2017 NFL House Calls

If you were to glance at a list of the NFL players who scored the most touchdowns in 2017, you would (if you were like me) notice that there was a player with dreads at the top of the list, and another one in the #2 spot on the list, and another one in the #3 spot, and another one tied for the #4 spot. You also would have noticed that of the 11 players who scored 10 or more TD, more have dreads (6) than not (5). Those 6 players with dreads combined to score 79 TD last season, and 46 other players with dreads had a combined 140 TD, meaning that a player with dreads took one to the house 219 times during the 2017 regular season. The total of 219 is just under 18% of the 1,225 touchdowns scored by everybody in 256 games.

Instead of having a solo photo of Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley, I posted one of him celebrating one of his touchdowns along with WR Sammy Watkins (from Week 16 at Tennessee). Gurley, who led the league by a mile with 19 TD, and Watkins (8 TD catches) combined to make the Rams the team with the most TD scored by players with dreads. Their 27 TD were 2 more than the 25 scored by the Houston Texans' players with dreads. The Texans had the most players with dreads to take one to the house with a total of 5. And the Texans had the highest percentage of their TD scored by players with dreads at 62% (25 out of 40). The Rams (53%) and Kansas City Chiefs (50%) join the Texans as the only teams with at least half of their TD scored by players with dreads.

13 players with dreads took one to the house on a Sunday for the first time, and that includes 7 rookies. Thanks to the outstanding performances by Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt and New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara, rookies contributed 36 touchdowns to the total of 219. 10 defensive players with dreads scored in 2017, with New York Giants CB Janoris Jenkins the only one of them to score 2 TD. Also included in the 219 are the 4 scored by Tennessee Titans TE Delanie Walker. I finally came to my senses and decided to belatedly welcome him to the house (actually I now have photographic evidence that he had dreads right at the beginning of the season, which I didn't have before). Anyway, here now is the entire list of the 52 players with dreads who scored in 2017 and how many TD they scored.


19
Todd Gurley (LAR)

14
Alvin Kamara (NO)

13
DeAndre Hopkins (HOU)

12
Melvin Gordon (LAC)

11 
Kareem Hunt (KC)

10
Davante Adams (GB)

8
Devonta Freeman (ATL)
Tyreek Hill (KC)
Sammy Watkins (LAR)

7
Robby Anderson (NYJ)
Will Fuller (HOU)
Marshawn Lynch (OAK)

6
Alex Collins (BAL)
Larry Fitzgerald (ARIZ)
Derrick Henry (TENN)

5
Travis Benjamin (LAC)
Jerick McKinnon (MINN)

4
T.Y. Hilton (IND)
Aaron Jones (GB)
Chris Moore (BAL)
Delanie Walker (TENN)

3
Kelvin Benjamin (CAR & BUF)
LeGarrette Blount (PHIL)
Martavis Bryant (PIT)
Rob Kelley (WASH)
J.D. McKissic (SEA)

2
Jay Ajayi (PHIL)
Dalvin Cook (MINN)
Isaiah Crowell (CLEV)
Bruce Ellington (HOU)
D'Onta Foreman (HOU)
Tion Green (DET)
Chris Ivory (JAC)
Janoris Jenkins (NYG)
Roger Lewis (NYG)
Cordarrelle Patterson (OAK)

1
Bashaud Breeland (WASH)
Jamaal Charles (DEN)
Kaelin Clay (CAR)
Adrian Clayborn (ATL)
Jadeveon Clowney (HOU)
Trey Edmunds (NO)
Andre Ellington (ARIZ)
Demetrius Harris (KC)
Melvin Ingram (LAC)
Cameron Jordan (NO)
C.J. Mosley (BAL)
Robert Nkemdiche (ARIZ)
Seth Roberts (OAK)
Jacquizz Rodgers (TB)
Desmond Trufant (ATL)
Ramik Wilson (KC)

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Here again are the 219 TD by players with dreads, this time listed by team and division. Although the Rams took the team crown, the NFC West didn't take division honors. Those went to the AFC West (as expected) for the 2nd year in a row. Sadly there were quite a few teams who didn't contribute any TD to the total of 219. Shame goes to the Dallas Cowboys (again), Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Cincinnati Bengals for having none of their touchdowns scored by players with dreads (actually, in the case of the Bengals, it was more Dre Kirkpatrick's fault than their fault, as he fumbled away that easy pick 6 at Denver in Week 11).


AFC EAST (8)
BUF (1) - WR Kelvin Benjamin 1
MIA (0)
NE (0)
NYJ (7) - WR Robby Anderson 7

AFC NORTH (16)
BAL (11) - RB Alex Collins 6, WR Chris Moore 4, LB C.J. Mosley 1
CIN (0)
CLEV (2) - RB Isaiah Crowell 2
PIT (3) - WR Martavis Bryant 3

AFC SOUTH (41)
HOU (25) - WR DeAndre Hopkins 13, WR Will Fuller 7, WR Bruce Ellington 2, RB D'Onta Foreman 2, DE Jadeveon Clowney 1
IND (4) - WR T.Y. Hilton 4
JAC (2) - RB Chris Ivory 2
TENN (10) - RB Derrick Henry 6, TE Delanie Walker 4

AFC WEST (50)
DEN (1) - RB Jamaal Charles 1
KC (21) - RB Kareem Hunt 11, WR Tyreek Hill 8, TE Demetrius Harris 1, LB Ramik Wilson 1
LAC (18) - RB Melvin Gordon 12, WR Travis Benjamin 5, DE Melvin Ingram 1
OAK (10) - RB Marshawn Lynch 7, WR Cordarrelle Patterson 2, WR Seth Roberts 1

NFC EAST (13)
DAL (0)
NYG (4) - CB Janoris Jenkins 2, WR Roger Lewis 2
PHIL (5) - RB LeGarrette Blount 3, RB Jay Ajayi 2
WASH (4) - RB Rob Kelley 3, CB Bashaud Breeland 1

NFC NORTH (23)
CHI (0)
DET (2) - RB Tion Green 2
GB (14) - WR Davante Adams 10, RB Aaron Jones 4
MINN (7) - RB Jerick McKinnon 5, RB Dalvin Cook 2

NFC SOUTH (30)
ATL (10) - RB Devonta Freeman 8, DE Adrian Clayborn 1, CB Desmond Trufant 1
CAR (3) - WR Kelvin Benjamin 2, WR Kaelin Clay 1
NO (16) - RB Alvin Kamara 14, RB Trey Edmunds 1, DE Cameron Jordan 1
TB (1) - RB Jacquizz Rodgers 1

NFC WEST (38)
ARIZ (8) - WR Larry Fitzgerald 6, RB Andre Ellington 1, DT Robert Nkemdiche 1
LAR (27) - RB Todd Gurley 19, WR Sammy Watkins 8
SF (0)
SEA (3) - RB J.D. McKissic 3
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PLAYOFF TD (13) - LeGarrette Blount 3, Devonta Freeman 2, Alvin Kamara 2, RB Brandon Bolden (NE) 1, Martavis Bryant 1, Derrick Henry 1, Kareem Hunt 1, Jerick McKinnon 1, WR Demarcus Robinson (KC) 1
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Here now is a dread gallery of some of the house calls from 2017.

DG


FIRSTS

1. After teammate Demetrius Harris earlier had scored the first TD of the season by a player with dreads, RB Kareem Hunt scores the first TD of the season by a player with dreads that you can see, breaking the last-ditch attempted tackle of CB Malcolm Butler on his 3-yard TD reception on 2nd and goal, completing a 92-yard drive and bringing the Chiefs to within 3 of the Patriots at 17-14 with :13 remaining in the 1st half of the Thursday night season opener at Foxborough. It was the start of what became a really big night for Hunt.

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2. Unfortunately for CB Kyle Fuller this is tackle football not two-hand touch, as RB Devonta Freeman scores the Falcons' 1st TD of the season on a 5-yard run on 1st and goal, completing an 83-yard drive that gives the Falcons a 10-3 lead over the Bears during the 2nd quarter of the season opener at Chicago. Freeman had just 39 total yards (on 14 touches), but the defending NFC champs escaped Soldier Field with a 23-17 win, their first win in Chicago in 34 years.




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3. RB Melvin Gordon scores the Los Angeles (formerly San Diego) Chargers' 1st TD of 2017 head first, foiling the attempt by Broncos S Justin Simmons to knock him down short of the goal line at the end of an 11-yard catch and run on the first play of the 2nd quarter in the Monday night season opener at Denver. The first of Gordon's 12 TD tied the game at 7, but the Chargers, thanks to a missed (blocked) FG attempt on the final play of the game, lost 24-21.

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4. Todd Gurley takes his first step on the road to leading the NFL in touchdowns, reaching the ball across the goal line to finish a 5-yard run that gives the Rams a 17-3 lead over the Colts during the 2nd quarter in Week 1 at the Coliseum. Gurley barely missed making the dread stars list, finishing with just 40 yards rushing on 19 carries along with 5 catches for 56 yards as the Rams won easily 46-9.

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5. After missing the first 3 games of the season with a shoulder injury, WR Will Fuller makes his 1st TD catch of the season in Week 4, beating CB Adoree' Jackson and making the 16-yard reception that ups the Texans lead to 21-0 over the Titans on the first play of the 2nd quarter at Houston. Fuller added a 10-yard TD catch in the 3rd quarter as the Texans routed the Titans 57-14. Fuller scored all 7 of his touchdowns in a 5-week span (Weeks 4-8), a run that came to an abrupt halt after QB Deshaun Watson was injured.

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6. RB Chris Ivory didn't score his 1st TD of the season until Week 6, here finishing his 22-yard catch and run to complete a 4-play, 75-yard drive that gives the Jaguars a 14-10 lead over the Rams midway through a wild 1st quarter at Jacksonville. Ivory finished with 74 yards receiving on a career high 9 catches; but neither he nor anyone else for the Jaguars took another one to the house during the final 51 minutes of the game as the Rams won 27-17.

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7. It wasn't until late in the 4th quarter of Week 11 that RB Alex Collins scored his 1st TD in a Baltimore Ravens uniform. On the first play after an INT by the Ravens' D, Collins just makes it past S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and into the front left corner of the end zone for a 3-yard TD run, upping the Ravens' lead to 23-0 and putting the Packers out of their misery. Collins grinded out 49 yards rushing on a career high 20 carries and had 4 catches for 22 yards as the Ravens improved to 5-5 and dealt the Packers their first shutout home loss in 11 years.

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8. When Al Michaels saw these dreads running to the end zone on Sunday night football in Week 4, at first he thought it was Eddie Lacy. But no, it's RB J.D. McKissic, scoring his 1st career TD on a 30-yard run on 2nd and 13 to give the Seahawks a 25-18 lead over the Colts late in the 3rd quarter. Playing his first game of the season, McKissic very emphatically let it be known the Seahawks' coaching staff made a mistake in keeping him inactive for the first 3 weeks. With dreads so long that he had to keep them reduced to put them at less risk of being grabbed, J.D. gained 65 total yards and scored 2 TD on his 5 touches as the Seahawks ended up blowing out the Colts 46-18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAgK4wGLMfc

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9. After catching a fumble by QB Tom Brady in midair on 2nd and 7, DE Jadeveon Clowney takes the return 22 yards to the house for his 1st career TD, giving the Texans a 20-14 lead over the Patriots midway through the 2nd quarter at Gillette Stadium in Week 3. Clowney made the dread stars list, recording 2 sacks in addition his TD, but the Texans' D gave up a late 75-yard TD drive, and the Patriots won 36-33.

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10. Saints DE Cameron Jordan doesn't have very far to go to score his 1st career TD. With the Lions backed up to their own 1-yard line, Jordan is already in the end zone as he deflects a pass by QB Matthew Stafford to himself on 2nd and 10 and doesn't drop it with 5:04 remaining in the 4th quarter in Week 6. It was the 2nd career INT for Jordan and it ended a run of 4 straight Lions touchdowns that had cut the Saints' 45-10 lead to 45-38. Cameron also had one other PBU in the game as well as 2 sacks and was named NFC defensive player of the week in the Saints' 52-38 home victory.

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11. It doesn't take RB LeGarrette Blount long to score his 1st TD in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform. On 3rd and goal at the 1-yard line Blount makes the catch in the right flat and jukes LB Zach Brown to score and up the Eagles' lead to 13-0 early in the 2nd quarter of the season opener at FedEx Field. It was the first TD by an offensive player for the Eagles in 8 years. This was Blount's only reception of the game, and he also had 46 yards rushing on 14 carries as the Eagles defeated the Redskins 30-17. Although this was a good start for LeGarrette, he would score only 2 more touchdowns the rest of the season, finishing with 3 after leading the league with 18 TD while with the Patriots in 2016.

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12. It doesn't take RB Jay Ajayi long to score his 1st TD in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform either. Traded from the Dolphins to the Eagles 5 days earlier, Ajayi dives over both S Darian Stewart and the pylon at the end of his 46-yard TD run that ups the Eagles' lead over the Broncos to 31-9 late in the 2nd quarter in Week 9. After scoring no touchdowns in 7 games for the Dolphins, Ajayi takes one to the house on his 5th carry for the Eagles. The Jay Train rushed for 77 yards on 8 carries in his Philly debut as the Eagles ripped the Broncos 51-23 to improve to 8-1.

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LASTS

13. Having CB Stephon Gilmore clamped around his left arm is not a problem for WR Martavis Bryant. He simply makes the catch with one hand on 3rd and goal to finish a long 78-yard drive during the 2nd quarter at Heinz Field in Week 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYpP5E_3_j4 ..... The 4-yard TD was Bryant's 3rd - and last - of the regular season and it gave the Steelers a 17-10 lead over the Patriots just before halftime. Martavis finished with 4 catches for 59 yards, but the Steelers blew a golden opportunity to beat the Patriots, losing 27-24.
2017 was the last season for Bryant in a Steelers uniform. After making a TD catch in the playoff loss to the Jaguars, he was traded to the Raiders during the offseason.

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14. RB Isaiah Crowell caps the Browns' 85-yard drive to begin the 2nd half with a 6-yard TD run on 1st and goal, getting past CB D.J. Hayden on his way into the end zone. Crowell's 2nd TD of the season ties the game with the Lions in Week 10 at 17-17. Isaiah nearly made the dread stars list, finishing with 90 yards rushing on 16 carries, but the Browns lost, as usual, 38-24 to drop to 0-9.
This was the last of the 22 TD Crowell scored in his 4 seasons with the Browns. He signed with the Jets during the offseason.

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15. A week after scoring his 1st TD of the season, Chris Ivory scores his last TD of the season, finishing the Jaguars' game-opening 75-yard drive at Indianapolis in Week 7 with a 1-yard TD run on 3rd and goal. It was all the points the Jaguars would need, but they scored 20 more anyway in blanking the Colts 27-0, the Colts' first shutout loss at home in 24 years. Ivory rushed for 47 yards on 17 carries in the game and had 382 yards rushing for the season, his last with the Jaguars. No doubt ignorant of the fact that my crystal ball picked the Jaguars to win the Super Bowl in 2018 and the Bills to go 4-12, he signed with the Bills during the offseason.

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16. Falcons RB Devonta Freeman makes his last house call of the season; but since it came in the playoffs, it was not included as one of the 8 TD he was officially credited with for 2017. Freeman's 6-yard TD catch in the 2nd quarter gives the Falcons a 10-6 lead over the Eagles and turned out to be the Falcons' final points of the season, as the Eagles came back to win 15-10. This TD extended to 5 games Devonta's streak of scoring 1 TD in every playoff game he's played for the Falcons.



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FIRST AND LAST

17. 16 TD were scored by players with dreads in Week 14, and Devonta Freeman scores the first of them, following the block by FB Derrick Coleman on Saints S Vonn Bell on a 1-yard run on 3rd and goal to give the Falcons a 10-3 lead late in the 2nd quarter on Thursday night at Atlanta. Freeman came up just a bit short of making the dread stars list, finishing with 91 yards on 24 carries as the Falcons won a big one 20-17. This TD also extended to 6 games Devonta's streak of scoring at least 1 TD in games vs. the Saints - a streak that ended rather spectacularly 2 weeks later (as I painful recapped in my Week 16 report) .....

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18. 14 TD were scored by players with dreads in Week 15, and Devonta Freeman scores the last of them, taking it 32 yards into the red and pewter end zone at Raymond James Stadium on 3rd and 2 to extend the Falcons lead over the Buccaneers to 24-14 midway through the 4th quarter on Monday night. Freeman, who fumbled for the 2nd time in the game of the first play of the drive, gained 58 yards on the 87-yard drive that gave the Falcons some breathing room. Despite the fumbles Devonta had his most productive game of the season, finishing with 126 yards rushing and 5 catches for 68 yards as the Falcons held off the Bucs (barely) 24-21.

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19. WR Kelvin Benjamin, a teammate of Devonta Freeman in college, scores his last TD in a Carolina Panthers uniform, making the 25-yard reception in front of S Justin Evans on 3rd and 16 to up the Panthers lead over the Buccaneers to 17-3 during the 4th quarter in Week 8. Two days after finishing with 3 catches for 39 yards in the win over the Bucs, Kelvin was traded to the Bills. The Panthers' 1st round draft choice in 2014, KB scored 18 TD in his 40 career games for Carolina.
6 weeks later .....


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20. ..... Kelvin Benjamin scores his 1st TD in a Buffalo Bills uniform, going up and making the 7-yard reception past CB Christopher Milton on 1st and goal to give the Bills a 7-0 lead over the Colts 27 seconds before halftime in the snow in Week 14. I guess you'll have to take my word for it because in this shot you can't see any of the yard-line markings. Benjamin, a Florida native, was functioning pretty well with the snowflakes accumulating on his dreads until having to leave the game in the 2nd half when he aggravated a knee injury, finishing with 3 catches for 38 yards. The TD held up as the only points of the game until the Colts finally scored with 1:16 to go in the 4th quarter. But the Bills scored late in overtime to get a desperately-needed 13-7 victory.

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21. More touchdowns were scored by players with dreads in Week 3 than in any other week, a total of 18; and the last of the 18 was the first of the season for WR Larry Fitzgerald, as he beats Cowboys CB Anthony Brown on 2nd and 8 and makes the 15-yard reception to tie the game at 14 in the Cardinals' home opener on Monday night. Fitzgerald had 13 catches for a season high 149 yards; but it didn't prevent the Cardinals from losing to the Cowboys 28-17.


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ONLY

22. On the next play after a 3rd down sack by DE Julius Peppers, WR Kaelin Clay returns a punt by the Jets 60 yards to the house for his only TD of the season, upping the Panthers' lead to 32-20 with 9:54 remaining in the 4th quarter in Week 12. The Panthers went on to win 35-27. Thanks to this return Clay finished the season with a respectable 7.8 average on his 19 punt returns.

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23. After stiff-arming CB Patrick Peterson at the 5-yard line, RB Derrick Henry (with all of his dreads clumped together, as usual) dives into the end zone for a 6-yard TD run on 2nd and 2, the only TD of the game between the Titans and Cardinals in Week 14. Henry's 5th TD of the season gave Tennessee a 7-0 lead midway through the 2nd quarter; but the Cardinals kicked 4 field goals in the 2nd half to come back and win 12-7.

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24. Bills S Jordan Poyer cannot prevent RB Jamaal Charles from giving the Broncos a 10-7 lead on a 12-yard run during the 2nd quarter for their only TD of the game in Week 3. After scoring 64 TD in his 9 seasons with the Chiefs (2008-16), it was Jamaal's 1st TD in a Denver uniform, and thankfully the only. It also was the Broncos' only TD all season by a player with dreads. Charles had a season high 56 yards rushing on 9 carries, but the Broncos dropped to 2-1 with the 26-16 road loss to the Bills.

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25. WR Seth Roberts beats CB Logan Ryan on 1st and 10 (left photo) and makes the catch for a 19-yard TD as CB Brice McCain comes over too late to stop him (right photo), increasing the Raiders' lead over the Titans to 23-13 early in the 4th quarter in Week 1 at Nashville. Roberts' TD came on his only reception of the game and turned out to be his only TD of the season. The Raiders went on to defeat the Titans 26-16, keeping alive their streak of having never lost whenever Seth scores a TD. Unfortunately that streak has already come to an end early in the 2018 season, in the Raiders' Week 2 loss at Denver.

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DEFENSE

In photos 9 and 10 we saw 2 of the 11 defensive touchdowns scored by players with dreads. Here are a couple more .....

26. After jumping the out route of WR Bennie Fowler on 3rd and 10 and intercepting the pass, CB Janoris Jenkins races 43 yards down the sideline and to the house, easily avoiding QB Trevor Siemian's attempt to knock him out of bounds inside the 5-yard line to increase the Giants' lead over the Broncos to 17-3 with :48 remaining until halftime at Denver in Week 6. Jenkins later had a FF that resulted in a turnover and finished with 6 tackles (6-0) as the Giants picked up their 1st win of the season, defeating the Broncos 23-10. After this TD and his pick six in Week 12 vs. the Redskins, Janoris now has a total of 9 career TD in his 6 seasons in the league.

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27. On 2nd and 13 early in the 2nd quarter at Seattle in Week 11 the Falcons have 4 D-linemen with dreads on the field; and after Takkarist McKinley and Courtney Upshaw combine to sack and strip the ball from QB Russell Wilson, Adrian Clayborn scoops up the fumble and takes it 10 yards to the house to up Atlanta's lead to 21-7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vpmbuj9_Mo ..... It was the 2nd career TD for Clayborn, who also had a scoop and score in 2016. The Falcons held on to get a huge road win over the Seahawks 34-31.

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HOUSTON HEADLINER

28. For the 2nd time in 3 years Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins was the player with dreads with the most TD catches. He had 11 in 2015 and a career high 13 in 2017, including this 8-yard reception in front of Titans CB Brice McCain on 2nd and goal that ups Houston's lead to 14-0 in the 1st quarter in Week 4. Hopkins finished with 10 catches for 107 yards, and the Texans scored on their first 5 possessions to build a 30-14 halftime lead and went on to crush the Titans 57-14.

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29. Someone once said ... to be the best to you have to beat the best; and for his 9th TD catch of the season DeAndre Hopkins beats one of the best, Pro Bowl CB Patrick Peterson of the Cardinals, making the 28-yard reception on 1st and 10 during the 3rd quarter in Week 11. DeAndre finished with 4 catches for 74 yards, 65 of which came on the Texans' 74-yard drive to open the 2nd half, with the TD giving Houston a 17-14 lead. The Texans went on to win 31-21, their only win in the final 2 months of the season.

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HOUSTON HEADACHE

30. Throughout his career Colts WR T.Y. Hilton certainly has been no stranger to the end zone at NRG/Reliant Stadium, but it had been a while since his last house call there. Hilton had 5 TD catches in his first 3 career games at Houston but hadn't scored another one since 2014 until this one in Week 9 of 2017, as he makes a 45-yard TD reception behind the coverage of CB Johnathan Joseph on 1st and 10 to cap the Colts' 92-yard opening drive. T.Y. later scored the Colts' only other TD on an 80-yard catch and run. He finished with 5 catches for 175 yards, earning AFC offensive player of the week honors, as the Colts picked up their 1st and only road win of the season, 20-14.


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STREAKING

31. A handful of players with dreads had streaks of scoring touchdowns in 4 straight weeks; but the only one with TD catches in 4 consecutive weeks was WR Robby Anderson of the Jets. Here Anderson extends his streak to 3 weeks as he beats CB TreDavious White on 2nd and 15 for a 25-yard TD reception, increasing the Jets' lead over the Bills to 17-7 in the 3rd quarter on Thursday night in Week 9. Robby finished with 4 catches for 48 yards as the Jets won 34-21 to stop their 3-game losing streak.
The AFC East had an embarrassingly low total of just 8 TD scored by players with dreads in 2017. And it would have been even lower if not for the fine, breakout season by Anderson. He had 63 catches for 941 yards and led the Jets with 7 TD.
By the way it has taken only the first 3 weeks of the 2018 season for the AFC East to equal the total TD by players with dreads that they had in all of 2017.

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RAVENS

5 teams had both a RB with dreads and a WR with dreads make house calls in 2017, but the Baltimore Ravens were the only one of the five with both the RB and WR having really long dreads. Of course, I'm talking about Alex Collins, whose dreads were among the longest of any RB in the league (even though he had them reduced) and Chris Moore, whom I picked as one of the WRs on my Dread All-Pro team. The two made 8 of their 10 combined house calls in the 2nd half of the season.

32. After taking taking the handoff on 2nd and goal and breaking toward the right sideline, Alex Collins gets past LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin and scores his 3rd TD of the season a 7-yard TD run to increase the Ravens' lead over the Lions to 27-13 early in the 4th quarter in Week 13 .....

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33. ..... Later in the 4th quarter Jalen Reeves-Maybin again comes away empty trying to stop Alex Collins as Collins follows the pancake block by FB Patrick Ricard on S Glover Quin into the end zone for a 6-yard TD run on a sweep left on 1st and goal, upping the Ravens' lead to 37-20 with 4:00 to play. Even though he didn't quite gain 100 yards (he had 75 yards rushing on 15 carries and 2 catches for 23 yards) I included Alex on the Week 13 dread stars list. The Ravens improved to 7-5 with their 44-20 home win over the Lions. Here are Collins' highlights from the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOMni7NzzIc

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34. The stats sheet indicates that Chris Moore scored 4 TD in 2017 but had only 3 TD catches. The TD that wasn't on a catch was on this play on Thursday night in Week 8. On 1st and goal RB Javorius Allen drops the handoff on 1st and goal then accidentally kicks the ball forward and into the end zone, where Moore beats CB Bobby McCain to it and recovers it to up the Ravens' lead over the Dolphins to 33-0 midway through the 4th quarter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLMum900vo ..... In his 17 offensive snaps on the field this was the only time Moore touched the ball. The Ravens went on to win 40-0. 

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35. Here in Week 14 Chris Moore makes his 2nd TD catch of the season, getting behind S Sean Davis on 2nd and 10 and getting the Ravens on the board on a 30-yard reception that cuts the Steelers' lead to 14-7 with 9:07 remaining in the 2nd quarter .....


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36. ..... Alex Collins finishes the Ravens' next drive with another TD, scoring on an 18-yard run three plays after going 37 yards on a catch and run (on the 2nd play of the drive) and bringing the Ravens to within 17-14 on the first play after the 2-minute warning. Collins finished with a season high 166 total yards (120 rushing, 46 receiving), and Moore had a season high 48 yards on 3 receptions; but it wasn't enough. After roaring back from a 14-0 deficit to take a 31-20 lead, the Ravens gave up 2 TD and 2 FG in the 4th quarter and suffered a heartbreaking and costly 39-38 road loss to the Steelers.

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37. As was detailed in my Week 17 report ..... Alex Collins scores his 6th and final TD of the season, capping a spectacular 17-yard run on 4th and 3 by diving into the end zone midway through the 3rd quarter. The much-needed TD cut the Bengals' lead to 24-17. Alex barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 96 total yards (78 rushing, 18 receiving). The Ravens came all the way back to take a 27-24 lead; but again the defense failed to get the job done, allowing a 49-yard TD in the final minute of the game in a devastating 31-27 home loss that cost them a spot in the playoffs.

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ROOKIES

36 of the 219 touchdowns by players with dreads in 2017 were scored by rookies. Here are a few of those.

38. Saints RB Alvin Kamara led the 2017 class of rookies with dreads with 14 TD, and arguably the most important one of them was here in Week 11 (photo above). After nearly dropping a short pass but making a juggling catch on 1st and 10, Kamara runs through a tackle attempt by S D.J. Swearinger (#36) at the 5-yard line and takes it to the house for an 18-yard TD, cutting the Redskins' lead to 31-29 with 1:05 to play in the 4th quarter. On the next play (photo on right) Kamara runs in the 2-point conversion to tie the game, as S DeAngelo Hall can't shed the block by TE Josh Hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSLmd7wpazY
The Saints scored 2 touchdowns in the final 3 minutes then kicked a FG in overtime to win their 8th in a row, 34-31.

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39. With the Saints trailing the Rams 10-0 one week later, Alvin Kamara finishes off his longest gain from scrimmage of the season, a 74-yard TD run on 2nd and 9 to make the score 10-7. Alvin later scored on a 15-yard reception and had his best game of the season with 188 total yards (87 rushing, 101 receiving) on only 11 touches, but the Saints' winning streak came to an end as the Rams won 26-20.

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40. In addition to Alvin Kamara and Cameron Jordan (photo #10) the Saints had one other player with dreads make a house call in 2017; and it came here in Week 10, as rookie RB Trey Edmunds scores a garbage time TD on a 41-yard run to increase the Saints' lead over the Bills to 47-3 with 3:04 to play. The Saints held on to win 47-10. After finishing 2017 with 48 yards rushing on 9 carries, Edmunds didn't make the Saints roster in 2018. And instead of signing with their practice squad, he signed with the Steelers' practice squad so that he could be teammates with his younger brother, Terrell, who was the Steelers' 1st round draft pick this year.

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41. It wasn't until Week 11 that RB D'Onta Foreman, the Texans' 3rd round draft pick, scored his 1st TD, which evidently gave him plenty of time to make sure he got his celebration dance down just right. When Foreman scored on this 3-yard run on 1st and goal, not only did he give the Texans a 24-21 lead over the Cardinals, he became the 5th different player with dreads to take one to the house for the Texans in 2017 .....

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42. ..... Unfortunately for D'Onta Foreman, he wasn't doing any celebrating after scoring his 2nd TD 7 minutes later. Foreman takes one to the house on his 2nd consecutive carry but also suffers a season-ending injury. On the first play after a stop by the Texans' D on 4th and 1, D'Onta goes untouched on a sweep around right end until S Antoine Bethea (#41) makes a desperation attempt to stop him at the 5-yard line. Bethea doesn't slow Foreman down but makes enough contact to knock him off balance, and the last stride on his left leg is an awkward one; I mean, just look at the rubber pellets coming out of the turf (photo on left above) and you can see how much his foot slid while it was planted. Doing that while running at top speed and it's no wonder he tore his Achilles tendon. The 34-yard TD upped the Texans' lead to 31-21 (which ended up being the final score) and gave Foreman a season high 65 yards rushing on 10 career (highlights on link below); but the injury certainly has set back D'Onta's career. Hopefully it won't end it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRIBdo2onJo

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43. After scoring his 1st NFL TD a week earlier in the Packers' Week 4 home game vs. the Bears, RB Aaron Jones another one in sort of a home-away-from-home game for him against the Cowboys. Jones, Green Bay's 5th round draft pick, scores an easy 7-yard TD run up the middle on 1st and goal behind good blocking, not getting hit until he is already in the end zone to cap a 75-yard drive just before halftime and begin the Packers' comeback from a 21-6 deficit. A native of El Paso, Jones rushed for 125 yards on 19 carries as the Packers got the road win over the Cowboys 35-31. 

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44. With the sick dreads of CB Maurice Canady dominating this shot, it's hard to notice the dreads of  Lions RB Tion Green as he scores his 1st NFL TD. Before Alex Collins scored his 2 TD in the Week 13 game at Baltimore, Green gets into the end zone on a sweep left on 1st and goal despite being hit by Canady and LB Patrick Onwuasor to cut the Ravens' lead to 20-13 late in the 3rd quarter. An undrafted rookie finally making his debut after being inactive for 3 months, Green finished with a season high 51 yards rushing on 11 carries, but the Lions lost to the Ravens 44-20.

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45. Joining Aaron Jones and Tion Green, Vikings RB Dalvin Cook gave the NFC North three rookie RBs with dreads to make house calls. Cook, drafted in the 2nd round, scores his 2nd (and last) TD of the season standing up on a 5-yard run on 2nd and goal to give the Vikings a 7-3 lead over the Lions late in the 2nd quarter in Week 4. Unfortunately for Dalvin, things took a turn for the much worse a little later as he suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the 3rd quarter, bringing to an end what was shaping up to be an outstanding rookie season. Despite losing Dalvin and the game, 14-7, the Vikings went on to have a nice season anyway.

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46. LB Lawrence Timmons tries to deny RB Kareem Hunt but fails to get him on the ground or keep him out of the end zone on 2nd and goal in the 2nd quarter at Kansas City in Week 16. The 1-yard run was Hunt's 10th TD of the season and it upped the Chiefs' lead over the Dolphins to 17-6. Kareem gained 48 of the 68 yards on the drive and made the dread stars list, finishing with 106 total yards (91 rushing, 15 receiving) as the Chiefs clinched the AFC West crown with the 29-13 victory over the Dolphins.

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GAME-WINNERS

47. In the first 69 minutes in Week 4 WR Larry Fitzgerald had just 3 catches for 13 yards, and the 49ers-Cardinals game was without a TD. But then on 2nd and 2 in the final minute of overtime and with the Cardinals down by 3, Fitzgerald makes a leaping catch in front of CB Rashard Robinson and hangs on after hitting the ground to give Arizona the 18-15 home victory ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiNMn0OauBI ..... Larry was shaken up after slamming his head into the ground on the landing but eventually got up and was OK. If you include his TD vs. the Packers in the 2015 playoffs, this was his 2nd career overtime TD.

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48. I couldn't find a photo of him actually crossing the goal line, so this will have to do. After scoring on a 1-yard plunge on 1st goal, RB Rob Kelley gets back on his feet to celebrate after giving the Redskins a 17-14 lead over the Seahawks with 59 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter in Week 9 at Seattle. The TD capped a 70-yard drive and came just 35 seconds after the Seahawks scored a TD to lead 14-10. It was Kelley's 2nd TD of the game and 3rd of the season, tying him with LeGarrette Blount for the most TD by any player with dreads for a team in the NFC East. The Redskins held on to win 17-14, but Kelley's season ended a week later when he went on IR with a knee injury. 

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49. Aaron Jones scores his 4th (and last) TD of the season on his 1st carry of the game in Week 13, lifting off at the 2-yard line and flying into the end zone at the end of his 20-yard run on the first possession in OT to give the Packers a 26-20 home victory over the Buccaneers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIvmDLuu4cc
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 50. ..... One week later, with the Packers threatening to become the first team to lose to the Browns, it was their other player with dreads you can barely see that comes to the rescue. But before WR Davante Adams made his game-winning TD catch in overtime, he first makes this TD catch to get the game into overtime, a 1-yarder on 1st and goal, getting both feet down before being pushed out of bounds by CB Jason McCourty. Adams' 8th TD of the season tied the game at 21 with :17 remaining in the 4th quarter .....




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51. ..... Then on the 6th play of the Packers' first possession in overtime (after the Browns turned the ball over on theirs) Davante Adams, after catching a sideways screen pass on 3rd and 6 and eluding a couple of defenders, takes it 25 yards to the house to give Green Bay the 27-21 victory. Even though he had just 84 yards on 10 catches (video on link below), thanks to the two late TD I had to include Davante on the dread stars list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpAznOZVwGc
With Adams (10) and Aaron Jones (4) combining for 14 TD, the Packers finished 3rd in the NFC and 6th in the league in TD by players with dreads. And when I do my house calls recap for 2018, you'll be able to see their (longer) dreads much better.

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AFC WEST

I'm too lazy to go back and check previous seasons, but I'm only slightly less than 100% sure that the 50 touchdowns scored by the AFC West's players with dreads in 2017 were the most ever for any division in any season.

52. In photo #1 we saw Kareem Hunt's 1st TD of the season, and before the night was over he scored two more. This was the 3rd one as Hunt, after running around right end on 1st and goal, easily breaks an attempted tackle by S Duron Harmon (#30) at the 2-yard line and gets the ball into the end zone before LB Kyle Van Noy can push him put of bounds. The 4-yard run finished a 60-yard drive and increased the Chiefs' lead over the Patriots to 35-27 with 5:14 remaining in the game. The Chiefs went on to win 42-27, and Hunt had one of the best debuts in NFL history, finishing with 246 total yards - 148 yards and 1 TD rushing on just 17 carries and 98 yards and 2 TD on 5 receptions. For the season Kareem scored 11 TD, a total surpassed by only 4 other players with dreads.

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53. As if it needed any more help, the AFC West's touchdown total got an extra boost when veteran RB Marshawn Lynch came out of retirement (after one year) and was traded from the Seahawks to the Raiders. Here Lynch scores his 2nd TD of the season as CB Brandon Carr looks on, a 3-yard run up the middle on 1st and goal in Week 5, cutting the Ravens' lead to 24-17 late in the 3rd quarter. Marshawn finished with 53 total yards on 13 touches, but the Raiders went scoreless in the 4th quarter and lost at home to the Ravens 30-17.

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54. After gaining 9 yards on the first two plays of the Raiders' opening drive against the Giants in Week 13, Marshawn Lynch races 51 yards to the house on 3rd and 1, cutting through a big hole and going untouched until CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie catches him from behind but tackles him too late. The 51-yard TD gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead and was by far Lynch's longest run of the season (second longest was 27 yards). Marshawn made the Week 13 dread stars list, finishing with 101 yards rushing on 17 carries and 2 catches for 20 yards as the Raiders improved to 6-6 with the 24-17 home win over the Giants.


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55. Marshawn Lynch also made the dread stars list a week earlier (Week 12), and this 1-yard run on 3rd and goal is his only TD of the afternoon, as LB Todd Davis makes the tackle too late. Lynch's 5th TD of the season upped the Raiders' lead over the Broncos to 14-0 with 2:49 remaining until halftime. Marshawn finished with 111 total yards (67 rushing, 44 receiving) on a season high 29 touches. In a game more well known for the fight between Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib than anything that Lynch did, the Raiders defeated the Broncos 21-14.
Playing his 10th NFL season at age 31, Lynch made 7 house calls in 2017, increasing his career (regular season) total to 90 TD.  

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56. In photo #24 we saw Jamaal Charles score the Broncos' only TD by a player with dreads. Now here's a look at one of the 9 TD by players with dreads scored against the Broncos. On the first play after a fumble by Charles midway through the 4th quarter in Week 1 CB Bradley Roby decides to cover the tight end (who already had a man covering him) on a short route instead of covering WR Travis Benjamin deep, and Benjamin is wide open as he makes a 38-yard reception for his 1st TD of the season. It was the Chargers' 2nd TD in a span of 70 seconds, and it cut the Broncos' lead to 24-21; but the Broncos blocked a FG attempt on the final play of the game to hang on for the win.  

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57. Travis Benjamin takes another one to the house against the Broncos in their 2nd meeting of the season in Week 7. After making the catch on a short slant route in stride at the 38-yard line on 3rd and 11, Benjamin races to the end zone untouched for the 42-yard TD to up the Chargers' lead to 21-0 with 5:42 remaining in the game. The Chargers went on to win 21-0, dealing the Broncos their first shutout in 25 years. Earlier in the game Benjamin took a punt return to the house, earning AFC special teams player of the week honors.
In every week of the 2017 regular season there was at least one game that had at least 2 TD scored by players with dreads. Thanks to Benjamin that includes Week 7, as there were a season low 8 TD by players with dreads in Week 7 and no more than one in any game before Travis came to the rescue. His 2 TD in this game give him a total of 4 TD in 4 games against the Broncos since he signed with the Chargers in 2016.

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58. All 4 teams in the AFC West had a RB with dreads in 2017, and the top scorer among them was Melvin Gordon of the Chargers. Gordon made house calls in 10 of the Chargers games, scoring a total of 12 TD. His 3rd TD of the season was here in Week 3. After turning the ball over on their first two possessions of the day, the Chargers drive 89 yards on their third, with Gordon and Travis Benjamin accounting for the last 55 yards on the final two plays of the drive. After Benjamin's 44-yard reception, Gordon sweeps around right end untouched for the 11-yard TD that cuts the Chiefs' lead to 14-7 late in the 1st quarter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STGz36i20cs
..... Unfortunately for Chargers fans it was the Chargers' only TD all day. Gordon finished with 79 yards rushing on 17 carries, and Benjamin made the dread stars list with 5 catches for 105 yards, but the Chargers lost at home to the Chiefs (as usual) 24-10.

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59. In the first meeting between the Chargers and the Raiders in Week 6 at Oakland three of the four touchdowns were scored by players with dreads, and Melvin Gordon scores the first of those horizontally, as the Chargers' O-line blocks well enough to not allow any defenders to hinder his dive into the end zone on 4th and goal late in the 2nd quarter. The 1-yard TD run was Gordon's 6th TD of the season, and it tied the game at 7 .....

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60. ..... Melvin Gordon scores his 2nd TD of the game standing up, taking a screen pass 6 yards to the house on 2nd and goal, as LB Xavier Woodson-Luster hits him way too late, to give the Chargers their first lead of the day, 14-10, with 10:19 to play in the 4th quarter .....

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61. ..... That lead didn't even last 3 minutes, because on the 4th play of the Raiders' ensuing drive WR Cordarrelle Patterson, after taking the handoff on a jet sweep on 2nd and 3 and breaking through the line and into the open, runs 47 yards to the house, easily avoiding S Tre Boston's last-ditch attempt to stop him at the 5-yard line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztkv8HyUZB8 ..... It was the 2nd and last TD for Patterson in a Raiders uniform, and it put the Raiders back in front; but they missed the extra point, leaving them leading by only 2 at 16-14 with 7:51 to play.
Led by Gordon, the Chargers made the Raiders pay for their mistake. After the Chargers took possession at their own 8-yard line following a punt with 4:09 to play and advanced the the Raiders' 33 with 2:38 on the clock, Gordon carried on 5 plays in a row, taking the ball to the 10-yard line, forcing the Raiders to use all of their timeouts, and assuring the Chargers could keep the ball for the rest of the game. And, for a change, they actually made the FG on the final play of the game to win 17-16. Here's a video of some of Melvin's highlights as he gained 150 total yards on a season high 34 touches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbt6YnpFFaU

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62. Despite being tackled by DE Allen Bailey, Melvin Gordon will not be denied on 3rd and goal, just getting the ball across the goal line on a run up the middle for a 2-yard TD to cap a 75-yard drive and get the Chargers on the board, cutting the Chiefs' lead to 10-6 on the last play before the 2-minute warning in Week 15 at KC. Gordon made the dread stars list for the 5th time, gaining 169 of the Chargers' 307 total yards; but the Chargers, who once trailed the Chiefs in the standings by 4 games but who had caught them at 7-6, dropped a big one to the Chiefs 30-13, a defeat that ultimately cost them a playoff spot.

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CROWN 'EM

63. The Los Angeles Rams took the team crown in 2017 with their 27 TD by players with dreads. RB Todd Gurley did most of the heavy lifting, but they also needed the 8 TD scored by WR Sammy Watkins in his first season on the team. Watkins here scores his 1st LA TD in the Rams color rush uniform on Thursday night in Week 3, making a 1-yard reception on a slant on 3rd and goal and hanging on despite being hit by CB Dontae Johnson, to increase the Rams' lead over the 49ers to 34-20 late in the 3rd quarter. Watkins later had another TD catch, and the Rams held on to win 41-39. Sammy made the dread stars list for the only time all season, finishing with 6 catches for 106 yards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZouFFReee0

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64. Sammy Watkins bounces off a hit by S Marcus Gilchrist at the 1-yard line at the end of his catch and run on 1st and 10 for a 17-yard TD, upping the Rams' lead over the Texans to 23-7 late in the 3rd quarter in Week 10. Watkins had what in 2017 was a normal game for him - 3 targets and 2 catches for 41 yards - in the 33-7 victory. In his only season with the Rams Sammy scored 2 TD with the Rams wearing yellow jerseys and 6 with white jerseys; 5 on the road and 3 at the Coliseum; and (the first) 5 with his dreads at full blast and (the last) 3 with his dreads reduced.

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65. Sammy Watkins has S Landon Collins beat by 5 yards on 2nd and 6 as he reaches out and catches the pass from QB Jared Goff in stride at the 15-yard line and takes it in for the 67-yard TD that increases the Rams' lead to 24-7 over the Giants midway through the 2nd quarter in Week 9. It was Sammy's only catch of the game and his biggest gain of the season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuyV6q00dRc

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66. ..... After leading 27-10 at halftime, the Rams tacked on three more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter. This was the third of them. Helped (a bit) by Sammy Watkins' block on S Ross Cockrell, Todd Gurley runs past DT Damon Harrison (#98) and takes a carry 4 yards to the house on 2nd and goal to cap an 18-yard drive that began after a blocked punt. It was Gurley's 2nd TD of the game and his 10th of the season, and it made the score 48-10. It wasn't his most productive game of the season; but Gurley did enough to make the dread stars list, finishing with 104 total yards (59 rushing, 45 receiving) as the Rams improved to 6-2, crushing the Giants (1-7) 51-17.

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67. Before Sammy Watkins scored his 2 TD in the road win over the 49ers in Week 3, Todd Gurley scored three in the 1st half. On the third of them Gurley tries to turn the corner on 1st and goal and resists Dontae Johnson's attempt to shove him out of bounds long enough to get the ball inside the pylon for a 2-yard TD run to make the score 24-13 in the final minute of the half. Gurley made the dread stars list 12 times in 15 games during the regular season, including this one in which he gained 149 total yards (113 rushing, 36 receiving) on 33 touches.

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68. Todd Gurley did himself one better in Week 15, scoring four touchdowns (!) in the huge road win over the Seahawks. He was the only player in the league (with or without dreads) with 4 TD in a game in 2017; and he scored all four standing up. After WR Pharoh Cooper nearly takes a punt return to the house but is tackled at the 1, Gurley gladly accepts the honor of scoring the game's 1st TD, scoring easily on a line plunge to make the score 13-0 with 5:57 remaining in the 1st quarter .....

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69. After another good punt return by Cooper, Gurley caps a 5-play, 36-yard drive with another 1-yard plunge to make it 20-0 midway through the 2nd quarter .....

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70. Gurley's 3rd TD of the day was the dagger as far as the Seahawks were concerned. On 3rd and 20 with 37 seconds to play until halftime the Rams hand the ball to Gurley on a simple running play, hoping to pick up a couple of yards before punting on the next play. Instead Gurley breaks through the line and then sprints untouched between the remaining half dozen Seahawk defenders and scores. DT Sheldon Richardson (#91), with his hands holding his head behind the play, says it all as Gurley's 57-yard run makes it 34-0 at halftime  .....

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71. Not that the Rams needed it, but Gurley adds one more TD for good measure midway through the 3rd quarter. On 3rd and 10 the Rams run a pick play to get him open, and LB Bobby Wagner has absolutely no chance to get over to cover him in time; and Gurley, after making the catch at the line of scrimmage, cruises into the end zone for a 14-yard TD to make it 40-0. Mercy, when was the last time the Seahawks were down 40 at home?
Had the Seahawks won they would have tied the Rams for 1st place in the NFC West (and clinched the tiebreaker with the Rams); but instead the Rams silenced the crowd, routing the Seahawks 42-7. And Gurley, thanks to his 4 TD and 180 total yards on 24 touches, was named NFC offensive player of the week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQk6Vft_TxU

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HOUSE OF DREAD

The Rams' victory over the 49ers in Week 3 was one of two games that had 5 TD by players with dreads; but there was another game that had one more .....


















72. That game was between the Texans at Chiefs at Houston in Week 5. Therefore single game house of dread honors go to the end zone at NRG Stadium, as there were 6 touchdowns scored by players with dreads in the Chiefs' 42-34 road win over the Texans. Surprisingly none of them came in the first 28 minutes of the game. It wasn't until the second play after the 2-minute warning that WR DeAndre Hopkins scored the first of them, making the 6-yard reception in the back of the end zone on 2nd and goal despite being interfered with by S Ron Parker (#38) on the play. Hopkins' 3rd TD of the season capped an 8-play, 75-yard drive, and it got the Texans on the board, cutting the Chiefs' lead to 16-7 .....

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73. Next up was the first of WR Will Fuller's 2 TD. After looking left but finding nobody open on 4th and 1, QB Deshaun Watson looks right and finds Fuller open against CB Marcus Peters. Fuller makes the catch at the 7-yard line and ignores Peters' attempt to shove him out of bounds at the 2 to score his 3rd TD of the season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yL68MCYcA8 
The 9-yard TD capped a 78-yard drive and made the score 23-13 with 3:20 remaining in the 3rd quarter .....

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74. The Texans' next drive also ended with a TD by Will Fuller. On 2nd and 6 early in the 4th quarter Fuller gets turned around while tracking a deep pass and actually makes the catch at the 3-yard line with his back to the end zone. Will gets turned back around after landing and gets across the goal line despite being tackled by CB Terrance Mitchell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7o0aGcOPiE 
The 48-yard TD catch brings the Texans to within 26-20 with 12 minutes to play. But they would get no closer .....

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75. The Texans' punt coverage team can't see the dreads of WR Tyreek Hill (which are too short to escape the confines of his helmet), but they certainly get a good look at Hill putting up his "deuces" gesture (which he does whenever he knows he's going to score a TD) almost 20 yards before he gets to the end zone at the end of his 82-yard punt return. Actually Hill was near the 10-yard line when this shot was taken, but if you look at the video you'll see the fingers go up long before then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrO6vPc30kQ
..... It was Hill's 3rd TD of the season and his 3rd career TD on a punt return. It also was the Chiefs' 2nd TD in a span of 95 seconds and it upped their lead to 39-20 with 7:22 remaining ..... 

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76. Later in the 4th quarter, three plays after a 49-yard punt return by Will Fuller gives the Texans excellent field position, DeAndre Hopkins makes a spectacular leaping catch for a 34-yard TD on 3rd and 7 despite the double coverage of Terrance Mitchell and Ron Parker. After outjumping Mitchell and Parker, Hopkins actually loses control of the ball after Parker knocks it out of his hands; but DeAndre is able to quickly regain control before the ball hits the ground. That made the score 39-26 with 2:57 to play, enough time for .....

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77. ..... the Texans to add one last TD in garbage time, as DeAndre Hopkins beats Terrance Mitchell on a fade route and makes the 1-yard reception for his 3rd TD of the game on the final play of the game. Here's a video of the play along with Hopkins' two earlier TD catches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRE1CwguliM
Despite the 3 TD, it wasn't exactly one of Hopkins' better games. On 12 targets he had only 4 catches for 52 yards. The 42-34 final score left the Chiefs at 5-0 and the Texans at 2-3 - the same records both teams currently have through Week 5 of the 2018 season.
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