NFL '17 Dread News - Week 19

It's difficult enough in the NFL just defeating your opponent; but when you're fighting history as well as the team on the other sideline, the wins are twice as hard to come by. Two teams found themselves in the unenviable position of trying to beat history in the two NFC 2nd round playoff games on the weekend of Jan. 13-14 - the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings. History - and I'm talking about a combined 73 years of history - says that they couldn't both win. Because if they did, then they'd be facing each other in the next round, and one of them would advance to the Super Bowl. And that would mean that either the Falcons would end the 22-year streak of Super Bowl losers failing to return to the Super Bowl the following season, or the Vikings would end the 51-year streak of teams never playing in the Super Bowl on their home field.

Interestingly enough, the same two teams did beat history in a similar situation 19 years ago. When the Vikings and Falcons both won their 2nd round games in the 1998 playoffs, it assured that one of them would become the first team that played their home games in a domed stadium to ever play in a Super Bowl. But history did not repeat itself in the 2017 playoffs. The Falcons lost, and the Vikings appeared to be dead too - until being resuscitated by one of the most unbelievable plays in NFL history. Trailing the New Orleans Saints 24-23, out of timeouts, and nowhere near field goal range with 10 seconds to play, the Vikings won the game on a ridiculous 61-yard touchdown. It's the first time ever a team has scored a TD on the final play of the 4th quarter to win a playoff game. There have been plenty of game-winning field goals on the last play, plenty of last-minute touchdowns in the 4th quarter, and some touchdowns in overtime. But until WR Stefon Diggs - courtesy of a blunder for the ages by rookie S Marcus Williams - caught a pass at the 34-yard line and took it to the house untouched (photo above), no team had ever won a playoff game with a TD on the final play of the 4th quarter.

"Expletive. Expletive. Expletive." screamed the headline on the front page of the next day's Times-Picayune. And rightly so, because there's no way the Saints should have lost. I mean, if you thought the Ravens giving up a 49-yard TD to the Bengals in Week 17 was impossible, this was even more impossible. A couple of hours after the game was over I went to the Falcons website just to get the reaction of Falcons fans on the live blog of the game. It was hilarious to read how all of the comments posted suddenly changed from disappointment and dejection to outright joy when the Saints gave up that TD. But I'll tell you; I wouldn't wish a loss like that on anybody - not even Saints fans. If any of the teams I cheer for lost a playoff game like that, I don't think I'd be able to handle it.

A player with dreads scored the game's first touchdown; but unless you're a serious Vikings fan, you didn't even realize it. Usually this season you could see (barely) the bottom of RB Jerick McKinnon's dreads just starting to become visible outside of his helmet; but since for this game (for some reason) he either had them bunched together or reduced, he looked like a RB without dreads as he ran 14 yards to the house (top photo on right below) to cap a 55-yard drive and give the Vikings a 7-0 lead in the 1st quarter. They would go on to lead 17-0 at halftime. And when they took the 2nd half opening kickoff and promptly drove to the Saints' 29-yard kine, it looked like the rout was going to be on. But after that drive ended suddenly with a sack on 3rd and 4 that took the Vikings out of FG range, the momentum changed. And wouldn't you know it, when rookie RB Alvin Kamara made a 14-yard TD catch with 3:01 remaining in the 4th quarter (bottom photo on right below), capping a 40-yard drive set up by a blocked punt, the Saints had come all the way back to lead 21-20.

The Vikings regained the lead on a FG but scored too soon. With 1:29 on the clock, you knew they were still in trouble. Sure enough the Saints came right back, picking up 2 first downs and then converting a 4th and 10 to move into FG range at the 33-yard line with :40 on the clock. Here's where the Saints made their first mistake, and it ended up biting them in the ass. At that point the Vikings still had all 3 of their timeouts. On the next play the Saints threw a short pass, and WR Ted Ginn went out of bounds after a 4-yard gain. I mean, if all you're trying to do is get 4 yards, you might as well just run the ball, stay inbounds, and make the Vikings use a timeout. The Saints did stay inbounds on their next two plays, and the Vikings called timeout after both. But after Kamara was stopped for no gain on 3rd and 1, the Vikings still had that one timeout left. So after the Saints kicked a FG on 4th and 1 to take a 24-23 lead, the Vikings got the ball at their own 25-yard line without one timeout remaining instead of none - a huge difference.

The Vikings used that timeout after a 19-yard reception by Diggs on 1st and 15 moved the ball to the 39-yard line. But the next two plays were incomplete passes; so with only 10 seconds to play, the Saints seemed safe. It would take a near miracle for the Vikings just to get the 25 yards or so they needed to get the ball into FG range and get out of bounds to stop the clock. And when they threw the pass near the sideline on 3rd and 10 but not right on the sideline, all the Saints had to do was tackle Diggs inbounds after he made the catch and the clock would run out.

But instead ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJzpoj_NxqQ ..... Mercy! ... Only Williams knows why he did what he did on that play; but the end result was catastrophic for the Saints. Not only did he not make the tackle inbounds, he whiffed completely, not even laying a finger on Diggs (photo on left). And on top of that Williams then collided with teammate Ken Crawley, keeping him from having any chance of tackling Diggs before he got to the end zone. When that play started, the Vikings had nearly a 0% chance of scoring a touchdown on it. Talk about beating the odds. But they haven't beaten history yet. They still have to win one more game before becoming the first play to play in the Super Bowl on their home field.

After a quiet game the previous week, Kamara was back to his productive self. He's the only player to make the dread stars list this week, finishing with a just-enough 105 total yards. McKinnon had 34 yards on 8 carries and 3 catches for 6 yards. Vikings CB Trae Waynes, as he often is, was the player with the best dreads on the field. Celebrating after helping stop a run on 3rd and 1 in the 1st quarter in photo below, Waynes finished with 4 tackles (4-0), as did S Anthony Harris (2-2) and DT Linval Joseph (3-1). Waynes also had 1 PBU. LB Emmanuel Lamur had 1 tackle (1-0). For the Saints DT Tyeler Davison had 3 tackles (3-0) and DE Cameron Jordan had 1 tackle (1-0).

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As frustrated as the Falcons have made their fans feel this season, it was only fitting that they do it to us again one last time, their 15-10 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles the final chapter in a book full of frustrating defeats this season. After the way they blew the Super Bowl last year, I guess I should be satisfied they made the playoffs at all this season. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very disappointed with how often and how badly they struggled. I thought the team fell far short of how well they're capable of playing.

The story of this year's Falcons was as easy as one, two ..... twenty! As in 20 points. Whenever they scored at least 20 points, they won. Whenever they didn't, they lost. Without exception all season. I wasn't optimistic about their chances of going to Philadelphia in the cold (32 degrees) and scoring 20 against the Eagles. After scoring almost at will last season, this year the Falcons just couldn't score against good defenses. Whether it be not having the right plays called, or having the right plays called but having open receivers drop too many passes, or just simply not getting good blocking, the Falcons simply could not get into the end zone enough. And the problem reared its ugly head once again at the end of the game vs. the Eagles.

At the beginning of the game the Eagles seemed to be doing everything possible to hand the game to the Falcons. After gaining 42 yards on a pass interference penalty on the first play from scrimmage, the Eagles turned the ball over on the second play, as RB Jay Ajayi fumbled it away, ruining a successful run that would have gained at least 6 yards. The Falcons promptly drove into the red zone and ..... kicked a FG (what else?). The 4 first downs the Falcons got on that drive were their most on any drive until their final drive of the game. The Eagles took the lead in the 2nd quarter, but not until they almost messed up again. After driving from their own 14-yard line to the Falcons' 2, on 3rd and goal a man in motion bumped into RB LeGarrette Blount as he tried to take the handoff from QB Nick Foles, causing a fumble. The ball was just lying there on the 2-yard line. If a defender had been near, he could have scooped it up and gone 98 yards the other way. But Foles was closest to the ball and was able to fall on it at the 1. Blount then scored the 1-yard TD run on 4th down (photo above on right) to make it 6-3 (the extra point was missed).

The Falcons' only TD was completely gift-wrapped by the Eagles. A muffed punt midway through the 2nd quarter gave the Falcons the ball at the 18-yard line. Then after two penalties by the Eagles gave the Falcons two 1st downs, they finally got into the end zone on 3rd and goal when QB Matt Ryan threw just before being sacked and hit RB Devonta Freeman for a 6-yard TD (photo on left) and a 10-6 lead with 5:41 remaining. The TD kept alive Freeman's streak of scoring a TD in every playoff game he has played - now at 5 games. At that point the Falcons seemed well on their way to 20 points. Little did I expect them to go scoreless for the next 35 minutes.

A comedy of errors - mostly by the Falcons - led to the Eagles closing to within 10-9 at halftime. A punt by the Falcons from midfield was partially blocked, allowing the Eagles to get the ball at their 28-yard line instead of deeper in their territory with :46 to play. But after the next play the Eagles in effect flushed 17 of those seconds right down the toilet thanks to some brutal clock management. But then the Falcons, even more brutally, let them off the hook. First a pass that should have been an easy interception (and with a great chance for a big return) instead deflected off the knee of S Keanu Neal and went straight to WR Torrey Smith, who made the catch for a 20-yard gain to the 50-yard line. Yo Keanu, it's a lot easier to catch the ball if you use your hands instead of your knees. Then 2 plays later, with 7 seconds on the clock and the Eagles out of timeouts, the Falcons, after double covering WR Alshon Jeffery on a sideline route on the previous play, got fooled and left Jeffery open on a sideline route, allowing him to make the catch and get out of bounds for a way-too-easy 15-yard gain that moved the ball into FG range with 1 second left. Here's the video of the two plays that led to the FG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTOaHsuC-kU 

In the 2nd half a pair of long drives that ended with field goals gave the Eagles the lead for good. The Eagles went 4 for 6 on 3rd down conversions on the drives, kicking the FGs after each of the two unsuccessful conversion attempts. The most important of the 4 successful conversions was Ajayi's 32-yard gain on a screen pass on 3rd and 7 on the first series of the second drive. If the Falcons get the stop there, they force the Eagles to punt from their 20-yard line and get the ball down by only 2. Instead the Eagles kept the ball for 10 more plays on the drive and upped their lead to 5. The 32-yard reception by Ajayi (shown carrying the ball in the 1st quarter in photo above on right, preparing to stiff-arm LB De'Vondre Campbell on a 7-yard run) gave him 98 total yards for the game. But after he was stopped for no gain on the next play, he didn't touch the ball again in the final 13 minutes of the game and ended up 2 yards short of making the dread stars list.

A couple of sacks had torpedoed the Falcons' previous two possessions. But with the Eagles settling for field goals, the Falcons still had a chance to steal the game with a TD when they began their final drive with 5:57 remaining. Converting a 4th and 6 along the way, they drove from their 24-yard line to a 1st and goal at the Eagles' 9 with 1:19 to play. They threw the ball into the end zone on both 1st and 4th down, but both times WR Julio Jones was unable to make the catch on a jump ball (the play on 4th down in photo on the left).

The touchdowns by Freeman and Blount were the first 2 of 6 scored by players with dreads this week; but they both found yards difficult to come by. Blount finished with 19 yards rushing on 9 carries. Freeman had just 7 yards rushing on 10 carries (ouch!), being dropped for a 5-yard loss by DE Brandon Graham on one of those carries in photo below, along with 5 catches for just 26 yards. Interestingly Freeman's sidekick, Tevin Coleman, got 79 yards on his 10 carries. Maybe they should have gotten him the ball more. Of the 6 Falcons with dreads who made tackles Campbell had the most with 6 (6-0). CB Desmond Trufant (4-0) and LB Kemal Ishmael (3-1, 1 TFL) had 4. CB Ronald Darby had 7 tackles (7-0), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU for the Eagles, and LB Dannell Ellerbe finished with 2 tackles (2-0).

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The game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers hadn't even been played yet and the hosts of a show on Fox Sports Radio were already talking about what the point spread would be the next week, when the Steelers would face the New England Patriots for the AFC championship.Well, they didn't know it then, but those fools were just wasting their breath. The expected and anticipated Steelers-Patriots clash was cancelled. The Jaguars made sure of that, jumping out to a 21-0 lead and then hanging on for a 45-42 victory in Pittsburgh. Despite whipping the Steelers 30-9 on the same field back in Week 5, the Jaguars were a 7-point underdog for the rematch. But for some reason playing at Heinz Field doesn't intimidate the Jaguars. In their 7 meetings at Heinz Field since it became the Steelers' home in 2001 - and I'd bet the Steelers were favored in all 7 - the Jaguars are now 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the playoffs.

The stats sheet says that the Steelers shredded the great Jaguars defense - to the tune of 545 total yards, including 469 yards passing by QB Ben Roethlisberger. But every last one of those yards came with the Steelers trailing in the game. After LB Sean Spence failed to keep RB Leonard Fournette out of the end zone on a dive over the top on 4th and goal (photo on right), capping a game-opening 66-yard drive, the Jaguars kept the lead for the remaining 55:40 of the game. Not only did all 78 of the Steelers' offensive snaps occur with them trailing, but 62 of those came with them trailing by 10 or more points. In those situations - when you're down by two scores - the yards are much easier to gain.

As often is the case, turnovers were the difference. Rashean Mathis isn't in uniform anymore, but Roethlisberger is still turning the ball over to the Jaguars defense. There were 5 interceptions in the Week 5 meeting back in October and 2 more huge turnovers in this one. An interception on the Steelers' 2nd drive of the afternoon was followed immediately by an 18-yard run by Fournette on the next play for his 2nd TD of the game, making it 14-0. Then with the score 21-7 in the 2nd quarter, Roethlisberger fumbled while being sacked, and LB Telvin Smith scooped up the ball and took it 50 yards to the house (photo on left) to make it 28-7. The Steelers also turned the ball over on downs twice, including an incomplete pass on 4th and 1 that ended a drive on which they had a chance to tie the game early in the 4th quarter. The Jaguars then went 61 yards in 5 plays on the ensuing drive to up their lead to 35-21.

If you were looking for a lot of players with dreads, this wasn't the game you should have been watching. Steelers WR Martavis Bryant was the only player with dreads who touched the ball all day. He finished with 2 catches (on 4 targets) for 78 yards, including a nice over-the-shoulder catch for a 36-yard TD on 4th and 11 in the final minute before halftime that cut the Steelers' deficit to 28-14. On one of the two passes to him that were incomplete, Bryant was clearly interfered with by S Jarrod Wilson (photo on right), who should have been called for a penalty but wasn't. Instead it went in the book as one of the 2 PBU in the game by Wilson, who played a season high 35 snaps on defense after starter Tashaun Gipson left the game due to injury. Rookie Jalen Myrick (16 snaps, all on special teams) had 1 tackle (1-0). Spence had 5 tackles (3-2) for the Steelers and LB Bud Dupree had 4 tackles (3-1), but neither they nor any of their teammates made any big plays on defense. The Steelers' D got no sacks and no turnovers and found the Jaguars offense surprisingly difficult to stop.
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When the Tennessee Titans drove 95 yards for a TD to take a 7-0 lead over the Patriots late in the 1st quarter, for a moment it looked like maybe the game wouldn't be the blowout it was expected to be. But it was just a false alarm. The Patriots, a 12.5-point favorite, from there moved out to a 21-7 halftime lead and increased it to 35-7 in their comfortable 35-14 home win over the Titans. 1 of the 7 touchdowns in the game was scored by a RB with dreads, but not the one you thought it would be.

Derrick Henry found the Patriots defense just a bit more challenging the the Chiefs defense he gashed a week earlier. He carried 12 times and gained only 28 yards on the ground, and also had 3 catches for 21 yards. Instead of Henry, it was Patriots RB Brandon Bolden scoring, on a 2-yard TD run (photo on left) that made the score 28-7 in the 3rd quarter. For Bolden, who did not score any TD in the regular season, it was the 1st playoff TD of his career. He also had a 20-yard run in the game and finished with almost as many yards rushing (27) as Henry. CB Stephon Gilmore had 2 PBU and DT Ricky Jean Francois had a sack on his only tackle of the night for the Patriots defense. Between both teams there were 8 players with dreads who made tackles, with Titans S Johnathan Cyprien finishing with the most with 7 (6-1), one of which was a TFL.
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DREADS FOCUS

I have mixed feelings about the current state of dreads in the NFL. There certainly are no complaints about the number of players with dreads. With dreadlocks now a more popular style than ever before, there are significantly more players with dreads than when I last did a dreads focus in 2015. The 2017 season saw a record number of touchdowns scored by players with dreads.

But with so many players just getting their dreads started, so many of the league's dreadheads have dreads too short to be seen with their helmets on. There's nothing you can do about that, of course, except hope that someone is planning on letting his dreads grow long and then wait a couple of years until they can be seen.

The real problem is - as it has been and is continuing to get worse - the reduced dreads. They're really driving me nuts. Once your dreads finally get long enough to escape the confines of your helmet, I want to see all of those locks flowing freely. But that's not what I'm seeing with far too many players. It seems that reduced dreads - that is, braiding your locks together so that it reduces the number of locks you have - have now become even more popular than normal dreads. Even Richard Sherman (photo on right) for the first time in his career had his dreads reduced for almost every game in 2017. This isn't what I signed up for when I started this blog nearly 10 years ago, but it is what it is. Times change. But I'll tell you, it's tremendously disappointing seeing players like Sherman, Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby, Adrian Clayborn, Shaq Thompson, Derrick Henry, Mark Barron, and others - guys whose dreads would look awesome if they weren't reduced - on the field with them reduced for every game. Maybe you are a fan of reduced dreads. Everyone has their own preferences. So be it. But as far as I'm concerned, reduced dreads are like a disease infecting everything, and I'm afraid there's not going to be a cure until the next superstar singer or rap artist comes along and makes normal dreads the thing again.

With all these reduced dreads everywhere, I'm going to be really stingy with the team grades this year. The grade I assign for each team is not the product of some secret scientific formula. It's simply reflects my highly subjective, highly emotional opinion, which is based on a number arbitrarily-weighed factors. Factors like how many players with dreads are on the team; are the players stars or just guys; are the dreads long enough to be seen; and presentation of dreads - that is, how do your dreads look when you're on the field (this is where there will be deductions for reduced dreads).

I try to stay up to date on team transactions, and I try to watch as many games as I can. But it's inevitable that there are players I don't know about who either have just gotten their dreads started or who have cut theirs off. Or players I simply have forgotten about. If you see that I've made a mistake or have omitted someone, please let us know.  FYI: The players listed at the end of each team summary reflects those teams' current rosters. As usual (because I'm too lazy), I'll use these abbreviations - "IR" for injured reserve list, "PUP" for physically unable to perform list, "NFI" for non-football injury list, "PS" for practice squad, "FA" for free agent, and "TC" for preseason training camp. The players listed in ALL CAPS have dreads long enough to be seen with their helmets on. Small letters for players with short dreads.

And away we go. Dur to the already lengthy length of this week's report, I'm only doing one division this week, and that division is the .....

AFC EAST
     Best player with dreads: Demario Davis
     Player with best dreads: Lafayette Pitts

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BUFFALO BILLS

In recent years the Bills spent 1st round draft picks on WR Sammy Watkins and CB Stephon Gilmore and a 2nd rounder on Ronald Darby. Well, new management came in and almost immediately showed all of them the door. Watkins and Darby were traded on the same day two weeks into TC. Gilmore, a FA, was not re-signed, and neither was CB Nickell Robey-Coleman. None of the five players with dreads on the current roster was with the team as recently as the end of August. It's a far cry from the dreads on the 2015 Bills.

When they traded for him at the end of October, Kelvin Benjamin (photo above) instantly became the Bills' best player with dreads. Unfortunately he injured his knee in the Week 10 game vs. the Chargers, missed the next two games, and was slowed thereafter. He caught only 16 passes in 6 games, including one for the team's only TD by a player with dreads. Actually he made 2 TD catches, but he got robbed of that one against New England.

If you were watching the Bills play the Jaguars in the playoffs and were wondering, those great dreads you saw running down the field on punt coverage every time the Bills punted were on the head of Lafayette Pitts (both photos above), who was acquired by the Bills at the end of October after being let go by the Jaguars. Playing mostly on special teams, he had 8 tackles in 10 games. Cedric Thornton, his dreads finally visible (photo on left below), joined the team after being cut by the Cowboys at the end of TC and had 27 tackles, including 2 sacks, in 15 games mostly as a reserve. Travaris Cadet (photo on right below), whose ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is what is continuing to keep him in the NFL, was cut by the Saints at the end of TC and then by the Jets near the end of October before being picked up by the Bills. He was doing a nice job - 186 total yards (93 each rushing and receiving) on 35 touches in 6 games until unfortunately (and gruesomely) breaking his ankle in Week 16 at New England.

Cap Capi, after being let go by the Giants in early November, was signed to Bills PS and then activated for the final 4 weeks of the season, finishing with 5 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 FF. After spending his 2016 rookie season mostly on practice squads, S Trae Elston signed as a FA in April and played the first 2 weeks with the Bills but then was cut. He then was picked up by the Eagles and played Week 3 with them before being cut again 6 days later. He ended up back with the Bills and had the team's only INT by a player with dreads (in Week 8). He made 18 tackles in 13 games for the Bills before being cut again three days after Christmas and finished the season with the Dolphins. WR Kaelin Clay, acquired in a trade with the Panthers at the end of TC, had 1 reception in 4 games before being released (and ending up back with the Panthers). Sadly, S Joe Powell and his awesome dreads didn't make the team, released at the end of TC; as was WR Rashad Ross and his not so awesome dreads (Ross has since cut his dreads off). Tired of waiting for 2016 draft choice Kolby Listenbee to get healthy, the Bills cut him in early June.

ROSTER

WR KELVIN BENJAMIN
RB TRAVARIS CADET (IR)
DE NORDLY "CAP" CAPI
S LAFAYETTE PITTS
DT CEDRIC THORNTON


GRADE: C 
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MIAMI DOLPHINS

I didn't think it was possible, but I guess it was because it happened. Good thing I didn't bet on it. With four running backs with dreads on the roster (and one on the PS) when the season began, I thought there was no way the Dolphins could end the season without any TD scored by players with dreads. But they did. What happened? Well ..... from the moment Coach Gase took over in 2016 it seemed there was something he very much did not like about Jay Ajayi. So when Ajayi followed last year's 1,272-yard rushing season with a slow start this season (he had no TD and made the dread stars list only twice in the first 7 games), Gase traded him to the Eagles. Good for the Eagles, bad for the Dolphins. 4-3 when he was traded, the Dolphins dropped 7 of 9 without him and missed the playoffs. But I'm sure Gase didn't mind; he at least got rid of what was bugging him.

At about the same time of Ajayi's departure, Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake, the two RBs who figured to get much more playing time, both cut their dreads off. Uh-oh. Just like that the team's chances for any TD by players with dreads took a serious hit. Anybody else? Senorise Perry? MarQueis Gray? They both played all 16 games but rarely touched the ball on offense. Gray (photo above), who would be a leading contender for best dreads in the AFC East if he didn't have then reduced almost all of the time, was used mostly as a blocker and touched the ball only 6 times, gaining 24 total yards, in his 127 total snaps on offense.

Perry, a regular on special teams, by attrition was up #2 on the depth chart at RB by the end of the season, but finished with just 8 carries and 1 catch for 33 total yards, and didn't do much on his 10 kickoff returns. Although Senorise didn't score a TD, he did put points on the board for the Dolphins when he was credited with a safety in Week 13 after tackling Broncos WR Isaiah McKenzie (photo on right), who fumbled on a punt return and had to go back into the end zone to recover it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMEx-1uwE8g
After being cut at the end of TC and then signed to the PS, rookie De'Veon Smith played the final 5 games of the season but didn't touch the ball until catching 3 passes for 27 yards in Week 17.

Of the 8 players with dreads on the roster at the end of the season, Bobby McCain (photo on left) is the only one who started any games. In his 3rd NFL season (and his 4th season with dreads) McCain's dreads are finally out from underneath his helmet. His 2 INT were the only two by anybody with dreads on the team. In 16 games (7 starts) he also had 48 tackles, 1 sack, and 5 PBU. Rookie D-lineman Vincent Taylor, in his 2nd season with dreads, had 18 tackles and blocked 2 field goal attempts in the 13 games he played before going on IR in Week 17. 8 of Walt Aikens' (photo below on right) 10 tackles were on special teams, as expected. After being let go by the Bills, Trae Elston was signed but didn't play against the Bills in Week 17. Tony Lippett might have been a starter had he not torn his Achilles during practice in TC and spent all season on IR.

The Dolphins had three O-linemen with dreads in TC, but neither Terry Poole, Avery Young, nor Isame Faciane made the team. Rookie WR Damore'ea Stringfellow had a highlight-reel, game-winning 99-yard TD catch in the preseason but was cut at the end of TC, as was Lafayette Pitts. They both landed on the rosters of other AFC East teams. WR Kolby Listenbee spent about 2 months on the PS before being let go in early December.

ROSTER

S WALT AIKENS
S TRAE ELSTON
TE/FB MarQUEIS GRAY
CB Tony Lippett (IR)
CB BOBBY McCAIN
RB SENORISE PERRY
RB De'Veon Smith
DT Vincent Taylor


GRADE: C+

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

With FA RB LeGarrette Blount not being re-signed, the Patriots not surprisingly went from the team tied for the most touchdowns scored by players with dreads in 2016 to the team tied for the fewest this year. Not one of their 49 regular season TD were by anyone with dreads. But you can hardly blame Brandon Bolden for that. Once again this year he was a regular on special teams (271 snaps) and played very little on offense - 74 total yards on just 14 touches. Brandon was the only player with dreads on the team who played all 16 games. The only other offensive player with dreads on the roster is O-lineman LaAdrian Waddle (photo on left), a starter in 4 of the 12 games he played. He's also likely to be a starter on the All-Pro dreads team I'm planning to name in my Week 22 report.

I used to love Stephon Gilmore's dreads; but not this year. And as long as he continues to be on the field with those great dreads of his flowing freely in only game (left photo below, as he gets his 1st INT of the season vs. the Texans in Week 3) and reduced in all the other games (including Week 12 vs. the Dolphins, as he gets his 2nd INT of the season in right photo below), I will continue to disqualify him from consideration for having the best dreads in the AFC East.

Nobody, however, can deny him the title of highest paid player with dreads in the AFC East. After putting in his 5 years in Buffalo, Gilmore, apparently wanting to be assured he would finally make the playoffs for the first time, signed as a FA with the Patriots, earning $16.9 million in the first year of a 5-year contract. Things got much better as the season went along, but Stephon played so poorly in the first few weeks that I couldn't name him as the best player with dreads in the division. And I couldn't name Dont'a Hightower - the division's second highest paid player with dreads - for that honor either. Slowed by a knee injury, Hightower (photo below on left) played in 5 of the first 7 games of the season - finishing with 14 tackles and 2 sacks - before going on IR after tearing a pectoral muscle in the Week 7 game vs. the Falcons. 

Malcom Brown (photo on right below), his dreads growing steadily but slowly, had 49 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 13 games (12 starts) on the D-line. After not re-signing with Washington, FA Ricky Jean Francois signed twice and was cut twice by the Packers before coming to the Patriots in early November. After playing 3 games, he was cut again and then signed again for the final 3 weeks of the season. An interesting season, to say the least. Cyrus Jones spent his first season with dreads on IR after tearing his ACL in the final preseason game. After spending TC with the Cardinals but not making the team, rookie Ryan Lewis signed with Patriots PS and spent all season on it. After giving the Patriots 13 sacks in 2 seasons, DE Jabaal Sheard left as a FA, signing with the Colts. One of four teams to take a look at CB Alex Carter this year, the Patriots got rid of him after just 3 days on the PS in October.

ROSTER

RB BRANDON BOLDEN
DT MALCOM BROWN
CB STEPHON GILMORE
LB DONT'A HIGHTOWER (IR)
DT RICKY JEAN FRANCOIS
CB Cyrus Jones (IR)
CB RYAN LEWIS (PS)
OT LaADRIAN WADDLE


GRADE: C+

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NEW YORK JETS

Even without S Calvin Pryor, who was traded during the offseason, the Jets by far have the most players with dreads in the AFC East. Actually, losing Pryor did not change the number of players with dreads on the roster because the player they got back, Demario Davis (photo on left), finally starting growing dreads again for the first time since he cut them off before his junior season in college at Arkansas State back in 2010. Davis, the Jets' 3rd round draft pick in 2012, left as a FA after 2015, but came back (with dreads!) after only one season with the Browns and had the best season of his career. His team high 135 tackles (97-38) were more than twice as many as any other player with dreads in the division. Demario also recorded 13 TFL, 5 sacks, 3 PBU, and 1 FR. He is one of 6 starters with dreads on the Jets - three each on offense and defense.

From seeing him appear a couple of times on the NFL Network, I've become a big fan of Buster Skrine - and his dreads. Just finishing his 7th season in the league and his 3rd with the Jets, his dreads, which he got started during his final season with the Browns in 2014, are now long enough to be visible (photo on right) - but only when he doesn't have them reduced. The Jets might have beaten the Patriots in Week 6 if Skrine hadn't dropped a sure interception that possibly could have been a pick 6 that would have increased the Jets' 14-0 lead. The INT that he didn't drop a little later in that game was his only one of the season in 15 games (all starts) - his second season in a row with only one pick.

Steve McLendon was a starter in 14 of the 16 games he played and had 46 tackles, 6 TFL, and 1.5 sacks. His dreads continue to be among the longest of any D-lineman in the league (photo on left). The Jets are the only team in the league with two starting O-lineman with dreads - James Carpenter, whose dreads are long but not as long as they should be after 8 years in the league (I guess he's trimming them to keep them from getting super long), and Brandon Shell, whose dreads just got started last year and aren't long enough to be seen yet.

The AFC East had the fewest touchdowns scored by players with dreads in 2017, and it wasn't even close. And it would have been even worse if not for the breakout season by Robby Anderson. An undrafted rookie last season, Anderson (photo on right) showed promise in 2016 and began fulfilling that promise after moving into the starting lineup this year. He finished with 63 catches for 941 yards and accounted for 7 of the 8 TD scored by the AFC East's players with dreads. He's a star in the making, but only if he quits this off-the-field nonsense. I mean, come on, Robby. Driving 105 MPH trying to flee the police? Really? Seems like doing that only invites more cops: https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/robby-anderson-arrested-1.16258844

Drafted in the 3rd round, ArDarius Stewart had a disappointing rookie season, touching the ball only 22 times all season (27 yards rushing, 6 catches for 82 yards, 19.2 average on 9 kickoff returns) and not scoring a single TD. Darryl Roberts, a former Patriots draft choice, had his 2nd straight decent season for the Jets, finishing with 40 tackles, 7 PBU, and 1 INT. He also was much more noticeable on the field with those red dread tips (photo on left). Julian Stanford (photo on right below) played all 16 games, with most of his snaps coming on special teams plays. In his 1st season with dreads, Rashard Robinson didn't do much in 6 games after being acquired in a trade with the 49ers at the end of October. Potential starter Lorenzo Mauldin missed the whole season after suffering a back injury early in TC that eventually required surgery. Ed Stinson also had his season cut short by injury. After being released by the Cardinals due to a hamstring injury, he signed with the Jets and played 4 games in October before being released again. The Jets brought him back a week later, but he suffered a neck injury in practice and went on IR. After being let go by the Cowboys, Lucky Whitehead was picked up by the Jets and had a good chance to be their #1 kick returner until breaking his foot in TC. After he got healthy, he was signed to the PS but wasn't added to the active roster until the final game of the season and didn't play in that one game at New England. His dreads are as great as ever; hopefully we'll see them again next season: https://www.instagram.com/p/BeRXvXlB_a4/?hl=en&taken-by=luck2fast ..... After being released by the Dolphins, Damore'ea Stringfellow signed with Jets PS and was there all season.

CB Marcus Williams (the one with dreads, not the one who screwed up for the Saints) had 9 INT in his first three seasons with the Jets but was released after recording no INT or PBU in 5 games this season. RB Travaris Cadet was with the team for 4 weeks in October but didn't play much and was let go.

ROSTER

WR ROBBY ANDERSON
G JAMES CARPENTER
LB Demario Davis
LB LORENZO MAULDIN (IR)
DT STEVE McLENDON
CB DARRYL ROBERTS
CB Rashard Robinson
CB BUSTER SKRINE
OT Brandon Shell
LB JULIAN STANFORD
WR ArDarius Stewart 
DT ED STINSON (IR)
WR DAMORE'EA STRINGFELLOW (PS)
WR LUCKY WHITEHEAD


GRADE: B+

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DG

1. We can only imagine how great Titans RB Derrick Henry's dreads would look flowing at full blast because we never see them that way. This season he kept his dreads severely reduced like this for every game. Here Henry makes a catch while warming up for the Titans' 2nd round playoff game on the road against the Patriots on Jan. 13.

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2. The game wasn't all gloom and doom for the Titans; things were actually looking good in the 1st quarter. Here S Johnathan Cyprien finds something to celebrate - probably his tackle of RB Dion Lewis for a 1-yard loss on the first play of the Patriots' second possession. The Titans' D forced the Patriots to punt on their first two drives ..... and then the roof caved in.

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3. On 3rd and 14 early in the 2nd quarter, after a crucial offensive pass interfrence penalty on the previous play, CB Stephon Gilmore gets his 2nd PBU of the game, knocking WR Corey Davis out of bounds before he can get his right foot down inbounds at the Tennessee 30-yard line. The Titans punted on the next play, and the game remained tied at 7. In addition to his 2 PBU Gilmore also had a half TFL on his only tackle in the game.

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4. After the Patriots go 48 yards for a TD in 6 plays on their next drive, OT LaAdrian Waddle congratulates K Stephen Gostkowski on his extra point, giving the Patriots a 14-7 lead with 9:20 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

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5. On the 15th play of the Patriots' next drive WR Chris Hogan, lined up in the slot, beats CB Tye Smith badly on 3rd and goal and makes the catch of a pass thrown behind him for a 4-yard TD, upping their lead to 21-7 with 1:52 remaining until halftime.
This was Hogan's only reception of the game. Smith finished the night with 3 tackles (3-0).






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6. I don't know when this play occurred; but I wanted to include an action shot of Derrick Henry, and as an added bonus there's another player with dreads in the picture, as Henry gets past DT Malcom Brown while carrying the ball. With the Titans trailing big the entire 2nd half, Henry didn't get as many carries as the Titans wanted to give him. He finished with 12 carries for 28 yards on the ground, plus 3 catches for 21 yards, for a total of just 49 total yards. Brown had 2 tackles (0-2) in the game.

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7. DT Ricky Jean Francois hadn't gotten a sack since Week 6 of the 2016 season; so there's no doubt this one felt good, as he drops QB Marcus Mariota for an 8-yard loss on 1st and 15 on the Titans' second possession of the 2nd half. The Titans punted three plays later, going three-and-out for the second straight drive to start the 2nd half. This was the only tackle for Jean Francois in 23 snaps.

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8. On the first play of the Patriots' next drive Johnathan Cyprien grabs a hold of TE Rob Gronkowski and wrestles him to the ground, but not until Gronk gains 27 yards on his catch and run to the Titans' 29-yard line. This one one of 7 tackles (6-1) Cyprien made in the game, which was the most by anyone with dreads.
6 plays later .....





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9. ..... Half of the Titans defense, including Johnathan Cyprien (yellow mouthpiece), converges on RB Brandon Bolden on his 1st carry of the night. The Titans prevent Bolden from getting a TD but not the 1st down, as he is tackled at the 2-yard line after gaining 4 yards on 3rd and 1 .....

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10. ..... Two plays later, on 2nd and goal, the Patriots' O-line makes it easy for Brandon Bolden, opening up a gaping hole and allowing him to score standing up on a run right up the middle. The 2-yard TD increased the Patriots' lead to 28-7 with 4:02 remaining in the 3rd quarter and was his first TD since Week 12 of the 2015 season, as well as his 1st ever career TD in the playoffs. Bolden finished the game with 27 yards rushing on 4 carries.
The Patriots tacked on one more TD, driving 90 yards on their next possession before cruising home with a 35-14 victory.



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11. After driving from their 34-yard line to the Pittsburgh 1 in 7 plays on their opening drive, the Jaguars go for it on 4th and goal; and after taking the handoff, RB Leonard Fournette starts up the middle and lifts off at the 3-yard line. LB Sean Spence,  unblocked on the play, has a chance to deny Fournette, who weighs just about the same as him; but instead Fournette bounces off Spence's hit at the 1, continues forward, and lands in the end zone to finish the 66-yard drive and give the Jaguars a 7-0 lead.




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12. On the 2nd play of the Jaguars' next drive, QB Blake Bortles foils Sean Spence's attempt to sack him, flipping a pass forward to Leonard Fournette before Spence can put him on the ground. Being blocked and watching the play is #48, LB Bud Dupree. Fournette couldn't make the catch, and the Jaguars punted three plays later.
The Steelers' D finished the day with 0 sacks.







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13. On 1st and 10 early in the 2nd quarter Sean Spence and Bud Dupree meet at the quarterback, but they're late. LB T.J. Watt is already there; and although he doesn't get the sack, Watt does cause Bortles' pass to be incomplete.
It didn't matter though. The Jaguars ran the ball for 17 yards on the next 4 plays, completing a 75-yard TD drive that increased their lead to 21-0. Dupree finished the game with 4 tackles (3-1).

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14. Trailing 28-7 just before halftime, WR Martavis Bryant gives the Steelers hope, using his great speed to get behind S Tashaun Gipson on 4th and 11 and run under the pass from QB Ben Roethlisberger for a 36-yard TD reception. Bryant's 1st catch of the game made the score 28-14 with :25 on the clock and got the Steelers' comeback underway.
And kudos to Martavis for going sleeveless with the gametime temperature of 18 degrees.





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15. From the front Sean Spence gets blocked by FB Tommy Bohanon, and from behind his dreads get stiff-armed by Leonard Fournette on one of Fournette's 9 carries in the 4th quarter. This looks like the play on which Fournette gained 2 yards on the first play of the Jaguars' drive right after the Steelers scored a TD to pull within 35-28 .....

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16. ..... 7 plays later Sean Spence gets fooled by the fake handoff to Fournette on 2nd and 8 and leaves Bohnanon all by himself for an easy 14-yard TD catch, increasing the Jaguars' lead to 42-28 with 4:19 to play. Hey, I'm not trying to pick on Spence; but these are the best photos I could find. He's not the only player on the Steelers' D that had a bad game. Sean finished with 5 tackles (3-2).

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17. You don't get to be a Pro Bowl CB without knowing a few tricks, right? As Martavis Bryant reaches for the deep pass on 2nd and 10, CB A.J. Bouye clearly is grabbing his jersey; but no penalty is called. Also defending on the play is S Jarrod Wilson, and it's Wilson who gets credit for a PBU as the pass is incomplete. 5 plays later Wilson got credit for another PBU on a pass to Bryant; but, as mentioned earlier, that should have been a pass interference penalty too. In addition to his 2 PBU Jarrod had 1 tackle (1-0). Bryant finished with 2 catches for 78 yards on 4 targets. The drive ended with a Le'Veon Bell touchdown, making the score 42-35 with 2:18 to play; but the Jaguars added a FG 33 seconds later and held on to win 45-42.

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18. LB Emmanuel Lamur uses his undershirt to pay homage to a loved one while warming up for the Vikings' home playoff game against the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 14. According to Lamur's Instagram account, the Nerissa he's dedicating the game to died three years earlier to the day. She was the mother of his fiancee.

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19. The dreads of DT Tyeler Davison are just about all you can see of him as he and LB Craig Robertson combine to stop RB Latavius Murray at the 49-yard line on the Vikings' first offensive snap of the game. It was the first of 3 tackles (0-3) for Davison. Murray gained 4 yards on the play, and 7 plays later the drive ended with a TD as the Vikings took an early 7-0 lead.

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20. Thanks to a block by WR Michael Thomas that puts CB Xavier Rhodes (#29) on the ground, RB Alvin Kamara has room down the right sideline and runs after the catch for a 19-yard gain on 2nd and 14 midway through the 2nd quarter, getting knocked out of bounds at the Vikings' 15-yard line. The drive ended with an interception, however, two plays later, keeping the score at 17-0.

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21. On the 6th play of the Saints' next possession Alvin Kamara races for his biggest gain of the day, taking a screen pass 23 yards on 2nd and 16, leaving his feet to avoid running over his own blocker (photo above) but then being tripped up from behind (barely) by LB Eric Kendricks (right photo) at the Saints' 46-yard line and going down at the 50. The tackle by Kendricks, who lost his helmet on the play, revealing his hair that's in braids not dreads, likely prevented Kamara from scoring a touchdown. Two plays later .....


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22. ..... Michael Thomas sucessfully stiff-arms S Harrison Smith (#22) to the ground on the run after the catch on 2nd and 10 but doesn't see Emmanuel Lamur charging in from behind and gets nailed by Lamur. But Thomas hangs onto the ball for a 20-yard gain as Lamur makes his only tackle of the game. The drive ended with a missed FG 4 plays later, keeping the score at 17-0.






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23. DE Cameron Jordan had his dreads reduced for the game, so they were mostly comfined inside his helmet, although one of his locks is visible here. Jordan wasn't pleased that he finished the game with no sacks, but on this play late in the 3rd quarter it actually turned out better that he didn't get the sack. On the first play of the Vikings' drive following a TD by the Saints that made the score 17-7, QB Case Keenum eludes Jordan's sack attempt but then throws a pass off balance that's up for grabs and is intercepted, giving the Saints possession at the Minnesota 30-yard line. Jordan finished with only 1 tackle (0-1) in the game. 

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24. Four plays later, after making the catch on 2nd and 3, Alvin Kamara heads for the end zone, with S Anthony Harris in pursuit (photo above). With a little help from Eric Kendricks, Harris stops Kamara at the 2-yard line (right photo); but the 6-yard reception gives the Saints a 1st and goal, and 2 plays later they score to pull within 17-14 early in the 4th quarter.







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25. This time Eric Kendricks can't keep Alvin Kamara from scoring a TD. The coverage isn't bad, but it's not good enough as Kamara catches QB Drew Brees' on-target pass on 1st and 10 and hangs on after hitting the ground. The 14-yard TD caps a 4-play, 40-yard drive following a blocked punt and gives the Saints the lead for the first time, 21-20, with 3:01 to play.
Alvin gained just enough yards to make the dread stars list, finishing with 11 carries for 43 yards rushing and 4 catches for 62 yards. He also had kickoff returns of 30 and 20 yards.




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26. Anthony Harris and Mackensie Alexander close in on WR Willie Snead, but they're too late, as Snead heads for the sideline after catching a pass for a 13-yard gain on 4th and 10, moving the Saints into FG range at the 33-yard line with 40 seconds to play. Harris, who didn't get credit for a tackle on this play, finished with 4 tackles (2-2), including a half TFL.
The Saints kicked a FG 4 plays later to regain the lead 24-23 with 25 seconds to play. But they couldn't hold on, as the Vikings scored a miraculous 61-yard TD on the final play of the game to beat them 29-24.

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27. After the Eagles turn the ball over on their opening drive, CB Ronald Darby, with his dreads seriously reduced, makes the Eagles' 1st tackle of the game, closing in on TE Levine Toilolo (who outweighs him by 65 pounds) in the left flat and hitting him hard enough to get him on the ground after a 12-yard reception to the Atlanta 38-yard line. This was the first play of an 11-play drive that ended with a FG as the Falcons took an early 3-0 lead.





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28. It isn't classic tackling form, but Takkarist McKinley will take it.
DT Dontari Poe (#92) and DE Adrian Clayborn (#99) struggle to shed their blockers on 3rd and 7; but McKinley, the rookie DE, has gotten free and stumbles into the back of the legs of QB Nick Foles, knocking him down for an 8-yard loss. The sack at the ATL 41-yard line with 5:35 remaining in the 1st quarter moved the Eagles out of FG range, and they punted on the next play. After getting them reduced, McKinley's dreads were a lot harder to see in this game than they were a week earlier. Takk finished the game with 2 tackes (2-0).

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29. Almost all the other players with dreads had their dreads reduced; but thank goodness LB Dannell Ellerbe didn't. With dreads long enough to reach the bottom of his number, Ellerbe makes the first of his 2 tackles (2-0), stopping RB Tevin Coleman after a 6-yard gain on 1st and 10 on a run up the middle on the 3rd play of the Falcons' next drive late in the 1st quarter. The Falcons punted 3 plays later.

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30. On the first play of the Eagles' next drive S Kemal Ishmael stumbles while trying to get into position to tackle RB Jay Ajayi; and before he can get back to his feet, Ajayi goes flying over the top of him and lands in the arms of DE Brooks Reed, who gets credit for the tackle at the 24-yard line after a 10-yard run.
Three plays later .....







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31. ..... After Jay Ajayi catches a screen pass and heads upfield, LB De'Vondre Campbell reaches from behind to tackle him after a gain of 9 on 1st and 10 on the last play of the 1st quarter. Campbell had 6 tackles (6-0) in the game, including 2 stops of Ajayi. Ajayi gained the first 34 yards (on 4 plays) on the Eagles' 86-yard drive for their only TD of the game .....

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32. ..... And LeGarrette Blount accounted for the final 1 yard on the 14th play of the drive, eluding a defender at the 1-yard line on 4th and goal and scoring standing up on a run off right tackle, as Kemal Ishmael arrives too late to do anything other than shove him after he's already over the goal line. It was the first playoff TD for the Eagles by a player with dreads since Asante Samuel's pick 6 against the Vikings 9 years ago, and it put the Eagles ahead 6-3 (the extra point was missed) with 10:28 remaining until halftime. Blount finished the game with 19 yards rushing on 9 carries.



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33. After missing a tackle on the 2nd play of the Falcons' next possession that allowed WR Mohamed Sanu to gain 24 yards, Ronald Darby finds 167-pound Taylor Gabriel much easier to stop two plays later, dropping him for a 3-yard loss on a WR screen pass on 2nd and 10.
After the Falcons gained only 6 yards on the next play, they punted on 4th and 7 ......

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34. ..... And after the Eagles muff the punt, the ball deflecting off a couple of their players who were trying to block, Kemal Ishmael is in good position to make the recovery; but LB LaRoy Reynolds is in even better position and beats him to it, getting the FR and giving the Falcons the ball right back at the 18-yard line.
Ishmael finished with game with no FR and 4 tackles (3-1), including 1 TFL.

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35. 6 plays later the Falcons regain the lead, scoring their only TD of the game on a 6-yard TD catch by RB Devonta Freeman on 3rd and goal. Freeman got open when S Malcolm Jenkins stopped covering him and instead moved forward to try to stop QB Matt Ryan, who was trying to escape the pocket. It's the 5th straight Falcons playoff game in which Devonta has scored a TD, and it gives them a 10-6 lead with 5:41 to play until halftime.

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36. With 7 seconds to go until halftime and the Eagles out of timeouts, all the Falcons have to do is make sure the Eagles don't get out of bounds; but they leave WR Alshon Jeffery wide open between three defenders, including CB Desmond Trufant, right on the sideline at the 35-yard line and he makes the catch for an easy 15-yard gain that moves the Eagles into FG range with 1 second remaining. Fooled by the Eagles' bunch formation, LB Deion Jones was out of position, covering nobody in the middle of the field; CB Brian Poole covered the receiver running a harmless short route instead of dropping back in front of Jeffery; and Trufant, although he was protecting the sideline, he was so far back he had no chance to come forward and make the tackle inbounds. The gaffe by the Falcons allowed the Eagles to kick a 53-yard FG on the final play of the half to make the score 10-9.

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37. Jay Ajayi averaged 3.6 yards per carry for the game; but his average takes a hit on this play, as he suffers the always unpleasant experience of being tackled by 346-pound DT Dontari Poe. Ajayi hangs onto the ball tight as Poe drops him for no gain at the ATL 19-yard line on 1st and 10 late in the 3rd quarter. After passes to Ajayi were incomplete on the next two plays, the Eagles kicked a FG on 4th and 10 to take a 12-10 lead.
This was the first of 2 tackles (2-0) for Poe. He had a tackle for a 1-yard loss on the Eagles' next drive .....

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38. And this was the most important play on that Eagles' next drive. On 3rd and 7 on the 3rd play of the drive Jay Ajayi, after catching a screen pass and already picking up the 1st down at the 27-yard line, breaks into the clear at the 35-yard line for an even bigger gain (photo above), stiff-arming CB Robert Alford near the 40 (photo on right) before Alford finally gets him on the ground at the ATL 48-yard line with 13:05 remaining. Standing in the background and admiring the fruits of his work is G Stefen Wisniewski (#61), who blocked two defenders at the 30-yard line, including S Keanu Neal (#22), which turned what would have been a 15-yard gain into a 32-yard gain for Ajayi, his biggest of the game.
Ajayi carried for no gain on the next play and never touched the ball again, finishing with 54 yards rushing on 15 carries and 3 catches for 44 yards - 2 yards short of making the dread stars list.
5 plays later .....

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39. ..... With the Eagles already in FG range, WR Mack Hollins gains 9 more yards, making the catch on 1st and 10 and making it to the 15-yard line before Desmond Trufant knocks him out of bounds.
5 plays later Trufant made the last of his 4 tackles (4-0), stopping RB Corey Clement at the 3-yard line after a 2-yard catch on 3rd and 3. The Eagles settled for a FG on the next play, upping their lead to 15-10 with 6:02 to play. But the Falcons were still alive.

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40. After punting 4 times in a row, the Falcons finally get moving on their next drive. On the 7th play of the drive - the first play after they converted on 4th and 6 - Devonta Freeman, for one of the few times all game, has some running room; but just before he breaks into the open, he is tripped up from behind by DE Brandon Graham at the Eagles' 38-yard line for no gain with 2:45 remaining.
This would be the last time Freeman would touch the ball. Other than his TD catch, it is a pretty dismal day for Devonta. He finished with only 7 yards rushing on 10 carries and had 26 yards on 5 receptions.
4 plays later .....



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41. ..... It's 1st and goal from the 9-yard line, and the Falcons try to hit WR Julio Jones in the end zone on a fade against Ronald Darby. But the pass is too high and goes off of Jones' fingertips; and even if he had caught it, he was so close to the sideline that Darby would have knocked him out of bounds before he got his feet inbounds .....

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42. ..... 2 plays later on 3rd and goal Julio Jones goes down to make the catch, and Ronald Darby makes sure he goes no further, making the last of his 7 tackles (7-0) at the 2-yard line after a 7-yard gain with 1:05 to play. Darby also had 1 PBU in the game. A pass to Jones in the end zone on 4th down was incomplete, ending the Falcons' chance to win. Julio had his catches (9, on 16 targets) and yards (101), but only 1 of those catches came on a drive on which the Falcons scored.

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43. After the Eagles pick up a 1st down on their next drive and then run out the clock, Nick Foles is congratulated by De'Vondre Campbell after the game. Foles was a bit shaky early, but the Falcons didn't make him pay for his mistakes. He then went 12 for 15 for 145 yards and 8 first downs in the 2nd half.
After reaching the Super Bowl last year, the Falcons are knocked out in round 2 this year. For the Eagles it's on to round 3 after their 15-10 home victory.