NFL '17 Dread News - Week 18

It was so obvious that Alvin Kamara was going to be a special player on Sundays that even I could see it. But little did I know when I spotlighted Kamara in my preview of the 2017 NFL Draft that there actually were going to be two Special K's in this year's class of rookies with dreads. About 90 minutes or so after the New Orleans Saints picked Kamara in the 3rd round of the Draft, another running back whose name begins with K was the 3rd round choice of the Kansas City Chiefs. I actually was hoping the Chiefs would get Kamara; so at first I wasn't as excited when the RB with dreads they picked was some guy by the name of Kareem Hunt. That was just ignorance on my part. Having seen several of Kamara's games during his junior season in college at Tennessee, I was already familiar with what he could do. But having noticed halfway through his college career that Hunt's hair actually was in braids, not dreads (he's got dreads now, of course), I didn't watch any of his games at Toledo; so I didn't realize until this season how great a player he is too.

Hunt, you probably noticed, wasted no time letting us know just how special he was going to be when he debuted with 246 total yards and 3 TD at New England in the season opener. So special were Kareem and Kamara throughout the season that they'll likely finish first and second in the voting for the league's offensive rookie of the year. And with both the Saints and the Chiefs making the playoffs this year, last weekend they both were going to show everyone exactly why ..... or so I thought.

Due to circumstances mostly beyond their control, Hunt and Kamara were very quiet in their games last weekend. Boasting a combined 17 appearances on the dread stars list between them so far this season, they didn't gain enough yards between them to get on the list this week. Their puny combined total of 80 total yards (Hunt 47, Kamara 33) wasn't anywhere near the 100 needed to make the list. At least the Saints won their game, so Alvin will get another chance. But as for Kareem? ......

To be a Chiefs fan is not only to know defeat in the playoffs, it is to expect it. It is to feel the utter exasperation of watching the Chiefs try hard but yet again find a way to lose a game they weren't supposed to lose. That exasperation was expressed perfectly by this front row customer (photo on right) at Arrowhead Stadium after their latest failure last Saturday. The Chiefs dropped to 1-10 in their last 11 playoff games, and to an incredible 0-6 at home during that span, with their come-from-ahead 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans - a loss that left me (and probably a few other people) disgusted and boiling mad. First the Chiefs got cheated by the officials, then they meekly and helplessly let the Titans rally from a 21-3 halftime deficit and take the game from them. Leave it to the Chiefs to become the first team in 60 years to lose a playoff game at home after leading by that many points at halftime.

I'll admit, they had me fooled for a while. When they dominated the 1st half, racking up 264 total yards, I thought they were going to win. But even though it was 21-3, I still wasn't happy, because they could have been ahead by even more than 18 points had not the officials botched the call on a key play in the 2nd quarter.

The Chiefs came out on fire on offense. WR Tyreek Hill dropped a deep pass on the first play from scrimmage but made big plays on the next two possessions. Hill had a 45-yard catch and run on 3rd and 3, and two plays later Hunt scored on a 1-yard plunge (photo on left) for a 7-0. Then Tyreek contributed a 26-yard catch and run on the first play of a 76-yard drive, and it was 14-0 before the quarter was over. The Titans pretty much shot themselves in the foot on their first 4 possessions, but it was a big play by the Chiefs' defense that ended their 5th drive. Or, I should say, it looked like it was going to be a big play.

On 3rd and 4 from the KC 22-yard line, blitzing LB Derrick Johnson came in unblocked and crushed QB Marcus Mariota, who fumbled the ball. LB Justin Houston scooped up the FR and appeared to have a good chance to take the return all the way to the house until being stopped by the whistle of the referee, who had blown the play dead. Huh? What? Why?! The only photo (on right) of the play I could find was taken just before Mariota coughed up the ball; but on the video you can clearly see what happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkT_mNU6ecI ...... Apparently none of the officials saw the fumble. OK, so when that happens, you challenge the call, and after a replay review you can still get the FR - even if it's after the whistle - just not the return. But the Chiefs couldn't even get that because the officials ruled Mariota's forward progress was stopped before he fumbled. I'm sorry, folks, but that was a fumble. Plain and simple the Chiefs got robbed - of the FR for sure and of possibly a TD too. So instead of the score being 21-0, or still 14-0, it was 14-3 after the Titans kicked a field goal on the next play. I mean, the Chiefs' defense isn't all that great to begin with. So when they make such a huge momentum-keeping, game-changing play and then have it taken away from them, it's just devastating.

In one article about the game that I read there were some reader comments that mentioned the Chiefs also benefited from a blown call by the officials, as on the 2nd play of the ensuing drive TE Travis Kelce was hit hard after catching a pass and lost control of the ball before he went down. And those readers would be correct. But here's the thing about that. If the Chiefs get the touchdown on the Mariota fumble, the play on which Kelce fumbled never would have happened, because the Titans' offense would have been back on the field, not the Chiefs'. And another thing. Had that play not happened, the concussion Kelce suffered after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from S Johnathan Cyprien (photo on left above) wouldn't have happened either. So not only were the Chiefs on the wrong end of a 10-point swing, they also lost one of their best players thanks to that blown call.

The Chiefs went on and scored a touchdown on that last drive before halftime. After keeping the ball despite Kelce's fumble, they drove 79 yards in 9 plays. WR Demarcus Robinson, without a TD in his first two seasons on the team, picked a great time to make his first house call. Robinson bailed out the Chiefs' coaching staff as he made a defender miss inside the 5-yard line on his 14-yard TD reception (photo on right) that made the score 21-3 with just 3 seconds remaining. Had he not scored, the Chiefs would have had to settle for a FG, and Coach Reed would have been barbecued (again) for his boneheaded time management. Demarcus is now in his 3rd season with dreads, and if you look close enough, you can see they're getting long enough to be visible outside of his helmet. He had 4 catches for 57 yards on that drive - his only 4 catches of the game. They never went back to him at all in the entire 2nd half.

I kind of got the feeling it wasn't going to be the Chiefs' day when the Titans got their first touchdown on a play that should have been an incomplete pass. On the 15th play of their 2nd half opening drive it was 3rd and goal at the 6-yard line, and the Chiefs had all Titan receivers blanketed. Mariota moved around but couldn't find anybody open. Finally he tried to throw a pass into the end zone, and it was broken up by CB Darrelle Revis, who was standing near the goal line, well in front of the intended receiver. But instead of going down and hitting the ground, the ball deflected right back to Mariota, who made the catch and went in for the TD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or82E31eReM

Nothing you can do about bad luck. No doubt, a fantastic play by Mariota, but again he got the benefit of the doubt from the officials. ESPN announcer Sean McDonough was on it right away, mentioning that it looked like Mariota was beyond the line of scrimmage when he threw, which would make it a penalty for an illegal forward pass. So I kept waiting for the action to be stopped for the play to be reviewed. I kept waiting for ESPN to show us a super-slow motion replay from 8 different angles so if we could see if the play was legal or not. Well, I'm still waiting. On a play begging to be reviewed there was no review. I have no doubt Mariota was beyond the line of scrimmage when he let go of the ball. But from the only shots we saw, it was not conclusive whether or not the play was legal. But if they had reviewed the play like they were supposed to, maybe there would have been a shot that was conclusive. It just drives me nuts when the proper procedure isn't followed like that. So, it was another 4-point swing in favor of the Titans, who would have settled for a FG on the next play had the TD been overturned and the penalty enforced.

From then on the Chiefs had nobody to blame but themselves. They went three-and-out on their first drive of the 2nd half but got a huge break when the Titans muffed the punt return. The Chiefs got the FR at the Titans 28-yard line but went three-and-out again and then missed the FG attempt. At that point the Chiefs' defense turned into a sieve. RB Derrick Henry suddenly became unstoppable. Henry, who had a fumble in the 1st half when the score was 14-0 that would have fueled the Chiefs' early momentum even more had it not luckily rolled out of bounds, finished the 62-yard drive that followed the missed FG with a 35-yard TD run to pull the Titans within 21-16 early in the 4th quarter. 206-pound S Ron Parker barely even slowed Henry down, let alone stop him, while trying to make the touchdown-saving tackle inside the 10-yard line (photo on left above).

Then after a dropped pass on 3rd and 2 doomed the Chiefs' next drive, the Titans went 80 yards in 11 plays to take the lead 22-21 with 6:06 to play. The Chiefs reached the Tennessee 44-yard line on their next possession. But instead of punting on 4th and 9 with 2:15 remaining, they went for it and a deep pass to WR Albert Wilson was incomplete. Wilson had a chance to make a spectacular leaping catch on the play but dropped the ball after being distracted by Cyprien closing in on him (photo on right). To make the collapse complete the Chiefs never got the ball back, failing to stop Henry on a simple running play on 3rd and 10. Derrick gained 22 yards to get the 1st down with 1:45 to play, capping his 85-yard 4th quarter. The Titans ran out the clock from there, putting Chiefs fans into that familiar daze that comes with another mind-boggling end to a season.

Henry made the dread stars list, of course; and so did Hill, although only 3 of his 101 total yards came in the 2nd half. Also only 16 of Hunt's 47 yards came after halftime. With the Chiefs' offense doing a 180 and being unable to keep their drives going, Kareem touched the ball only 4 times in the 2nd half. The Chiefs followed their 264-yard 1st half with a pathetic 61-yard 2nd half.
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Is this what the NFC South has come to? The Falcons' defense is better than their offense? And the best way to stop the Saints' offense is to dare Drew Brees to beat you? Drew Brees, as in future Hall-of-Fame QB Drew Brees. Apparently so. With Kamara and his sidekick, Mark Ingram, recording one of the most prolific seasons by a RB duo in NFL history - they both averaged almost 100 yards per game in 2017 - the Carolina Panthers' game plan last Sunday was to take them away and take their chances with Brees, who this season at 37 years old might have slowed down a bit but who yet still is really, really good. Well, the Panthers stopped Kamara and Ingram alright, holding them to a combined 45 yards rushing on 19 carries and just 2 catches for 23 yards. But they didn't stop Brees, who torched them for 376 yards passing on just 23 completions in leading the Saints to an uncomfortable 31-26 home victory and a satisfying 3-game sweep of the Panthers this season.

I didn't watch most of the game; but on the highlights I saw there was a huge momentum change late in the 1st quarter. Panthers WR Kaelin Clay dropped a pass in the end zone on 3rd and 2 that would have gone for a 7-yard TD; and on the next play the Panthers missed the chip-shot FG attempt, coming away empty on a 15-play drive. And then 2 plays later WR Ted Ginn got open deep and caught Brees' pass (photo on left) for an 80-yard TD. So it was 7-0 Saints instead of 7-0 Panthers. Ginn, who was wearing a Panthers uniform the last time they made the playoffs (in 2015), finished with 4 catches for 115 yards against his former team. His quick-strike score got the Saints' offense cooking. After punting on their first two possessions, they scored 3 touchdowns and 1 field goal on their next four. The Panthers, meanwhile, continued to move the ball and continued to fail to reach the end zone, settling for field goals on 4 straight drives to make the score 24-12 at the start of the 4th quarter. After only bending up to that point, the Saints' defense finally broke, and you wondered if they were going to be able to hang on.

After the Panthers finally scored a TD to make it 24-19, their next drive was foiled mostly due to a play made by DT Tyeler Davison, the lesser known of the Saints' two starting D-linemen with dreads. Davison sacked QB Cam Newton (the beginning of the play in photo on the right) for a 10-yard loss on 2nd and 7. And Newton wasn't on the field for the 3rd and 17 on the next play because, while desperately trying to get away from Davison, he ended up taking a hard hit from another defender and injured his eye. The Panthers punted, and the Saints got themselves some breathing room, driving 62 yards in 5 plays. Kamara, who didn't pick up a 1st down on any of the 12 times he touched the ball and whose biggest gain on the ground was only 5 yards, at least got the satisfaction of finishing the drive with a 2-yard TD run to make it 31-19 with 5:08 remaining.

But the Panthers struck back immediately with a 56-yard TD 59 seconds later to make it 31-26; and when Coach Payton then rolled the dice and lost, throwing a pass that was intercepted (actually it should have been ruled an incomplete pass, but the replay official was asleep at the switch in this game too) on 4th and 2 instead of punting, the Panthers had the ball at their own 31-yard line with 1:51 to play. On the 3rd play of the drive Clay made up a bit for his earlier drop with a nice catch on the sideline (photo on left) for a 21-yard gain to the Saints' 26. The drive reached the 21 with 46 seconds remaining, and it seemed inevitable the Panthers were going to score the winning TD. But on 2nd and 10 the Saints' well-known D-lineman with dreads, Pro Bowl DE Cameron Jordan, pressured Newton into a huge intentional grounding penalty - resulting in a 13-yard loss, loss of down, and 10 seconds run off the clock. And the drive, along with the Panthers' hopes, ended two plays later when Newton was blitzed and sacked on 4th and 23.

CB Marshon Lattimore had his hair back to normal for this game, untwisting the beginner dreads he had back in Week 16; but there was another member of the Saints' D who caught my attention after apparently going from normal hair to long dreads in record time. Veteran DT Tony McDaniel (photo on right) was briefly shown on the sideline while it was reported that he was told (erroneously) that his wife had gone into labor (That's some choice, huh? Either play and possibly miss the birth of your child, or don't play in a playoff game), and I couldn't believe how long his dreads were. McDaniel, you might remember, probably had the longest dreads of any D-lineman in the league back in 2011 when he was with the Miami Dolphins. But he cut them off after that season was over and hasn't had dreads since. After doing a little (very little) investigating, I was able to see a photo of him from training camp in which he didn't have dreads but had grown his hair long enough to start beginner dreads. Obviously he was planning on having dreads again but didn't want to wait for years for them to grow to the length they once were by themselves. He attached extensions, and they might have come from the same locks he cut off more than 5 years ago. They're long enough to be. Unfortunately for McDaniel, he injured his leg in the game and is out for the rest of the playoffs after being put on the IR list.
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DON'T LET HIM RUN! .....

That's what I was yelling every time Buffalo Bills QB Tyrod Taylor dropped back to pass on 3rd down in last Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Heck, on 1st and 2nd down too. I had visions of the elusive Taylor leading his team to an upset victory by repeatedly avoiding the pass rush, breaking contain, and using his legs instead of his arm to pick up 1st downs that would demoralize the Jaguars' outstanding defense. Little did I know that before the afternoon was over, "Don't let him run" would be the battle cry of Bills fans as well. Little did I think it would be runs by the Jaguars' quarterback, not by Taylor, that would be the deciding factor in the outcome. Indeed more than anything else it was the 88 yards rushing by Blake Bortles (photo on right above) that allowed the Jaguars to score enough points to win, as they escaped with a 10-3 victory over the Bills in the lowest scoring playoff game since the Steelers beat the Patriots 7-6 20 years ago.

It was 18 years ago that both the Jaguars last played a playoff game at home and the Bills last played a playoff game anywhere. So I guess you could say they were meant to play each other. Unfortunately the fact that they did play each other had a lot of fans covering their eyes. But not all fans. Those who love the combination of good defense, bad offense, and punting all in one game were in heaven watching this, because that's pretty much all there was to see. Between them Taylor and Bortles completed 30 passes for an embarrassing 235 yards. The Bills had a game four weeks earlier with similarly low passing numbers; but that game was played in one of those famous Lake Erie snowstorms. The weather in Jacksonville was fine.

This was the only game of the week that had no touchdowns scored by any players with dreads; but it had a couple of chances to have one. The first one was in the 2nd quarter, on a drive by the Bills that began at their 16-yard line and reached the Jaguars' 1. On 1st and goal - on the next play after the Jaguars foolishly went offside on a FG attempt to gift the Bills a 1st down - instead of trying a running play, Taylor tried to hit 6-foot-5 WR Kelvin Benjamin with a pass on a fade route. But the pass wasn't high enough, and it was broken up by star CB Jalen Ramsey, Benjamin's former college teammate. And on top of that Benjamin was called for offensive pass interference on the play, moving the ball back to the 11-yard line. 4 plays later the Bills settled for a FG to take the lead. Benjamin and Ramsey (photo above on left), who undoubtedly had their share of battles on the practice field during their one season as teammates at Florida State in 2013, saw a lot of each other in this game too. And Ramsey was the clear winner (as he usually is every game, no matter who he's covering). After KB had a 9-yard catch in front of Ramsey to convert a 2nd and 7 in the 1st quarter, Ramsey shut him out the rest of the game.
Here's a video that includes the two plays on which Benjamin and Ramsey dueled that I just mention, as well as Ramsey's big play at the end of the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdS-UVVRHqA

A poor punt gave the Jaguars the ball at their own 47-yard line with 40 seconds remaining until halftime. After picking up a total of only 3 first downs on their first 5 drives, they got 2 in a row when Bortles escaped the pocket and scrambled for gains of 20 and 11 yards on back-to-back plays, moving the ball into FG range and allowing them to tie the game. He also had runs of 9, 1, and 10 yards on the Jaguars' 86-yard drive in the 3rd quarter for the game's only touchdown. RB Chris Ivory had a chance to score that TD. He came into the game on 1st and goal at the 5-yard line and got the handoff; but he was tackled after gaining just 2 yards (his only carry of the day) and went back to the sideline. The TD didn't come until 4th down, on a 1-yard pass.

The Jaguars punted the rest of the day and let the defense handle their business. And the Bills never drove further than the Jaguars' 38-yard line on any of their 4 drives after the Jaguars took the lead. An interception by Ramsey (photo on right above) on 2nd and 20 with :26 on the clock sealed the victory, the first in the playoffs for the Jaguars in 10 years.
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After watching that debacle by the Chiefs in the first game last Saturday, I might have resorted to suicide had the Atlanta Falcons lost too in the second game. Thank goodness that didn't happen, their easier-than-expected 26-13 road win over the Los Angeles Rams coming to my rescue. It's the first time in their history that the Falcons have won playoff games in back-to-back seasons, and it's the first time they've ever won a playoff game on the road with Matt Ryan as their QB. That it would come against the 2017 Rams isn't all that surprising. The Rams were really strange this season. In achieving their 11-5 record they were an impressive 7-1 on the road but 4-4 at home. And since one of those home wins was in a game played in London, they actually were just 3-4 at home, with two of the wins coming against cellar dwellers Indianapolis and Houston. Considering that, along with the fact the Falcons whipped the Rams at the Coliseum 42-0 last season, along with the fact that only 6 players on the Rams current roster had ever played in a playoff game before, I would have been very disappointed had the Falcons lost, even though they were a 6-point underdog.

The Rams figured to have a big edge on special teams, but it didn't turn out that way. Two Rams turnovers on special teams in the 1st half led to 10 points for the Falcons. The second of those came on a fumble (by WR Pharoh Cooper, photo above on left) on the kickoff return after the Falcons had upped their lead to 6-0 with a FG late in the 1st quarter. The Falcons drove 32 yards in 8 plays for the TD, with RB Devonta Freeman scoring on a 3-yard run - thanks to a lotta help from his big friend, C Alex Mack. Two weeks earlier at New Orleans Freeman collided with Mack after taking a handoff, resulting in a fumble at the Saints' 1-yard line. This time the two teamed up again and put laughs and smiles, instead of tears, on the faces of Falcons fans. On a line plunge on 2nd and goal Freeman was stopped at the 1-yard line; stopped, that is, until the 312-pound Mack came in from behind and grabbed a hold of Freeman and dragged Devonta with him over the goal line (photo above on right). Freeman has now scored a TD in all 4 of his career playoff games. He finished the night short of the dread stars list with 66 yards rushing on 18 carries.

Rams RB Todd Gurley did make the dread stars list. But despite finishing with 111 total yards, he didn't hurt the Falcons very much. Usually a dangerous threat as a receiver, Gurley had only 10 yards receiving on his 4 catches. And WR Sammy Watkins didn't hurt them at all. He had only 1 catch for 23 yards. After the Rams pulled to within 13-10 at halftime, the Falcons played keep-away in the 2nd half, adding two more field goals and another touchdown on long drives on their first three possessions of the half. Despite finishing with fewer total yards than the Rams (361-322), the Falcons had a huge advantage in time of possession (37:35 to 22:25). Trailing 26-13 late but still hoping for a miracle finish, the Rams' hopes ended with 2:05 to play when a pass intended for Watkins in the end zone on 4th and goal at the 5-yard line was incomplete. Watkins, both held and interfered with rather blatantly by LB Deion Jones on the play, stood there waiting for penalty flags to be thrown; but none were. Oh well, at least Sammy made it to the playoffs before the Bills, his former team, did - by about 17 hours.

LB Mark Barron was the leading tackler among players with dreads with 10 (8-2), one of them coming on an 11-yard reception by WR Mohamed Sanu (photo above on left) midway through the 2nd quarter. Three other Rams with dreads were on the stats sheet. CB Nickell Robey-Coleman had 3 tackles (3-0) and 1 PBU; while DT Michael Brockers and LB Cory Littleton had 1 tackle each. Brockers' tackle was a half sack in the 2nd quarter, but he injured his knee on the play and wasn't on the field after that.

7 players with dreads made tackles for the Falcons. Of those seven CB Desmond Trufant had the most, finishing with 5 (4-1) as well as with 2 PBU. LB Kemal Ishmael (3-0), DT Dontari Poe (2-1), and rookie DE Takkarist McKinley (2-1) all had 3 tackles. McKinley had a sack on one of his tackles, as did LB De'Vondre Campbell on one of his 2 (2-0) (photo above on right). DE Courtney Upshaw had 2 tackles (0-2) and 1 PBU; and DE Adrian Clayborn's only tackle (1-0) was a TFL. McKinley, by the way, did not cut off his dreads. The headlines from a couple of articles I saw make it sound like he did. He visited the barbershop the day after the game; but all he had removed were the few locks he had that were dyed almost entirely blue or green (or whatever color that was). He also had the rest of his dread tips changed from blue (or green or whatever) to brown. And the other thing: he got his dreads reduced (hopefully not permanently): http://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/the700level/falcons-rookie-cuts-his-green-dreads-face-eagles
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DG

1. Accompanied by his favorite tunes (or whatever), 32-year old LB Erik Walden gets ready for his 13th career playoff game (with 4 different teams) during early warmups (left photo) at Kansas City on Jan. 6 and later is greeted by Coach Mularkey (right photo) as the coach makes his rounds while the players stretch before the game. Previously in the playoffs with the Dolphins (for 1 game), Packers (6), and Colts (5), it's Walden's 1st playoff game for the Titans.

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2. On 1st and 15 in the 1st quarter, Erik Walden makes the first of his 2 tackles (1-1), chasing down WR Albert Wilson from behind on the run after the catch and keeping him from an even bigger gain that he got. By the time Walden dives and gets Wilson pushed out of bounds, it's an 18-yard gain to the Titans' 37-yard line. 4 plays later the Chiefs scored their 2nd TD of the game, increasing their lead to 14-0.









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3. On the first play of their ensuing possession things almost get even worse for the Titans, as RB Derrick Henry fumbles the ball at the Titans' 31-yard line after being hit LB Kevin Pierre-Louis on a run around right end. Luckily for the Titans Pierre-Louis can't make the FR, and the ball rolls out of bounds at the 28-yard line, giving Henry credit for a 3-yard run. The drive ended instead with a punt 6 plays later .....

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4. ..... And on the return of that punt WR Tyreek Hill eludes CB Tye Smith before being forced to cut to the outside and go out of bounds at the 12-yard line for a 0-yard return. Actually I'm not totally sure about that; but the caption says this play was in the 2nd quarter, and if that's accurate, then this has to be that punt return. It couldn't been anything else. Smith did stop Hill on one of his 4 tackles (3-1), but that was later on in the 2nd quarter on a play near midfield. Despite this unsuccessful return, Hill, with dreads too short to be seen with his helmet on, had a successful 1st half, with 14 yards rushing on 1 carry and 5 catches for 84 yards. But in the 2nd half he had just 2 catches for only 3 yards.

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5. Despite the stiff-arm of RB Charcandrick West, S Johnathan Cyprien is able to push him out of bounds at the Titans' 34-yard line for no gain with 30 seconds remaining in the 1st half. Cyprien, however, did not get credit for a tackle on the play because the Chiefs instead accepted a holding penalty against the Titans. Two plays later the Chiefs upped their lead to 21-3 on a TD reception by WR Demarcus Robinson.






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6. On the 2nd play of the 4th quarter, S Ron Parker makes a futile, last-ditch attempt to stop Derrick Henry inside the 10-yard line on 2nd and 10, and Henry finishes off a 35-yard TD run to score the 3rd TD of the game by a player with dreads and cut the Chiefs' lead to 21-16. These were the first 35 of the 85 yards rushing Henry had in the 4th quarter. He finished with 156 yards rushing on 23 carries and also had 2 catches for 35 yards.

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7. On the 4th play of the Chiefs' ensuing possession, Erik Walden makes the last of his 2 tackles, teaming up with DT Austin Johnson to hold RB Kareem Hunt to a 1-yard gain on 2nd and 3. While Henry flourished in the 2nd half, Hunt was stymied, gaining 17 yards rushing on 5 carries after halftime. He finished with 42.
On the next play ex-dread TE Orson Charles dropped a very easy-to-catch pass on 3rd and 2 that would have kept the drive going. Instead the Chiefs punted, and the Titans got the ball with 11:15 to play .....

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8. On the 6th play of the Titans' possession QB Marcus Mariota cuts back inside instead of going out of bounds, forcing Ron Parker to tackle him, which he does at the Chiefs' 45-yard line - but not until Mariota picks up 17 yards for a key conversion on 3rd and 8. Parker finished with 5 tackles (5-0) in the game. Five plays later .....

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9. Ron Parker has a better view than anyone as WR Eric Decker beats S Eric Murray for the 22-yard TD catch that gives the Titans the lead with 6:06 remaining.
The Chiefs reached the Tennessee 44-yard line on their next drive but couldn't get into FG range. And after an incomplete pass on 4th and 9 with 2:09 to play, the Titans got the ball, picked up 2 first downs, and ran out the clock to ice their 22-21 victory. With their collapse the Chiefs became just the second team ever (and first in 60 years) to lose a playoff game at home after leading by at least 18 points at halftime.

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10. I could hardly find any photos at all of players with dreads from the other AFC 1st round game, between the Jaguars and Bills. Other than the photo of Kelvin Benjamin I posted earlier, this was the only one I saw of the Bills WR; and since the view is from the front, you can barely see his dreads as he makes his only reception of the game in front of CB Jalen Ramsey - good for a 9-yard gain on 2nd and 7 late in the 1st quarter. The drive ended with a punt 7 plays later. After this one Benjamin had only 2 other passes thrown to him all day - both were incomplete, and on one of those he was called for a crucial offensive pass interference penalty.

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11. Bills D-linemen, including Cedric Thornton (#91) and Cap Capi (#75) watch helplessly from the sideline as Jalen Ramsey makes the play that brings their season to an end, intercepting a pass intended for WR Deonte Thompson at the Jaguars' 48-yard line with 26 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter.
Capi played 8 snaps on defense and had 1 tackle (1-0). Thornton had 0 tackles in 18 snaps.
The Bills' first playoff appearance since the 1999 season didn't last long. They failed to score a TD in a 10-3 road loss to the Jaguars.

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12. After punting on their opening drive, the Panthers go on a long, 7+-minute drive on their 2nd possession. And on the 6th play of that drive Saints DT Tyeler Davison gets his 1st tackle of the game, eventually getting help from LB Craig Robertson (#52) to stop QB Cam Newton at the Saints' 39-yard line after a 3-yard run on 1st and 10 .....








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13. 8 plays later the ball is at the 7-yard line, and on 3rd and 2 the Panthers have a great chance to score a touchdown; but WR Kaelin Clay, after beating CB Ken Crawley on an out route, drops the pass in the end zone. The Panthers tried to kick a field goal on the next play but missed that too, so the 15-play drive was for naught and the game remained scoreless.

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14. On the 3rd play of the Panthers' next drive Kaelin Clay beats Ken Crawley again on 2nd and 9 but again can't make the catch; but this time Crawley is called for pass interference on the play. I missed this part of the game; but from the looks of it Crawley, despite getting the penalty, may have saved a touchdown. The 39-yard penalty moved the ball to the 13-yard line late in the 1st quarter. 4 plays later the Panthers settled for a FG, cutting the Saints' lead to 7-3 early in the 2nd quarter.




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15. On the 7th play of the Saints' next drive the Panthers' sideline screams for a penalty to be called and it is, as the flag falls behind RB Alvin Kamara as he picks up 4 yards on a carry around right end. The gain was nullified, as the Panthers accepted the holding penalty on FB Zach Line, moving the ball back to the Carolina 32-yard line .....

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16. On the next play the Saints get the 10 yards right back as Alvin Kamara, after catching the pass in the left flat on 1st and 20, gets past LB Luke Kuechly and isn't stopped until he's tackled by LB Thomas Davis at the 22-yard line. The Saints converted the 2nd and 10 on the next play and scored a TD on the play after that, increasing their lead to 14-3 with 9:04 remaining until halftime. The 10-yard reception was Kamara's only catch of the game and his biggest gain on any of the 11 times he touched the ball.

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17. On 2nd and 9 with 5:20 remaining in the 3rd quarter Cam Newton decides to hang onto the ball rather than risk throwing an interception as he is hit by DE Cameron Jordan; so Jordan gets credit for his 1st and only sack of the game, for a 9-yard loss. The Panthers punted 2 plays later, and the scored remained 24-12.

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18. The Panthers pulled to within 24-19 with a TD on their next drive and, after the Saints punted, got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. But on 2nd and 7 Tyeler Davison gets loose and puts the heat on Cam Newton. Newton tried to elude Davison and stay on his feet, but his knee went down at the 10-yard line, so Davison got credit for the sack for a 10-yard loss. As Davison celebrates his sack (right photo), behind him Newton, thinking that his knee didn't touch the ground and that the play is still alive, is hit again - by DT David Onyemata - and suffers an injury to his eye, temporarily knocking him out of the game. The Panthers punted 2 plays later, and the Saints then drove 62 yards for a TD to up their lead to 31-19 with 5:08 to play.
This was the only sack of the day for Davison and the only one of his 6 tackles (1-5) that was a solo tackle.

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19. Although Kaelin Clay finished with only 3 catches for 32 yards, he also drew PI penalties that contributed to two scoring drives. Here, on the first play of the Panthers' next drive, Clay again is interfered with by Ken Crawley. This penalty offset a holding penalty by the Panthers on the play and kept them from facing a 1st and 20. And 3 plays later they scored a TD to make the score 31-26 with 4:09 to play.

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20. After the Panthers drive to the Saints' 21-yard line but then are pushed back to the 34 on their final drive, the drive ends as Cameron Jordan helps S Vonn Bell sack Cam Newton for a 17-yard loss on 4th and 23 with 6 seconds to play. Bell came in unblocked on a blitz and got credit for a solo sack; but since Newton outweighs him by nearly 60 pounds, Jordan arrived to dissuade Newton from even thinking about trying to break free. Two plays before this one Jordan pressured Newton into a crucial intentional grounding penalty. I almost included Jordan on the dread stars list but decided against it. He finished with 3 tackles (2-1), 1 sack and 2 PBU.....

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21. After the sack by Bell seals the win, the Saints' sideline erupts into a celebration, and that includes rookie RB Trey Edmunds. As usual, Edmunds didn't see any action on offense but was on the field for 19 special teams plays.

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22. Alvin Kamara is feeling good as he exits the field after the 31-26 victory - his 1st career playoff win. Perhaps he didn't contribute to the win as much as he had hoped, but he had no choice. The Panthers weren't going to let him beat them. He finished with only 23 yards rushing on 10 carries plus the 10-yard reception seen in photo #16. He did score the Saints' final TD of the game - on a 2-yard run that made the score 31-19 - but I didn't include a photo of that because you can't see his dreads in any of the photos I saved of the play.

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23. It's the Rams' first playoff game since 2004, their first home playoff game since 2003, their first home playoff game as the Los Angeles Rams since 1985, and their first home game at the Coliseum since 1978.
After the Rams go three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, the Falcons do likewise, as LB Mark Barron makes the first of his 10 tackles (8-2), holding WR Julio Jones - his former college teammate - to a 6-yard reception on 3rd and 10. The Falcons punted on the next play.

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24. The Rams go three-and-out again on their second possession, the drive ending here as rookie DE Takkarist McKinley sacks QB Jared Goff at the LA 49-yard line for a 5-yard loss on 3rd and 2. The Rams punted on the next play. McKinley finished with 3 tackles (2-1) and 1 PBU.

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25. The Falcons also go nowhere on their second possession. Here RB Devonta Freeman is wrestled down by CB Trumaine Johnson for a gain of 3 after catching a pass on 3rd and 9. The Falcons didn't get past their own 15-yard line on their first two drives. Playing this week with his dreads reduced, Freeman finished with 69 total yards, including 66 yards and 1 TD rushing on 18 carries.
The Falcons punted on the next play, and the Rams muffed the return, with the Falcons recovering and kicking a FG 4 plays later to take a 3-0 lead.

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26. After the Rams finally pick up the game's 1st first down with 7 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter, on the next play RB Todd Gurley makes the catch in the left flat but is brought down in the open field by CB Brian Poole at the LA 45-yard line after gaining only 3 yards. Gurley averaged 52 yards receiving per game this season; but the Falcons shut that down. On 10 passes thrown to him (4 caught, 6 incomplete) Todd gained only 10 yards. On the next play .....

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27. The Rams try for the quick strike, throwing deep to WR Sammy Watkins on 2nd and 7, but the pass is broken up by CB Robert Alford at the ATL 18-yard line. They punted again 2 plays later. The league's highest scoring team (29.9 PPG) during the regular season, the Rams scored on just 3 of their 10 possessions against the Falcons.

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28. After punting on their first 4 drives as well as turning the ball over twice on special teams, the Rams finally get going. On 2nd and 6 Todd Gurley, after starting up the middle, finds an opening outside and sprints past S Keanu Neal at the LA 45-yard line before going out of bounds at the ATL 49. In all the Rams gained 41 yards on the play - 26 by Gurley plus 15 more on a late hit penalty. The 26-yard run was Gurley's second biggest gain of the game. He finished with 101 yards rushing on 14 carries plus the 4 catches for 10 yards and made the dread stars list.
5 plays later the Rams scored their only TD of the game, on a 14-yard reception by WR Cooper Kupp on 3rd and 5, cutting the Falcons' lead to 13-7.

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29. Other than Devonta Freman, WR Andre Roberts was the only player with dreads to touch the ball for the Falcons. He touched it 3 times on kickoff returns and once on a punt return, picking up a total of only 36 yards. Twice he was stopped by S Cody Davis inside the 20-yard line on kickoff returns, gaining only 7 yards on each return. I think this is a shot of Roberts' KR following the Rams' TD, on which he was tackled at the 10-yard line. If not, then it's when he was tackled at the 17-yard line in the 4th quarter.

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30. The Rams scored again on a drive just before halftime, and this was the big play during the drive. WR Robert Woods beats CB Desmond Trufant deep just enough on a post route on 1st and 10 to make the catch for a 38-yard gain to the 7-yard line. Two plays later a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 17-yard line, forcing the Rams, who were out of timeouts, to kick the FG on 3rd down, cutting the Falcons' lead to 13-10. The 38-yard catch was the biggest play of a big night for Woods, who finished with 9 catches for 142 yards .....

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31. While Woods was having a huge game, Sammy Watkins didn't see many passes come his way - only 4, and this was the only one he caught. After a personal foul penalty on Woods puts the Rams in a 2nd and 19, Watkins finds an opening in the Falcons' zone defense, makes the catch at the LA 42-yard line and picks up 23 yards and the 1st down before being tackled by Desmond Trufant at the 49 with 4:48 remaining in the game .....

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32. ..... 8 plays later on 4th and 3 Robert Woods is open on a short out route and, after bobbling the ball twice, finally gets a handle on it just before he falls out of bounds in front of Desmond Trufant at the 7-yard line with 2:26 to play. Trufant was credited with his 5th, and final, tackle (4-1) of the game. He also finished with 2 PBU.
The 6-yard reception kept the Rams' drive alive, but it died 4 plays later on an incomplete pass on 4th and goal. The Rams got the ball back with 1:42 remaining but went four-and-out on their final drive, and the Falcons held on to win 26-13. It marks the first time ever the Falcons have won a playoff game in back-to-back seasons, and it's their 1st playoff road win in 15 years.

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DREAD STARS, HOUSE OF DREAD, and HEAD DREAD

Three players made the dread stars list in Week 18 (tied for the most ever in a playoff week), But, as usual, I'm going to do one single honors section for the entire postseason, instead of each week of the postseason, and that obviously will be in the Week 22 report after the Super Bowl. Also, you're going to have to wait until next week's report before I begin the dreads focus. With no more games on Saturdays from now on, I'll have more time, so hopefully I won't fall too far behind.