarter to give Cincinnati a 17-6 halftime lead. RB Bernard Scott, facing his former team for the first time, ran hard but finished with just 3 yards rushing on 2 carries along with an 8-yard reception. And WR Marlon Brown continued his eye-opening rookie season, scoring the Ravens' only TD of the game (his 7th of the season) on an 8-yard reception (photos below) in the 3rd. A successful 2-point conversion after the TD tied the game at 17.  

For the Bengals, it was one of the (too) few occasions that sick S Reggie Nelson did not have his dreads reduced. So he was a lot of fun to watch as he recorded 7 tackles (6-1) and 2 PBU. CB Adam Jones had no tackles but also had 2 PBU, including one on an incomplete deep pass in the 2nd quarter intended for ex-dread WR Torrey Smith (photo below) on which he and Nelson both got credit for a PBU. LB Vontaze Burfict, a lock to be on this season's dreaded dozen list, finished the regular season strong with 14 tackles (9-5), including 1 TFL.

After the Bengals regained the lead 27-17 in the 4th, it looked like they would extend it when RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for an 11-yard gain for a 1st down at the 1-yard line. But instead of simply handing the ball off to Green-Ellis again on the next play, the Bengals couldn't do simple. Instead they threw a pass on 1st and goal to WR A.J. Green, and it served them right when the pass was intercepted for a touchback. Green-Ellis would finish the day with 66 yards rushing on 11 carries and no TD.

 

The Ravens, thanks to two 15-yard penalties, advanced to midfield on their ensuing possession but got no further; and on 4th and 10 a deep pass was over the head of intended WR Jacoby Jones .... and right into the waiting hands of CB Dre Kirkpatrick for an INT (photos above). But I was like, damn, Dre, it's 4th down. On a pass that deep downfield on 4th down you're supposed to just knock the pass down. But I can't truly hold that against him. You're not going to find many DBs that will pass up an easy INT like that, especially leading by 10 late. Things got even better for Kirkpatrick after that. On the very first play of the Ravens' next possession he got another INT and took the return 21 yards to the house for his 1st NFL TD (photo on left). The 2 picks plus an earlier PBU in the end zone was enough to convince me to award Dre his 1st appearance on an NFL dread stars list. For more details of his game, click on the link below for an article from the Cincinnati Enquirer website, which includes a video of his post-game interview.
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2013/12/29/kirkpatricks-dad-forecasted-pick-6/4246795/
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With the Ravens and Dolphins having lost, all that was left on the Steelers to-do list was a late afternoon loss by the Chargers to the Chiefs. That figured to be very hard to come by because the Chiefs, with nothing to gain or lose, decided to rest all of their best players. The Chargers, on a 3-game winning streak that included a win at Denver, figured to win handily. But that's not what happened - not at all. Getting big contributions from among others, WR Dexter McCluster, who had 6 catches for 62 yards, including a 2-yard TD (bottom right photo), and CB Ron Parker, who had 6 tackles (6-0), 1 PBU, and  his 2nd INT of the season (top right photo), the Chiefs took a 24-14 lead into the 4th quarter. The Chargers scored a TD and then tied the game on a FG with 3:21 to play. But the Chiefs came right back on their next drive, moving into FG range on a 24-yard reception by WR Junior Hemingway (photo below) on the last play before the 2-minute warning.

At that point I would love to have been in any Pittsburgh area sports bar. But faster than you can say the word "playoffs", the celebration in Pittsburgh was put on hold when the Chiefs managed to blow their chance to win the game. First, on 3rd and 11 from the San Diego 22-yard line with :53 on the clock the Chiefs needed to run one more play inbounds to kill time. And that they did, but instead of running a play that would locate the ball in the center of the field directly in front of the goal post, a  run by RB Knile Davis kept the ball on the right hash mark. And sure enough, on the next play the 41-yard FG attempt was wide right, sending the game into overtime. If that wasn't bad enough for Steelers fan, it was later revealed that the Chargers actually had lined up in an illegal formation on the play and should have been assessed a penalty, giving the Chiefs another chance to kick the FG. The Steelers were able to survive a blown call by the game officials in their win at Green Bay last week. But not this one. It wasn't long before the Chargers were celebrating a 27-24 victory that lifted them into the playoffs. Not that any team deserves to be in the playoffs with an 8-8 record, but for real it should be the Steelers making that trip to Cincinnati for a game tomorrow, not the Chargers.

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Back when he was a junior in college at FIU I welcomed WR T.Y. Hilton into the house, thinking he had dreads - only to kick him out when late that season he switched his hair back to cornrows. So it is with great reluctance that now, 3 years later, I have welcomed him back. Fool me twice, shame on you again, I guess. This time though I'm pretty sure (but not 100% sure) he's got dreads. T.Y. (photo below) had a lot to smile about last Sunday. He made the dread stars list, finishing with a season high in yards receiving in the Indianapolis Colts' easy 30-10 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But Hilton, who has been making a serious run to be included in this season's dreaded dozen, did not take any of his 11 receptions to the house, and he has an old friend to thank for it. Rookie S Johnathan Cyprien, the Jaguars' 1st round draft pick and a former teammate of his at FIU, had 6 tackles (6-0) in the game; and on one of them he stopped Hilton at the 2-yard line after a 4-yard reception on 2nd and goal in the 1st quarter. T.Y. got up and gave Cyprien a pat on the helmet after the play. Two plays later RB Trent Richardson got the TD on a 2-yard run on 4th down to extend the Colts' lead to 14-0. Richardson finished with 25 yards rushing on 8 carries and 2 catches for 17 yards. LBs Kelvin Sheppard (2-3) and Erik Walden (1-4) both had 5 tackles. 

For the Jaguars, who have been running neck-and-neck with the Colts all season for the team with the most players with dreads, Cyprien had 3 PBU to go along with his 6 tackles. DT Sen'Derrick Marks finished with 5 tackles (1-4). 2nd year LB J.T. Thomas had a career high 7 tackles (3-4), including 1 TFL, and 1 FF. WR Mike Brown had 3 catches for 43 yards. And rookie WR Ace Sanders (photo above), who had 14 passes intended for him, caught 6 of them for 50 yards.
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I haven't heard anything official, but Chris Johnson may have just played his last game in a Tennessee Titans uniform. There have been ominous hints about Johnson's future with the team scrolling across the bottom of the screen on the NFL Network recently - things like Johnson not being willing to take a pay cut to stay with the team next year and like the one that read the Titans were just going to flat out release him during the offseason. CJ has given Titans fans a lot of thrills (if not a lot of playoff wins) in his 6 seasons in Nashville. Hopefully there will be a 7th season; but this is the NFL, and sometimes you have to say goodbye to your highest paid players.

Johnson certainly had an interesting final game of the 2013 season, as the Titans defeated the Houston Texans 16-10. He gained enough yards to make the dread stars list, but that wasn't the most interesting part. On one of his carries in the 2nd half  he got hit so hard that it made his helmet pop off; and later the final couple of yards of his 11-yard TD run that gave the Titans a 13-7 lead came harder than he expected, as S Shiloh Keo decided the best way to prevent him from reaching the end zone was by trying to grab a hold off his dreads (photos below). Keo failed, and picked up a horse collar penalty for his trouble.

Rookie S D.J. Swearinger finished with a season high 10 tackles (7-3) and 1 FF for the Texans. Rookie WR DeAndre Hopkins had 4 catches for 35 yards. Titans 7th year S Michael Griffin, who has never had a season with 0 INT, waited until his final play of the season to get his 1st INT of 2013 (photo below), picking off a pass on the Texans final possession with 1:01 remaining to clinch the victory.

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Somebody should have called for it.
It was early in the 3rd quarter at Seattle, and the Seahawks were leading the Rams 13-0. A pass by the Rams on 3rd and 10 was deflected at the line of scrimmage high into the air and into the end zone. Pro Bowl S Earl Thomas, Pro Bowl CB Richard Sherrman, and CB Byron Maxwell converged on the ball. If this were baseball, one of the three would have called for it and easily made the catch. But this ain't baseball, and these are DBs we're talking about. Thomas, Sherman, and Maxwell all leaped for the ball, trying to catch it at its highest point. They all crashed into each other - violently. They all fell to the ground. None of them had the ball - an incomplete pass. Sherman, in fact, hit the ground so hard that he slightly injured himself, although he was back on the field for the Rams' next possession. If it was any consolation for Sherman, he got the credit for the PBU. The Seahawks won the game 27-9 to finish the regular season with an NFC best 13-3 record.

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DREADS FOCUS

Yes, just like last year I'll be listing all of the players with dreads in the league by team and then assigning each team a grade for their dreads. But that will not begin until next week because I just don't have anything ready right now.
2013 was a record year for touchdowns in the NFL, and to nobody's surprise it also was a record year for TD by players with dreads. I haven't added them all up yet; but when I do it will confirm that by far this season had more TD scored by players with dreads than ever before. Along with the highlights this season there were the usual disappointments. Reduced dreads continues to be like a plague. Sadly near the end of the season RB Maurice Jones-Drew and CB Antonio Cromartie cut off the dreads they both started growing just last season. The biggest disappointments were the injuries - to Jonathan Cooper, Travis Benjamin, and Sidney Rice, to name a few.
Anyway, we'll look at all the ups and downs and start listing and grading in the next report.
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DG

1. After getting the ball on a reverse and eluding several Lions defenders, Vikings rookie WR Cordarrelle Patterson has one man to beat - S Louis Delmas - as he gets near the Lions' 20-yard line on a 1st down play during 1st quarter at Minneapolis .....

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2. ..... Patterson eludes Delmas too at the 10-yard line and takes it to the house for a 50-yard TD, the longest rushing TD ever by a Vikings WR. Here is the video of the play: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap2000000305142/WK-17-Can-t-Miss-Play-Patterson-gets-loose
It was Patterson's 3rd rushing TD of the season and 8th overall. Cordarrelle finished with 85 total yards, usually not enough to make the dread stars list. But since he scored both of the Vikings' TD in their 14-13 win, he's on the list.

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3. Bills CB Stephon Gilmore makes the tackle as Patriots WR Julian Edelman gains 12 yards on 2nd and 1 on the first play of 2nd quarter at Foxborough. It was Edelman's 100th reception of the season. The drive ended with a TD 5 plays later, increasing Patriots' lead to 13-3. Gilmore finished with 2 tackles (2-0) as Bills finished another disappointing season at 6-10 with a 34-20 loss. 

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4. Dolphins LB Philip Wheeler (#52) helps out, but LB Koa Misi gets credit for a solo tackle on a 4-yard run by N.Y. Jets RB Chris Ivory early in 2nd quarter, as LB Dannell Ellerbe (#59) looks on. Ivory, the Jets' leading rusher, had a quiet day in the season finale with 5 carries for 19 yards. Wheeler had 9 tackles (5-4), and Ellerbe had 7 (7-0), including 1 TFL. Dolphins would have made the playoffs with a win, but Jets spoiled the party, defeating Miami 20-7. Both teams finished at 8-8, with Jets winning the tiebreaker for 2nd place in the AFC East.

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5. Broncos LB Nate Irving gets his 1st sack of the season, dragging down QB Terrelle Pryor at the Raiders' 25-yard line for a loss of 8 on a 1st and 10 play during 1st quarter at Oakland. Raiders punted 3 plays later. Irving finished with 3 tackles (2-1), 2 of which were TFL. And Broncos finished with the best record in the AFC, 13-3, after defeating Raiders 34-14. 







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6. Jaguars DT Sen'Derrick Marks and rookie S Johnathan Cyprien are too late to prevent Colts RB Trent Richardson from scoring a 2-yard TD on 4th and goal, completing a 7-play, 54-yard drive that gave Colts a 14-0 lead midway through 1st quarter at Indianapolis. Richardson, who found himself in a Colts uniform after shockingly being traded by the Browns after Week 2, finished the game with 42 total yards on 10 touches. Trent also finds himself in the playoffs, as AFC South champion Colts finished with an 11-5 record after routing the Jaguars 30-10.




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7. Chargers rookie S Jahleel Addae, with his dreads reduced, tries to go low to stop Chiefs WR Dexter McCluster but comes up empty as McCluster flies over him and ends up with an 12-yard catch and run to the San Diego 13-yard line to convert a 2nd and 11. This play set up a TD three plays later that put Chiefs in the lead 21-14. Dexter earlier scored a TD and later had a 32-yard punt return to set up a FG in 3rd quarter. Addae finished with 2 tackles (2-0) and 1 PBU. Needing a win to make the playoffs, Chargers won - barely - 27-24 in OT to finish 9-7 and clinch 6th and final AFC playoff berth. Chiefs (11-5) also are headed to the playoffs.

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8. Packers RB Eddie Lacy also tried the aerial route but can't clear Bears CB Tim Jennings on the run after a catch for an 8-yard gain on 2nd and 12 during 2nd quarter at Chicago. The drive ended 4 plays later with the Packers scoring their 1st TD of the game on a bizarre fumble return after QB Aaron Rodgers had been sacked. Jennings was slightly injured on this play but was quickly back on the field. He finished with 3 tackles (3-0), 1 PBU, and his 1st INT since Week 6.

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9. WR Brandon Marshall beats CB Tramon Williams for a 5-yard TD catch on 3rd and 10, increasing Bears' lead to 28-20 on the first play of 4th quarter. Williams at first had Marshall blanketed but got caught flat footed when Marshall made a double move. 

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10. After finding no room up the middle, Eddie Lacy breaks outside and takes it to the house for a 6-yard TD run on 1st and goal, completing a 6-play, 77-yard drive that cut Bears' lead to 28-27 with 11:38 remaining. Lacy finished a bit short of the dread stars list with 66 yards rushing on 21 carries and 2 catches for 15 yards.

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11. Tramon Williams comes over to console Brandon Marshall after a desperation pass into the end zone was intercepted on the final play of the game. Marshall, in his 8th NFL season, has never played in a playoff game, and he won't this season either as Bears (8-8) dropped to 2nd place with a tough 33-28 loss to Green Bay. Williams finished with 6 tackles (5-1), 1 PBU, and 1 FF as Packers clinched NFC North title with 8-7-1 record.

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12. Ravens ex-dread WR Torrey Smith gets past CB Dre Kirkpatrick but is stopped by S Reggie Nelson at the Bengals' 26-yard line on a 14-yard reception on the first play after a 10-yard punt midway through 3rd quarter at Cincinnati.
Three plays later .....

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13. ..... Rookie WR Marlon Brown, on the run after the catch, makes the mistake of trying to hurdle over Nelson .....

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14. ..... as Nelson grabs his ankle and flips him over .....

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15. ..... Brown lands at the 12-yard line for a gain of 9 to convert a 3rd and 5 .....

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16. ..... As LB Vontaze Burfict makes sure Brown advances no further, the ball squirts away from Marlon after he lands. But as we all know, in this case the ground can't cause a fumble, and the play was correctly blown dead. 2 plays later Brown scored the Ravens' only TD of the game, tying the score at 17. 

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17. Marlon Brown can't pull away from S Chris Crocker and is tackled at the 5-yard line after a gain of 2 on 4th and goal with 20 seconds remaining in the game. Even if he had scored, the Ravens still would have lost. Brown finished the day with 5 catches for 30 yards, but Ravens, last year's Super Bowl champs, will miss the playoffs, finishing at 8-8 with the 34-17 loss to Bengals.  

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18. Falcons WR Roddy White beats S Quintin Mikell deep and makes the catch for a 39-yard TD, completing a 5-play, 84-yard drive that gave Falcons a 17-14 lead over Panthers on their first drive of 2nd half at Atlanta. Roddy barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 8 catches for 91 yards.

Earlier in the game ......






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19. With Panthers trailing 10-0 in 2nd quarter, on 3rd and 4 from the 26-yard line RB DeAngelo Williams gets great blocking after catching a screen pass and breaks into the clear, eluding LB Paul Worrilow at the Carolina 40-yard line .....

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20 ..... But as he gets to the ATL 35-yard line Williams veers a bit to the right to avoid rookie CB Desmond Trufant, unwittingly moving into the path of the Falcons' other rookie CB, speedster Robert Alford .....

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21. ..... Alford catches Williams and strips him of the ball at the 18-yard line .....

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22. ..... As the ball rolls further downfield, Williams has no chance to recover his fumble and can only hope that Trufant and Alford get in each other's way .....

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23. ..... But they don't, and Trufant dives for the ball, eventually getting the FR at the 4-yard line. Desmond also had 5 tackles (3-2) and 1 PBU in the game. Williams was credited with a 56-yard reception before fumbling; and as it turned out, the Panthers' defense bailed him out, scoring on an 8-yard pick 6 two plays later.

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24. Feeling better after the game, DeAngelo Williams has a smile (a little one) on his face and an NFC South champion hat on his dreads after Panthers' nail-biting 21-20 victory. Williams finished with 108 total yards (33 rushing, 75 receiving), but with 56 of those wasted on that fumble, I can't put him on the dread stars list. But I'm sure he's happy with the W and the 1st round playoff bye after Panthers finished with a 12-4 record.  

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DREAD STARS

• T.Y. Hilton - Colts - 11 receptions for season high 155 yards in 30-10 home W over Jaguars
• Marshawn Lynch - Seahawks - 97 yards and 1 TD rushing on 23 carries, and 1 reception for 4 yards in 27-9 NFC West clinching home W over Rams

• Chris Johnson - Titans - 27 carries for 127 yards and 1 TD rushing, and 3 receptions for 14 yards in 16-10 home W over Texans
• Dre Kirkpatrick - Bengals - 9 tackles (4-5), 1 PBU, and 2 INT in 34-17 home W over Ravens
• Cordarrelle Patterson - Vikings - 54 yards and 1 TD rushing on 2 carries, and 2 receptions for 31 yards, including game-winning 8-yard TD in 4th quarter in 14-13 home W over Lions
• Larry Fitzgerald - Cardinals - 6 receptions for 113 yards in 23-20 home L to 49ers

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HOUSE OF DREAD

There were 3 games where there were 2 TD scored by players with dreads this week. So HOD honors go to the end zones at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, the Metrodome at Minneapolis, and Gillette Stadium at Foxborough. 

In the Bengals' 34-17 win over the Ravens, WR Marlon Brown had an 8-yard TD reception for BAL; and CB Dre Kirkpatrick had a 21-yard pick 6 for CIN. Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson scored both of his team's TD in a 14-13 home win over the Lions, on a 50-yard run and a game-winning 8-yard reception (photos above) with 9:19 remaining in the game. And at New England there were 2 TD scored by the Week 17 player of the week.

OTHER WEEK 17 TD: Roddy White (ATL), Chris Johnson (TEN), Trent Richarson (IND), Eddie Lacy (GB), Andre Roberts (ARIZ), Dexter McCluster (KC), Marshawn Lynch (SEA)

WEEK 17 INT: Lardarius Webb (BAL), Dre Kirkpatrick (CIN), Michael Griffin (TEN), Louis Delmas (DET), Tim Jennings (CHI), Ron Parker (KC)

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HEAD DREAD

"Bill never gives out game balls. He gave me one. I feel special."
You'd be feeling special too if you had the kind of game Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount had in a 34-20 home win over the Buffalo Bills, a victory that clinched a 1st round playoff bye for New England.

Blount received a game ball from Coach Belichick and earned AFC offensive player of the week honors after rushing for 189 yards (the most by a Patriots RB in 15 years) and 2 TD on 24 carries. He also came up big on special teams, answering Buffalo scores with kickoff returns of 83 and 62 yards. His 334 all purpose yards for the game is a new Patriots record.
The TD runs were a 36-yarder in the 2nd quarter, increasing the Patriots' lead 13-3, and his 35-yarder with 2:31 remaining in the game put the icing on the cake. You can read more about the best game of Blount's career (so far) on the two links below in articles from the Boston Globe and Springfield Republican. The story in the Globe includes a video of LeGarrette's 4 big plays.


http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2013/12/blount_carries_patriots_on_his_back_in_win_over_bu.html

http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2013/12/legarrette_blount_has_career-b.html

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NEXT

The teams with the best dreads in the playoffs this year are the Chiefs, Colts, Bengals, and Packers. They're all in action this weekend. We'll take a look at the 4 wild card round games, and I'll get the dread focus started.