DG165

Even though the number of players with dreads in the NFL keeps on increasing, there still by far are more players that don't have dreads than do. But be that as it may, on every given Sunday at some point players with dreads from opposing teams will oppose each other one-on-one. Several of these one-on-one duels are featured in dread gallery #165, which goes by the title of "Close Encounters of the Dread Kind." Every photo in DG165 will have at least two NFL players with dreads in action from the 2015 season.

1. In a preseason Week 2 duel of sick dreads, Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald and Chargers S Jahleel Addae were still on the field late in 1st quarter, with Fitzgerald making his only catch of the game and Addae getting the last of his 3 tackles (3-0) at the San Diego 30-yard line after a 5-yard gain on 4th and 4. The 16-play, 50-yard drive ended 10 plays later with a FG, giving the Cardinals a 9-0 lead in a game that the Chargers came back to win 22-19.
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2. On the first play of a drive that began with 60 seconds remaining in 1st half in Week 13, Rams CB Janoris Jenkins closes in to make the tackle at the St. Louis 45-yard line after Larry Fitzgerald makes his 3rd catch of the game, good for a 15-yard gain. The Cardinals kicked a FG 7 plays later to up their lead to 10-0. Jenkins finished the game with 6 tackles (6-0) and 1 PBU. Fitzgerald gained only 55 yards on his 8 catches; but the Cardinals, with a 524-212 dominance in total yards, whipped the Rams 27-3 to improve to 10-2.
Jenkins and Fitzgerald have faced each other 8 times (and were in the starting lineups 7 times) since Jenkins was drafted by the Rams in 2012. They both won 4 times in those 8 games; but they'll be seeing a lot less of each other now that Janoris is with the N.Y. Giants after signing as a free agent during the offseason.
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3. In his final game with the Rams Janoris Jenkins gives chase as RB DuJuan Harris runs for some of his career high 153 total yards (67 rushing, 86 receiving) in the 49ers' 19-16 home win in overtime in Week 17. Jenkins had 6 tackles (6-0) in the game as the Rams finished with a 7-9 record. The Rams lost in Week 17 in all four of Jenkins' seasons on the team, and in three of those they would have finished at either .500 or with a winning record if they had won their final game of the season. Hopefully Janoris will finally be able to enjoy a winning season now that he's not with the Rams anymore.
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4. What looked like was going to be an 80-yard TD drive by the Seahawks instead ends with no points, as LB Courtney Upshaw strips the ball from DuJuan Harris 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage on 2nd and goal from the 5-yard line on the 10th play of the drive midway through 2nd quarter in Week 14. The Ravens got the FR at the 7-yard line, keeping Seattle's lead at 7-3. It was one of 3 TFL that Upshaw had during the season and the second of his 2 FF. He finished with 3 tackles (2-1) in this game, while Harris rushed for 42 yards on 18 carries in his final game with the Seahawks before finishing the season with the 49ers. The Seahawks won easily 35-6.
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5. Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins had several encounters with dreaded defenders, including this one in Week 3. Buccaneers CB Mike Jenkins makes the tackle at the Houston 49-yard line as Hopkins makes the catch for a gain of 14 on 2nd and 6 midway through 3rd quarter. The Texans punted 4 plays later. Hopkins finished with 8 catches for 101 yards and 1 TD as the Texans got the 19-9 home win. Jenkins (no relation to Janoris Jenkins that I'm aware of) had 3 tackles (3-0) and 1 PBU in his first game of the season after missing the first two weeks due to a hamstring injury. Ironically Jenkins' 2016 season ended on the same field his 2015 season began. After signing with the Cardinals' as a free agent, he tore his ACL in their preseason game at Houston.
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6. Rookie CB Ronald Darby of the Bills wraps up DeAndre Hopkins at the Houston 49-yard line after a 6-yard reception on 1st and 10 early in 2nd quarter in Week 13. The Texans punted 5 plays later. This was the 3rd of 7 tackles (6-1) Darby had in the game. It was Hopkins' 1st reception of the afternoon; his other 4 came in the 4th quarter .....
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7. ..... And here is one of those four, as Hopkins converts a 3rd and 1 with a 29-yard reception against Darby at the 22-yard line. Hopkins beat Darby again for a TD catch two plays later (as was seen in DG161) to tie the game. DeAndre finished with 5 catches for 88 yards, but the Bills scored a TD with 1:53 remaining and added a FG with :33 to play to win 30-21.
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8. It didn't matter if you had dreads or not; if you were a CB for a team that played the Texans in 2015, you most likely gave up a big play or two to DeAndre Hopkins. After burning CB Darrelle Revis for a 61-yard TD in the 2nd quarter in Week 11, Hopkins victimizes CB Marcus Williams here for a 20-yard TD reception, upping Houston's lead over the N.Y. Jets to 24-10 late in 3rd quarter. It was the 3rd time on the season that he had 2 TD catches in one game. DeAndre finished with 5 catches for 118 yards in the Texans' 24-17 home win.
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9. After scoring his 2nd TD of the game vs. the Chiefs in Week 1, DeAndre Hopkins beats CB Jamell Fleming as he makes the catch for the 2-point conversion, bringing the Texans within 27-17 with 4:07 remaining in the game. DeAndre had 9 catches for 98 yards in the season opener, but the Chiefs held on to win 27-20. Fleming, getting significant playing time due to the suspension of starting CB Sean Smith, finished with 7 tackles (7-0) and 1 PBU.
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10. This time instead of making the catch, DeAndre Hopkins gets credit for the tackle as the Texans' opening drive in Week 4 ends with an interception by Falcons DT Jonathan Babineaux on 3rd and 5. It was Babineaux's 4th career INT and his first since 2012. It also was the start of better things to come. The Falcons cashed in the turnover with a Devonta Freeman TD and went on to build a 42-0 lead before settling for a 48-21 victory. On 22 passes intended for him Hopkins finished with 9 catches for 157 yards.
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11. Facing off for the first time, DeAndre Hopkins and CB Davon House had quite a battle in Week 6 at Jacksonville. House had his moments, but Hopkins finished strong to win both the battle and the war. Here House makes the tackle as Hopkins converts a 4th and 1 with an 8-yard gain on his 1st catch of the game during 1st quarter. The 16-play, 99-yard drive ended with a TD 8 plays later, putting the Texans ahead 7-0. Davon finished with 5 tackles (5-0), including 4 tackles of Hopkins, and 3 PBU - all intended for Hopkins. But with the Texans trailing in the 4th quarter, Hopkins beat House on TD receptions of 9 and 26 yards in a span of 3:13 to turn a 14-10 deficit into a 24-14 lead. DeAndre made the dread stars list for the 4th week in a row, finishing with 10 catches for 148 yards as the Texans picked up the 1st road win, defeating the Jaguars 31-20.
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12. Two weeks before facing DeAndre Hopkins, Davon House dueled against another AFC South Pro Bowl WR with dreads, here trying to make the tackle after one of T.Y. Hilton's 5 receptions in the 2nd half. In a game the Jaguars should have won but didn't, House had 3 tackles (3-0) and 2 PBU. Hilton finished with 7 catches for 67 yards as the Colts won at home 16-13 in OT.
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13. In their 2nd meeting during Week 14 at Jacksonville, Davon House tackles T.Y. Hilton from behind at the 11-yard line, holding him to a 14-yard gain and preventing the TD on the final play of the 1st quarter. The Colts settled for a FG 4 plays later to take a 6-3 lead. Hilton did most of his damage in this game without House covering him, finishing with 4 catches for 132 yards. House finished with 4 tackles (4-0) and 1 PBU as the Jaguars whipped the Colts 51-16.
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14. In Week 12 at Jacksonville Davon House fails to tackle Chargers rookie RB Melvin Gordon on this play during 4th quarter. We know he failed because the box score says that none of House's 3 tackles (3-0) in the game was a tackle of Gordon. I'm guessing that this might be Gordon's carry for no gain on 1st and goal from the 5-yard line on the TD drive that upped the Chargers' lead to 31-19 .....






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15. ..... Earlier in the game Melvin Gordon encounters the Jaguars' other starting DB with dreads, as he tries to outrun S Johnathan Cyprien while carrying the ball during 1st half. Cyprien stopped Gordon on all 3 of his tackles (3-0) in the game. I'm not sure, but my guess would be that this was Gordon's carry on 1st and goal from the 7-yard line on which Cyprien made the tackle at the 2. Gordon didn't score any touchdowns (of course), but he was the game's leading rusher with 60 yards on 14 carries. He also had 5 catches for 20 yards in the Chargers' 31-25 win.
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16. This shot would have looked so much better if S Kendrick Lewis didn't have his dreads reduced, but I guess you can't always get everything what you want.
For some reason Melvin Gordon leaves his feet on the run after the catch on 2nd and 7 early in 2nd quarter in Week 8 and is unsuccessful in his attempt to get past Lewis, a player who weighs almost exactly the same as him. I don't know, I didn't see the play; but maybe Gordon thought Lewis was going to go low and was going to try to hurdle him. Whether that was the case or not, you make yourself easier to tackle when you leave your feet, and here Lewis makes the tackle at the Baltimore 30-yard line after a 2-yard gain. The drive ended with a TD (not by Gordon, of course) 5 plays later that gave the Chargers a 10-6 lead. Gordon gained just 7 yards on his 5 catches and rushed for 54 yards on 18 carries. Lewis finished with 6 tackles (3-3), including 1 TFL, as the Ravens won 29-26 on a last-second FG to snap their 3-game losing streak.
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17. Melvin Gordon encounters S David Bruton and his orange dread tips on this play (and several others) during the Chargers' home game vs. the Broncos in Week 13. Bruton tackled Gordon 5 times during the game, so perhaps this is a shot either of Gordon's 3-yard run during 1st quarter or his 21-yard run during 3rd quarter, both of which ended with Bruton making the tackle at the Denver 48-yard line. Gordon gained 63 total yards in the game but was benched for the final 24 minutes after fumbling the back on back-to-back touches (the second of which was forced by Bruton) during the 3rd quarter. Bruton made the dread stars list, recording a career high 13 tackles (10-3) in the Broncos' 17-3 win.
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18. Browns CB Tramon Williams gets credit for the tackle as he forces Melvin Gordon to go out of bounds at the Chargers' 22-yard line for a gain of 1 on the first play of a drive late in 3rd quarter in Week 4. The Chargers punted 6 plays later. Gordon rushed for just 38 yards on 12 carries in the game. Williams finished with 5 tackles (5-0) and 1 PBU but also made a critical error at the end of the game. With the score tied at 27, the Chargers missed a last-second 39-yard FG attempt; but Williams was offside on the play, giving the Chargers another shot at the FG, which they then made to win it 30-27.
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19. With rookie CB Trae Waynes in the starting lineup for the first time at Arizona in Week 14, he and Larry Fitzgerald got to see a lot of each other. Here on the Cardinals' opening drive Fitzgerald hangs on to make a 17-yard reception on 2nd and 14 despite being hit by Waynes. The gain moved the ball to the Minnesota 20-yard line, and the Cardinals kicked a FG 6 plays later. Waynes finished with 5 tackles (5-0) and 1 PBU and also had that key blown coverage that I mentioned in DG164. Fitzgerald had 5 catches for 41 yards as the Cardinals won 23-20.
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20. A couple of rookies with dreads were in the spotlight late in 2nd quarter in Week 6 at Minneapolis. WR Chris Conley, the Chiefs' 3rd round draft pick, is tackled by Trae Waynes, the Vikings' 1st round pick, as he makes the catch for an 8-yard gain to the Minnesota 46-yard line on 2nd and 10 .....
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21. ..... And on the next play Conley drops a pass as Waynes defends on 3rd and 2, ending the Chiefs' chance to cut into the Vikings' 10-0 lead before halftime. Conley had 7 passes thrown to him - tying his season high - but finished with only 3 catches for 16 yards. Waynes had 3 tackles (3-0) in a 16-10 victory that dropped the Chiefs to 1-5.
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22. Chris Conley would have finished the season with 2 TD catches instead of one if QB Alex Smith had been a little more accurate with this deep pass in Week 12. On the first (and only) pass intended for him all day Conley has Ronald Darby beaten on 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 31-yard line midway through 3rd quarter but can't make a diving catch of the overthrown pass. The Chiefs kicked a FG on the next play to up their lead to 24-16. Darby finished the game with 3 tackles (2-1) and 1 PBU as the Bills, after blowing an early 10-0 lead, fell to the Chiefs 30-22.
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23. After seeing this play on Monday night in Week 11, I was hoping there would be a photo of it, and here it is. Backed up to their own 7-yard line after a punt, the Patriots don't stay backed up for long, as RB LeGarrette Blount breaks outside and past the line of scrimmage and has only Ronald Darby to beat to make it a huge gain. But Darby, outweighed by close to 50 pounds, manages to get Blount shoved out of bounds at the 24, holding him to a gain of 17 yards. The Patriots punted 4 plays later. It was the biggest gain of the night for Blount, who finished with 56 yards rushing on 16 carries. Darby, who was not credited with a tackle on the play, finished with 3 tackles (2-1). The Patriots, averaging 33 points per game during their 9-0 start, were held to 20 by the Bills but still won 20-13.
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24. The Patriots were actually trailing in Week 6 but regained the lead on this play, as S Dwight Lowery makes a last-ditch attempt to stop LeGarette Blount inside the 5-yard line. But Blount has too much of a head of steam going and easily breaks the tackle to finish a 38-yard TD run and put New England ahead 17-14 with 9:33 remaining in 2nd quarter. The Patriots, who had hardly trailed at all in their first 4 games, got a run for their money from the Colts before prevailing. Lowery had 8 tackles (4-4) in the game, including his only sack of the season. Blount made the dread stars list, rushing for 93 yards and 1 TD on 16 carries and making an 11-yard TD catch in the Patriots' 34-27 road win.
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25. Dwight Lowery tries to stop the bleeding for the Colts on RB Devonta Freeman's 1st carry of the game during 1st quarter at Atlanta in Week 11, but Freeman breaks his attempted tackle at the Colts' 33-yard line after already having gained 22 yards. Freeman ended up with a 39-yard run before being stopped at the 16-yard line. Two plays later Freeman was hit hard and missed the rest of the game with a concussion. And on the next play after that the drive ended with Lowery's controversial INT in the end zone (which we saw in DG161). In addition to that pick Dwight finished with 1 tackle (1-0). Devonta finished with 43 yards rushing on 3 carries, the injury ruining his chance to have a big game. Falcons blew a 14-0 lead in their 24-21 loss to the Colts. 
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26. Back in Week 3 Devonta Freeman did have a big game, and it was the Falcons' opponent who blew a 14-0 lead. Here S J.J. Wilcox grabs Devonta's facemask in a way-too-late attempt to stop him on his 7-yard TD run on 1st and goal during 4th quarter. It was Freeman's 3rd TD of the game and gave the Falcons their first lead of the day at 32-28 with 11:25 to play. Wilcox, who was not charged with a penalty on the play, finished with 3 tackles (3-0) and 1 PBU. Freeman made the NFL dread stars list for the first time, rushing for 141 yards and 3 TD on 30 carries and catching 5 passes for 52 yards in the Falcons' 39-28 road win over the Cowboys. It was the first of 6 straight games that he made the dread stars list.
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27. J.J. Wilcox made the tackle on the opening kickoff and on the first play from scrimmage in Week 11 and then on no other plays after that. So we can safely assume he didn't make the tackle here, as rookie RB Jay Ajayi carries the ball on one of the 6 plays he touched it (for 36 yards) for the Dolphins in their 24-14 home loss to the Cowboys. With Lamar Miller starting at RB and having a fine season, the 6 touches by Ajayi were a normal game for him (he averaged 6.2 per game) in his reserve role; but things are working out a bit better for Jay in 2016, you think?
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28. They are teammates now with the Jaguars, but in Week 9 in 2015 S Johnathan Cyprien tried his best to make it a miserable day for RB Chris Ivory, then with the Jets. The caption said this was from the 1st quarter; so if Cyprien made the tackle on this play, it was either for a 1-yard loss on the Jets' opening drive or for a 2-yard loss on their 2nd drive. Ivory had 23 rushing attempts in the game, and 7 of them ended with Cyprien making the tackle - and that doesn't include the play we saw in my house calls report on which Cyprien grabbed Ivory's facemask on a TD run that caused Ivory to throw a punch at Cyprien. Ivory gained only 25 yards on his 23 carries (and had 3 catches for 22 yards) but he also scored 2 TD and got the W. Cyprien finished with a game high 11 tackles (6-5), 2 TFL, and 1 PBU, but the Jaguars lost to the Jets 28-23.
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29. On Monday night in Week 2 Chris Ivory dueled against another AFC South defender with sick dreads, as he tries to break a tackle by Colts LB Erik Walden. The game play-by-play doesn't show any plays on which Walden tackled Ivory; so either Chris broke the tackle here or the play didn't count. Ivory ended up with 60 total yards on the 16 times he touched the ball. Walden finished with 2 tackles (2-0). The Jets improved to 2-0 with a 20-7 road win over the Colts.
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30. There was no caption at all for this photo from the Colts' website from Week 7 - but this looks like it might be the play in the 1st quarter where Erik Walden knocked Saints RB Khiry Robinson out of bounds at the Colts' 26-yard line for a 3-yard reception on 2nd and 12. The drive ended 3 plays later (including a successful fake FG) with Robinson rushing for his 1st TD of the game. Despite rushing for only 28 yards on 14 carries, Khiry scored 2 TD in his last full game before breaking his leg. Walden finished with 5 tackles (3-2), including 1 TFL. After jumping out to a 27-0 lead, the Saints held on to defeat the Colts 27-21, leaving both teams with a record of 3-4.
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31. There are not a great number of O-lineman with dreads, so dread duels in the trenches don't happen every week. Here in Week 8 Bears LB Pernell McPhee and his sick dreads takes on Vikings rookie OT T.J. Clemmings, with dreads barely coming out of his helmet. McPhee had 3 tackles (1-2), including 1 sack, but the Bears gave up 10 points in the final 2 minutes and lost at home to the Vikings 23-20. Clemmings missed a few plays in the game after injuring his neck. It wasn't very serious, but serious enough that ever since then he has been wearing a neck collar while on the field. That might become a problem for his dreads as they get longer. For now he has them coming out both the front and back sides of his helmet.
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32. Rookie CB Jalen Collins wraps up WR Jarius Wright after the catch early in 4th quarter in Week 12, but not until Wright gains 8 yards to convert a 3rd and 4. The Vikings kicked a FG 9 plays later to up their lead over the Falcons to 13-3. This was the only tackle of the game for Collins, who also contributed to the Vikings' FG drive on the preceding possession with a 24-yard PI penalty. Wright, whose dreads look much better than this when they're not reduced, finished with 2 catches for 13 yards as the Vikings won 20-10 to deal the Falcons their 4th straight defeat. After being drafted in the 2nd round, Collins was on the field for only about a fourth of the defensive snaps in his rookie season - and with almost no positive impact, as he finished with 0 INT and 0 PBU. He just finished a 4-game PED suspension to start 2016, so hopefully before long he'll start showing us why the Falcons thought so highly of him.
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33. Raiders WR Seth Roberts runs after the catch before being pushed out of bounds by Broncos CB Bradley Roby on the first play of a drive late in 3rd quarter at Denver in Week 14. The Raiders punted 5 plays later but got the ball back when the Broncos muffed the punt. Raiders then scored a TD to take the lead. Their first TD came when Roberts beat Roby on an 11-yard reception on the 2nd half opening drive. Roberts finished with the 2 catches against Roby for 20 yards. Roby had 2 tackles (2-0) and 1 PBU. Despite making only 1 first down in the 1st half, Raiders trailed only 12-0 as Broncos settled for 4 FGs. Raiders then came back to win 15-12.
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34. In the Raiders' preceding road game back in Week 12 Seth Roberts contributed to three scoring drives. Here late in 2nd quarter he runs after the catch for a 17-yard gain on 3rd and 10 before being stopped by Titans S Daimion Stafford at the 5-yard line. Raiders settled for a FG 4 plays later to increase their lead to 10-6. Stafford finished with 3 tackles (2-1) and 1 PBU. Roberts went on to make 2 TD catches in the 2nd half, including the game-winner with 1:21 remaining in 4th quarter. He finished with 6 catches for 113 yards in the best game of his career so far as the Raiders won 24-21.
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35. Chiefs WR Saalim Hakim tries to delay the progress of Broncos S Omar Bolden as he tries to get downfield as the gunner on one of the Broncos' 6 punts during their 29-13 home loss to the Chiefs in Week 10. Hakim (19 plays) and Bolden (23 plays) played exclusively on special teams, so this might not have been the only time they went up against each other. Hopefully we'll see them on an NFL field again at some point in the future; but right now neither one is in the league, with Hakim last being released by the Browns right after the draft and Bolden by the Bears just before training camp.
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36. After beating LB Danny Trevathan (#59, dreads not visible, as usual) on a wheel route on 3rd and 8 and making the catch almost perfectly in stride (what else would you expect from Tom Brady?) at the Broncos' 40-yard line, RB Brandon Bolden is home free after surviving Omar Bolden's desperate attempt to knock him off his feet here at the 25-yard line on the first play of the 4th quarter in Week 12 at Denver. The 63-yard TD reception was the longest gain of Brandon's career (4 years, all with the Patriots) and upped New England's lead to 21-7. As you remember, however, the Broncos came back to get a huge win 30-24 in OT. Omar (no relation to Brandon that I'm aware of) had 1 tackle (1-0), 2 kickoff returns for 46 yards and 2 punt returns for 8 yards, on one of which he recovered his own muff. Brandon almost made the dread stars list, racking up 95 total yards even though he was on the field for only 14 snaps on offense.
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37. With LeGarrette Blount being injured during the 2nd quarter in Week 14, Brandon Bolden found himself on the field for a season high 34 snaps on offense at Houston and tied his career high with 16 carries. On this one early in 2nd quarter he is stopped at the 25-yard line by LB Jadeveon Clowney and CB Johnathan Joseph after a 5-yard gain on 3rd and 8. Patriots kicked a FG on the next play to up their lead to 10-3. Clowney finished the night with 7 tackles (4-3), including 2 sacks. Bolden rushed for 51 yards in the Patriots' 27-6 win.
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38. 49ers DT Ian Williams tries to stop Cardinals RB Chris Johnson on one of his 12 carries during the Cardinals' 19-13 road win in Week 12. The caption for this photo doesn't say if Williams made the tackle or not on this play. It's possible he did, because he tackled Johnson 3 times in the game. Williams had 5 tackles (4-1) in all, including 1 TFL. Johnson gained just 17 yards on his carries and left the game in the 3rd quarter after breaking a bone in his leg, which ended up ending his season.
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39. CB Brian Dixon has the coverage for the Saints, but it was irrelevant on this key play during 4th quarter in Week 14. The only reason the Buccaneers didn't convert a 3rd and 10 with 4:21 remaining is that rookie WR Donreea Dye dropped what by all accounts was a perfectly-thrown pass near the Saints' 45-yard line. The Bucs punted on the next play, thinking they would get the ball back; but they never did, as the Saints picked up two first downs on the ensuing drive and ran the clock out. Dixon, who was on the field for only 14 plays - and just two of those on defense - had no stats in the game. Dye finished with 1 catch for 16 yards. The Buccaneers entered the game at 6-6 and with a chance to stay in the NFC playoff picture; but instead they fell at home to the 4-8 Saints 24-17, starting them on a season-ending 4-game losing streak.
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40. In another NFC South December dread duel, Falcons RB Devonta Freeman looks for a way to get past Panthers rookie LB Shaq Thompson during 1st half at Atlanta in Week 16. Perhaps this is a shot of the play where Thompson tackled Freeman for a 2-yard loss during 2nd quarter, but all the caption says about this play was that it happened in the 1st half. Of Thompson's 5 tackles (4-1) in the game, on four of them he tackled Freeman, who finished with 73 yards rushing, 17 yards receiving, and 1 TD. Panthers fans got a lump of coal for Christmas - in the form of the Panthers' 1st loss of the season - as the Falcons won 20-13 to avenge the 38-0 spanking the Panthers gave them two weeks earlier.
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41. The play began normally enough for Titans RB Dexter McCluster - take the pitch and run around the left end; but then Shaq Thompson turned it into a highlight reel play. After ignoring a run fake up the middle and staying at home, Thompson is in perfect position and makes McCluster sorry he was chosen to carry the ball on this 2nd and 10 midway through 1st quarter in Week 10, meeting him head on, lifting him up, and dropping him on his back for a 1-yard loss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWh00FbraYo ..... See Dexter, that's what happens when you reduce your dreads (lol). No, actually the drive ended 8 plays later with McCluster scoring his 2nd and last TD of the season, tying the game at 7. McCluster finished with 52 total yards on 7 touches. This was Thompson's only tackle in 9 snaps on defense. The Panthers pulled away late to win 27-10 and improve 9-0.
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42. Old timers Roddy White and Charles Tillman saw a lot of each other in Week 16 at Atlanta, Tillman, the Panthers' 13th year CB, tackled White, the Falcons' 11th year WR, after 3 of his 5 receptions, including this 16-yarder to the Carolina 37-yard line early in 3rd quarter. The drive ended with a missed FG 6 plays later, keeping the score tied at 7. Tillman had one other tackle in the game to finish with 4 (4-0) and also picked up a costly personal foul penalty when he got into a scuffle with White after a play during 1st quarter. Roddy had his best game of a disappointing final season of his career with 5 catches for 67 yards. The Falcons won 20-13 to end the Panthers' 15-game winning streak.
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43. Roddy White is on the losing end of this dread duel in Week 11, as Colts CB Greg Toler gets his hand in there to prevent White from making the catch on 3rd and 5 early in 1st quarter. The Falcons failed to cash in a turnover by the Colts on the 2nd play from scrimmage, going three-and-out on their opening drive and then missing a FG attempt. White had a season high 9 passes thrown to him but finished with only 4 catches for 24 yards. Toler had a season high 9 tackles (7-2) and 1 PBU in the Colts' 24-21 victory.
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44. Greg Toler comes out on the losing end of this dread duel at Pittsburgh in Week 13, as WR Markus Wheaton catches the pass in front of him in the front right corner of the end zone for a 5-yard TD on 3rd and goal, increasing the Steelers' lead to 21-10 with 10 seconds remaining in 1st half. Wheaton, who had a 27-yard reception three plays earlier, finished with 3 catches for 50 yards. Toler had 5 tackles (5-0) and 2 PBU in a tough night for the Colts' secondary. QB Ben Roethlisberger passed for 364 yards and 4 TD with 0 INT as the Steelers turned the game into a laugher in the 2nd half, blowing out the Colts 45-10.
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45. On the first play from scrimmage after a TD had given the Chargers a 17-10 lead midway through 4th quarter on Monday night in Week 5, the Steelers tie it right back up as Markus Wheaton, after beating CB Brandon Flowers deep and catching the pass from Michael Vick at the 30-yard line, fakes CB Jason Verrett to the ground as he cuts to the right toward the middle of the field here at the 23-yard line, and takes it to the house for a 72-yard TD. It was Wheaton's only catch of the game and the biggest gain of his career. Verrett finished the night with 2 tackles (2-0) and 1 PBU. The Steelers won a thriller 24-20, scoring a TD (instead of trying a FG) on the last play of the game.
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46. Markus Wheaton is denied the TD during Week 3 of the preseason, but Bills CB Stephon Gilmore pays for it as he makes the tackle at the 1-yard line after a 20-yard catch and run early in 1st quarter. Gilmore injured his shoulder on the play and missed the rest of the game, but was healthy in time for the regular season opener. Wheaton's only catch of the game set up a TD on the next play that gave the Steelers an 8-7 lead; but the Bills won 43-19 - not that anybody cared.
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47. And here is Stephon Gilmore in action in the regular season opener. More often than not he was assigned to cover Colts WR Andre Johnson, but he did have a few close encounters with WR T.Y. Hilton too. Gilmore's final stats say he had 4 PBU in the game; but he will say he should have had 3 PBU and 1 INT. The INT should have been here (left photo) early in 2nd quarter, but instead he drops the deep pass intended for Hilton. The photo on the right looks like the play late in 1st quarter on which Gilmore tackled Hilton after a 30-yard catch and run to the Colts' 40-yard line (but I'm not sure about that). Hilton had a busy afternoon before missing the 4th quarter due to a knee injury. He had 7 catches (on 14 passes to him) for 88 yards. Gilmore finished with 6 tackles (6-0) in addition to his 4 PBU. The Bills won 27-14.
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48. Here's another AFC dread duel from Week 1, as Jets S Calvin Pryor tries to stop Browns RB Isaiah Crowell on one of his 14 touches in the game. Three times Pryor tackled Crowell - all in the 1st half - so this might be one of them. Crowell finished with just 33 total yards. Pryor led the Jets in tackles with 10 (8-2) and had a huge FF on the Browns' opening drive at the 1-yard line that resulted in a touchback. The Jets got the home win 31-10.
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49. Isaiah Crowell is tackled by two players with dreads on this play early in 2nd quarter at Cleveland in Week 13. DT Pat Sims (high) and LB Vontaze Burfict (low) bring down Isaiah at the Cleveland 28-yard line for a gain of 4 on 2nd and 5. The drive ended 5 plays later with an incomplete pass on 4th and 1. Despite Crowell's 62 yards rushing on 11 carries, none of the Browns' 10 drives ended with a TD. Sims had just this 1 tackle in 22 snaps, and Burfict had a team-leading 8 tackles (6-2), including 2 TFL, in the Bengals' easy 37-3 victory.
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50. Steelers DT Steve McLendon adds his two cents to Isaiah Crowell's worst game of the season in this duel of sick dreads during 2nd quarter in Week 10. McLendon drops Crowell for a 4-yard loss on his only tackle of the day at the Cleveland 10-yard line on the first play after the Steelers turned the ball over on a fumble by Martavis Bryant. The Browns punted 9 plays later. Crowell had 7 touches in the game and was tackled for a loss on three of them. He finished with -1 total yards (-5 rushing, 4 receiving) in the Browns' 30-9 road loss.
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51. In his first game in a Steelers uniform RB DeAngelo Williams found himself face-to-face with Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower on several plays, including these two. Hightower was credited with tackling Williams 5 times, not including another time that was nullified by penalty. Dont'a had 8 tackles (6-2) in all, including a sack. Williams made the first of his 7 appearances on the dread stars list, rushing for 127 yards on 21 carries; but the Steelers began the season with a 28-21 road loss to the Patriots.
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52. After DeAngelo Williams runs for 21 yards to pick up the Steelers 1st first down of the night in Week 13, he gets the ball again on the next play and things don't turn out quite as well, as he gets stripped by LB Nate Irving at the 27-yard line after a 1-yard gain. The Colts recovered the fumble to set up a FG four plays later. It was one of the very few bright spots for the Colts' D in the game, as the Steelers proceeded to score 4 TD and 3 FG on their next 9 possessions. This was the first of 3 tackles (2-1) in the game for Irving, who also had a PBU. Despite not scoring, Williams racked up 165 total yards on 31 touches as the Steelers spanked the Colts 45-10.   
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53. Arguably the most likely place in the league to see a dread duel in 2015 was when the Steelers' offense faced the Bengals' defense. Here in Week 14 LB Rey Maualuga makes one of his 4 tackles of DeAngelo Williams, bringing him down in the open field at the Pittsburgh 27-yard line for a 1-yard loss on 2nd and 1 early in 3rd quarter. The Steelers punted 2 plays later. This was the only TFL among Maualuga's 7 total tackles (5-2) in the game. Williams barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 91 total yards and 2 TD on 25 touches .....
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54. ..... Earlier in the same game, WR Markus Wheaton picks up the Steelers' 1st first down, beating rookie CB Josh Shaw up the left sideline and catching Ben Roethlisberger's perfect pass in stride on 3rd and 1 at the Cincinnati 45-yard line before going out of bounds at the 40. The 31-yard reception was the Steelers' biggest gain of the day and was the 3rd play of an 11-play, 80-yard opening drive that gave the Steelers a 7-0 lead. Wheaton finished with 4 catches for 65 yards .....
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55. ..... Later in the same game the Steelers pick on Josh Shaw again, as Roethlisberger tries to hit WR Martavis Bryant (not Wheaton, as it is recorded erroneously on the game play-by-play) deep on a go route on 2nd and 4. But not only does Shaw have good coverage, he gets help from S Reggie Nelson, who gets over in time to make the interception at the 4-yard line: http://www.bengals.com/media-lounge/videos/Bengals-Reggie-Nelson-picks-off-Steelers-Ben-Roethlisberger/48c5ace1-99be-44a8-adb7-f2754ce0cacf ..... It was the 5th game in a row that Nelson picked off a pass and was his 8th INT of the season, extending his career high (his previous career high was 5 INT in 2007); and it kept the Bengals in the game, trailing 26-13. Reggie also had 3 tackles (2-1) in the game; while Shaw, playing a season high 52 snaps on defense due to Adam Jones' missing the game with an injury, finished with a season high 8 tackles (6-2). Bryant was held to 7 catches for 49 yards, but the Steelers won 33-20.
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56. Martavis Bryant, who had that famous close encounter with Bengals CB Dre Kirkpatrick on his TD catch in the Week 18 playoff game, also saw a lot of Kirkpatrick in their first meeting of the season here in Week 8. Although I'm not 100% sure, I'd be willing to bet that this is a shot of Bryant eluding Kirkpatrick as he runs after the catch for a 10-yard gain to the Cincinnati 18-yard line to convert a 2nd and 8 on the Steelers' opening drive. The drive ended with a TD 4 plays later. This was the first of 4 catches for Bryant for 49 yards. Kirkpatrick finished with 3 tackles (3-0) and also was charged with a 22-yard PI penalty earlier in the opening drive. The Bengals scored 10 points in the 4th quarter to get the 16-10 road win and improve to 7-0.
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57. Whenever Dre Kirkpatrick tackles you, he always tries to wrap you up - wrap up your neck, that is. Dre demonstrates his preferred tackling method on Bills WR Sammy Watkins as Watkins makes the catch at the Buffalo 35-yard line for an 8-yard gain on 2nd and 7 in Week 6. The 14-play, 86-yard drive ended with Watkins injuring his ankle while making a 22-yard TD catch. He finished with 4 receptions for 48 yards - all on this drive. Kirkpatrick had 6 tackles (6-0) and 1 PBU. In a game where Stephon Gilmore tried to give Reggie Nelson a run for his money for the most awesome dreads on the field, Kirkpatrick and Watkins were in a competition to see who could reduce their dreads the most. The Bengals won the game 34-21.
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58. The pass to Browns WR Travis Benjamin on 2nd and 9 is incomplete near the Cincinnati 25-yard line as Dre Kirkpatrick defends late in 1st quarter in Week 13. Kirkpatrick got credit for a PBU on the play. Upon colliding with the ground Benjamin injured his shoulder. He tried to stay in the game but played just one more possession before calling it a day with 0 receptions (his only shutout of the season, as he had at least 2 catches in the other 15 games). Kirkpatrick had 3 tackles (3-0) in addition to the 1 PBU as the Bengals cruised to what arguably was their easiest victory of the season 37-3.
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59. They've been on opposing sidelines in high school (2007 Muck Bowl), college (Miami vs. Florida in 2008), and here for the first time on Sundays as the Browns take on the Rams in Week 7 of 2015. Janoris Jenkins knocks a pass away from Travis Benjamin either in the 2nd quarter or 3rd quarter of the game at St. Louis. Both of Jenkins' 2 PBU in the game came on passes to Benjamin. Travis for the most part had a miserable afternoon. On 8 passes intended for him he had 4 catches for 47 yards. But 20 of those yards came on a play where he fumbled the ball, resulting in a turnover. He also had a 25-yard punt return nullified by a penalty and a 36-yard reception nullified by a penalty. Jenkins finished with 5 tackles (3-2) in addition to the 2 PBU, and on one of the tackles he forced a fumbled which the Rams recovered and returned for a TD. Janoris, who was on the winning team in their two previous meetings, was a winner again as the Rams defeated the Browns 24-6. Next meeting (if they remain with their current teams): 2017, when the Chargers visit the Giants.