During my 2017 NFL dreads focus I put in CAPITAL letters the names of 212 players whose dreads are long enough to be seen when they have their helmets on. That's an average of about 6.6 per team and 13 per game. So it's inevitable that at some point in nearly every game players with dreads from opposing teams will bump into each other. And that's what dread gallery #174 is all about. These are many (but not even close to all) of the instances from the 2017 season where players with dreads from both teams found their way into the same photos.
1. And we'll begin with a couple of instances that RB
Todd Gurley went up against players with dreads in Rams games vs. NFC West division foes.
On 3rd and 2 during the 1st quarter in Week 3 49ers LB
Ray-Ray Armstrong, after running behind TE Tyler Higbee on a pick play, turns on the jets trying to catch up but doesn't get there in time to prevent Gurley from scoring his 2nd TD of the game - a 7-yard reception that puts the Rams back in front 14-7. Gurley, who scored his 1st TD on the game's 2nd play from scrimmage, added a 3rd TD before halftime and finished the game with 149 total yards (113 rushing, 36 receiving). Armstrong, starting in place of the injured
Reuben Foster, had several other close encounters with Gurley. 4 of Ray-Ray's 6 tackles (4-2) were tackles of Gurley, including 1 TFL. Leading 41-26 midway through the 4th quarter, the Rams barely held on to get the road win 41-39. Here are some of Gurley's highlights in the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVc3tVAUluo
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2. On the last play before the 2-minute warning during the 1st half in Week 13
Todd Gurley tries to get past LB
Josh Bynes of the Cardinals on the run after a catch along the left sideline; but Bynes ends up making a lunging tackle at the Arizona 37-yard line after a 23-yard gain. The drive ended with the Rams running out of time and having to settle for a 20-yard FG (on 1st and goal) on the final play of the half, upping their lead to 19-13. On the other 6 plays that Bynes tackled him Gurley, including once for a 3-yard loss, Gurley netted a total of just 15 yards. Bynes had one other tackle in the game and finished with a game high 8 tackles (8-0) as well as 1 PBU. Gurley led the Rams in rushing (74 yards on 19 carries) and receiving (6 catches for 84 yards) in their 32-16 road win over the Cardinals.
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3. In the Rams' first meeting with the Seahawks in Week 5 and before they greeted each other after the game (see DG173)
Todd Gurley has this close encounter with CB
Richard Sherman. This play didn't make the highlights, so I don't know exactly when it happened. The caption says it was in the 1st quarter, when Sherman tackled Gurley two times, for gains of 1 and 9 yards. Sherman had a season high 6 tackles (6-0) as the Seahawks dealt the Rams a 16-10 defeat. Gurley had a season low 50 total yards but made up for it big time in the teams' next meeting in December.
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4. CB
Stephon Gilmore tries his hardest but can't prevent WR
Kelvin Benjamin from making the catch then waits for the bad news from the official as Benjamin maintains control of the ball after hitting the ground on this controversial play on 3rd and goal late in the 2nd quarter of the Bills-Patriots game in Week 16. The officials ruled that KB made the catch inbounds for a 4-yard TD, but upon further review the replay official overruled the on-field officials and changed it to an incomplete pass. So instead of the Bills taking a 17-13 lead at halftime they settled for a FG on the next play and a 13-13 tie.
Gilmore made 5 tackles (5-0) in the game, and 4 of them came after receptions by Benjamin, for gains of 3, 8, 15, and 9 yards. On Benjamin's 5th and final catch he outjumped Gilmore for the ball then got away for a 35-yard gain to finish with 5 catches for 70 yards. The Patriots dominated in the 2nd half and won the game 37-16.
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5. One week before facing
Kelvin Benjamin,
Stephon Gilmore often had his sights set on denying another tall WR with dreads, 6-foot-4
Martavis Bryant of the Steelers. In his 35 offensive snaps on the field Bryant had 6 passes thrown to him (7 if you include one nullified by penalty), and Gilmore had the coverage on 5 of them .....
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6. The first two passes to Bryant came on back-to-back plays from the New England 31-yard line midway through the 1st quarter; and both were incomplete, including this one on 2nd and 10 on which Gilmore gets his only PBU of the day on a 10-yard slant route. But the Steelers converted the 3rd and 10 on the next play and then scored a TD on the next play after that to tie the game at 7 .....
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7. On the 5th play of the Steelers' next drive - and the first play of the 2nd quarter - Martavis beats press coverage by Stephon on 3rd and 8, turns on the speed and makes a beautiful diving catch for his 1st reception of the game, for a 39-yard gain to the 17-yard line. The Steelers ended up settling for a FG and a 10-7 lead. Later in the 2nd quarter Bryant scored a TD against Gilmore (as was seen in my house calls post) and finished the game with 4 catches for 59 yards. Gilmore played all 66 snaps on defense and led the Patriots with 8 tackles (8-0).
This was the game, as you probably recall, in which the Steelers thought they had scored the winning TD with 28 seconds to play, only to have it overturned on a replay review, and then threw an interception two plays later, allowing the Patriots to escape with a crucial 27-24 road victory that left both teams with a record of 11-3.
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8. Much earlier in the season, in one of the two games that
Stephon Gilmore had his dreads flowing full blast, he gets called here for an unnecessary roughness penalty for a late hit out of bounds after a 13-yard reception by WR
DeAndre Hopkins of the Texans during the 2nd quarter in Week 3. The Texans kicked a FG 4 plays later to cut the Patriots' lead to 14-13 .....
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9. On a Texans possession earlier in the 2nd quarter pressure on QB Deshaun Watson causes his pass intended for Hopkins on 1st and 10 to be underthrown, and Gilmore picks it off at midfield for his 1st INT in a Patriots uniform .....
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10. ..... Stephon tries to take the return to the house but runs into traffic and has to make a left turn around the 20-yard line, and in these shots it's hard to tell whose dreads are whose as DeAndre catches up and makes the tackle at the 12-yard line:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLkAq9v1Ej4
The Patriots cashed in the turnover with a TD two plays later to take a 14-10 lead. Hopkins was on the field for all 71 offensive snaps for the Texans and finished with 7 catches for 76 yards. In 60 snaps on defense Gilmore had 4 tackles (4-0), including 1 TFL, in addition to his INT. The Patriots scored a TD with 23 seconds remaining in the game to edge the Texans 36-33.
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11. In their 42-7 beatdown at the hands of the Rams at home in Week 15 the Seahawks had the ball for only 23:14 and had a combined 31 touches (17 rushes, 14 receptions). RB
J.D. McKissic had a team high 9 of those 31 touches, most of them in garbage time. On the first play from scrimmage after
Todd Gurley's 4th TD of the game made the score 40-0 midway through the 3rd quarter McKissic gets the handoff and gets stopped by CB
Nickell Robey-Coleman for no gain at the Seattle 34-yard line, with S John Johnson (#43) also getting credit for a tackle on the play. The Seahawks punted 3 plays later. Of Robey-Coleman's 5 tackles (3-2) this was the only time he got McKissic. J.D. finished with 20 yards rushing on 6 carries and 3 catches for 38 yards.
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12. In 2017
J.D.McKissic's dreads were among the longest in the league. What a shame that he kept them reduced for every game.
At Seattle in Week 4 those dreads get stiff-armed to the turf during the 3rd quarter on an INT return by Colts rookie S
Malik Hooker. After the pass on 3rd and 7 deflects off the hands of TE Jimmy Graham and is caught one-handed by Hooker, McKissic tries to make the tackle but is a bit off balance and is promptly deposited onto his back by Hooker at the Seattle 47-yard line .....
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13. ..... but McKissic doesn't stay down for long. After scrambling to his feet J.D. immediately begins his hot pursuit of Hooker and catches him from behind and makes the tackle at the 24-yard line after a 29-yard return:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjJ9tzESQvw ..... The Colts went three-and-out on the ensuing possession and settled for a FG to tie the game at 18. From then on it was all Seahawks, with McKissic contributing his first 2 NFL TD as they finished the game on a 28-0 run to win 46-18. J.D. had a season high 65 total yards on 5 touches. In addition to getting his 3rd INT of the season Hooker had 3 tackles (1-2).
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14. Against the Giants in Week 7
J.D.McKissic tries to fly over CB
Janoris Jenkins on the run after the catch on 3rd and 20 late in the 2nd quarter; but Jenkins doesn't go as low as he was hoping and upends him while knocking him out of bounds at the 21-yard line. McKissic gained 16 yards on the play, and the Seahawks kicked a FG on the next play to cut the Giants' lead to 7-3. This was J.D.'s biggest gain of the day. He finished with 33 total yards on 5 touches in Seattle's 24-7 road win. Janoris had 5 tackles (3-2) as the Giants dropped to 1-6.
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15. I don't want to keep harping on it, but here are two more photos that you can't deny would look awesome if the dreads were flowing at full blast instead of being reduced.
On the first play of the 2nd quarter in Week 12 DT
Sheldon Day of the 49ers leaves his feet but is able to tackle the elusive
J.D.McKissic at the Seattle 47-yard line, holding him to a 5-yard gain on 2nd and 8. The Seahawks punted 2 plays later. This was Day's 2nd and final tackle (2-0) in his first game in a 49ers uniform. McKissic finished with 46 total yards (22 rushing, 24 receiving) on 8 touches in the Seahawks' 24-13 road win.
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16. Although not all the time like
J.D. McKissic, CB
Shaquill Griffin often had his long dreads reduced too in his rookie season for the Seahawks, including here on opening day at Lambeau Field. Griffin had 1 PBU in his debut but doesn't get credit for one on this play, as he defends against WR
Davante Adams on a pass that falls incomplete late in the 1st quarter. With CB Jeremy Lane ejected from the game early, Griffin was on the field a lot more than he expected, playing 77 of Seattle's 82 defensive snaps. Of Green Bay's 28 completions he made the tackle after 10 of them (10-0), 6 of which went for first downs. Adams, with his dreads just barely long enough to be visible, played 67 snaps and finished with 3 catches for 47 yards, on two of which he was tackled by Griffin. The Seahawks' D shut out the Packers in the 1st half but eventually broke, and Green Bay got the win 17-9.
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17. The Week 4 game between the Colts and Seahawks had several other dread duels besides the one between
Malik Hooker and
J.D. McKissic (photos #12 and 13), including this one involving
Shaquill Griffin. WR
T.Y. Hilton picks up the 1st first down of the game as he makes the catch of a short left sideline pass on 3rd and 6 and is wrapped up by Griffin at the Colts' 24-yard line for a gain of 11. The Colts' opening drive ended with a punt 4 plays later. This was the first of only 3 catches for Hilton (for 30 yards). Griffin finished with 5 tackles (3-2) and 1 PBU, with this being the only time he stopped Hilton.
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18. Wearing the Seahawks' "Action Green" color rush uniform on Thursday night in Week 10,
Shaquill Griffin defends WR
Larry Fitzgerald on this incomplete pass in the 1st quarter. Since the 2 PBU Griffin had in the game were both in the 4th quarter, this likely is a shot of the play on which Shaq was called for pass interference at the Seattle 40-yard line on 3rd and 6 on the Cardinals' 3rd possession of the game. The drive ended 6 plays late with a TD, tying the game at 7. Despite being on the field for 73 (of 80) defensive snaps, Griffin had no tackles in the game. In addition to this one Fitzgerald had 14 passes thrown to him and caught 10 of them for 113 yards. The Seahawks won 22-16 in a game more well known for being
Richard Sherman's final game for the Seahawks.
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19. WR
Sammy Watkins contributed 2 catches for 14 yards to the Rams' victory over the Seahawks in Week 15, and on both of them
Shaquill Griffin was credited with the tackle. So this is either Sammy's 7-yard reception on 1st and 10 to the Seattle 29-yard line in the 2nd quarter or his 7-yard reception to the Seattle 32 to convert a 3rd and 3 during the 3rd quarter. Both drives ended with a TD by
Todd Gurley. Griffin had 3 other tackles in the game for a total of 5 (4-1), including 1 TFL.
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20. With the Cardinals trailing the Colts 10-3 late in the 2nd quarter but threatening to tie the game, rookie S
Malik Hooker gets his 1st career INT on a Carson Palmer pass intended for WR J.J. Nelson at the 3-yard line; and when he gets to the 20-yard line on the return, he encounters RB
Andre Ellington. LB Jeremiah George (only his legs are visible, to the right of Ellington) blocks Ellington out of the way, but Andre stays on his feet and fights off the block and ends up tackling Hooker at the 35-yard line after a 32-yard return:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECtsz3g80rY ..... Ellington and Hooker had at least one other close encounter, when Hooker pushed Ellington out of bounds after a 22-yard catch and run in the 3rd quarter. Malik finished with 2 tackles (1-1) in the game. Andre had 23 total yards (11 rushing, 12 receiving) on his 5 touches. The Cardinals came back from a 13-3 deficit in the 4th quarter to win 16-13 in overtime.
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21. With the Lions down by 24 late in the 4th quarter in Week 13 and just trying to get the game over with, rookie RB
Tion Green gets the handoff on 1st down and is met by Ravens rookie LB
Tim Williams after gaining 1 yard. It was the only tackle of the game for Williams. Playing his 1st game of the season, Green rushed for 51 yards on 11 carries, including a 6-yard run for his 1st NFL TD that briefly cut the Ravens' lead to 7 at 20-13 .....
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22. In his 32 defensive snaps on the field the Lions' other rookie with dreads, LB
Jalen Reeves-Maybin, made 2 tackles (2-0), including this one at the 10-yard line after a busted coverage left WR
Chris Moore wide open for a 23-yard catch and run on 3rd and 7 early in the 4th quarter. Two plays later the Ravens upped their lead to 27-13 on a TD run by
Alex Collins. Moore finished with -4 yards rushing on 1 carry, 3 catches for 32 yards, and 2 kickoff returns for 51 yards. Ravens won 44-20.
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23. I thought I'd include this dread duel from the preseason just so you could see rookie WR
Keon Hatcher's sick dreads. In the final preseason game Hatcher scores the Raiders' only TD, beating Seahawks CB
Demetrius McCray for an 18-yard reception in the end zone on 3rd and 9 on the first play after the 2-minute warning in the 1st half. Hatcher finished with 5 catches for 48 yards. McCray had 3 tackles (3-0) in Seattle's 17-13 win. Both players were cut a couple of days later. Keon was then signed to the Raiders' practice squad and spent all season on it. McCray ended up with the Raiders briefly, playing 3 games in the middle of the season before being let go.
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24. Rookie RB
Aaron Jones prepares to stiff-arm S
Anthony Harris in this NFC North dread duel at Minneapolis in Week 6. I'm not sure, but this probably is the play on which Harris tackled Jones at the Packers' 34-yard line after a 9-yard run early in the 4th quarter. Harris played all 66 snaps on defense and finished with 2 tackles (2-0). Jones had 41 yards rushing on 13 carries and 1 reception for 1 yard. The Vikings defeated the Packers 23-10 and in the process injured their superstar QB Aaron Rodgers, knocking him out of action for the next 7 games.
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25. A couple of plays before scoring his 1st NFL TD, rookie RB
D'Onta Foreman is tackled in the open field by CB
Tramon Williams near the NFL logo painted on the field at the Cardinals' 25-yard line for a gain of 2 after a catch on 2nd and 10 early in the 4th quarter at Houston in Week 11. Foreman scored touchdowns on his next two carries, turning a 21-17 Cardinals lead into a 31-21 lead for the Texans; but on his 2nd TD run D'Onta suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. The injury spoiled a day on which he gained a season high 65 yards rushing on 10 carries. Williams finished with 4 tackles (4-0). The Texans won 31-21, leaving both teams with 4-6 records.
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26. With
D'Onta Foreman weighing in at 236 pounds, LB
Erik Walden of the Titans knows you must not be gentle when you try to tackle him one-on-one. On this play in the 4th quarter in Week 4 the 250-pound Walden wraps Foreman up in a headlock while tackling him at the Titans' 22-yard line, holding him to a 2-yard gain on 2nd and 8. Two plays later the Texans kicked a FG, upping their lead to 47-14. Foreman had 45 yards rushing on a season high 13 carries. Walden finished with 3 tackles (2-1). The Texans set a franchise record for most points in a game, whipping the Titans 57-14.
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27. CB
Buster Skrine had his dreads reduced in Week 16; so only a couple of his locks are visible in this shot as he defends a pass intended for rookie WR
Mike Williams in the end zone on 3rd and 2 from the 5-yard line during the 2nd quarter. Rather than allowing Williams to score his 1st NFL TD, Skrine picks up his 10th penalty of the season (not including two more that were declined), grabbing the Chargers' 1st round draft pick before the ball arrives. The PI penalty put the ball at the 1-yard line, and two plays later the Chargers took a 7-0 lead on an Antonio Gates TD catch. Williams had 3 other passes thrown to him during the game, and all three were incomplete, including one on which Skrine got credit for his only PBU of the game. Buster also had 3 tackles (2-1) as the Jets fell to 5-10 with the 14-7 home loss to the Chargers.
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28. Earlier in the season
Buster Skrine had close encounters with RB
Jay Ajayi in both of the Jets' games vs. the Dolphins. Here in Week 3 Skrine has to deal with a block by WR Jarvis Landry as he and CB
Darryl Roberts (with the red tips) try to tackle Ajayi. I'm guessing that this was when Skrine tackled Ajayi for the only time in the game for a 4-yard gain on the first play of a Dolphins drive late in the 1st quarter. But it possibly could also be when Roberts tackled Ajayi for the only time in the game for an 8-yard gain 4 plays later. It was a tough day for Ajayi. He touched the ball 13 times and gained only 25 total yards, with his biggest gain just 8 yards. Roberts finished with 7 tackles (7-0) and 1 PBU. Skrine had 8 tackles (8-0), including his 1st and only sack of the season. The Jets' D allowed just 225 total yards in a 20-6 home win over Miami.
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29.
Buster Skrine again tries to tackle
Jay Ajayi in their second meeting in Week 7; and he succeeds, unless Ajayi somehow stayed on his feet. There was no caption with this photo, but it certainly looks like the play early in the 4th quarter where Skrine stopped Ajayi at the Jets' 28-yard line for a gain of 3 after a catch on 2nd and 10, his 3rd (and final) tackle (3-0) of the game. On the next play Buster got beat by WR Kenny Stills for a 28-yard TD catch, cutting the Jets' lead to 28-21. It was a tough day for Skrine. He also gave up a 36-yard catch to Stills in the 1st quarter and had as many penalties as tackles, will all three coming on Dolphins TD drives. Ajayi fared
a bit better than the first meeting, finishing with 51 yards rushing on 23 carries and 3 receptions for 26 yards. The Dolphins outscored the Jets 17-0 in the 4th quarter, including a FG with 22 seconds remaining that gave them a 31-28 home victory.
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30. There was no caption with this photo either; but since there are two LBs in the shot -
Mark Barron and Matt Longacre (#96) - I'd bet this is when CB
Nickell Robey-Coleman tackled WR
DeAndre Hopkins (for the only time all day) at the line of scrimmage for no gain after a catch on 2nd and 20 early in the 2nd quarter of the Texans-Rams game in Week 11. The Texans missed a FG attempt two plays later. Despite Hopkins catching 7 passes for 111 yards, the Texans scored only 7 points. Robey-Coleman finished with 4 tackles (3-1), and Barron had 5 tackles (5-0) and an interception in the Rams' 33-7 home victory.
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31. WR
Seth Roberts and CB
Bradley Roby have had their share of close encounters since they both came into the league in 2014, although in this one at Denver in Week 4 Roby isn't exactly close. If Bradley made the tackle on this play, it was on Roberts' 5-yard reception to the Oakland 26-yard line on 2nd and 9 early in the 4th quarter. That was the only time he tackled Roberts, one of his 2 tackles (2-0). He also had 1 PBU. Seth - back when his dreads were still looking good - finished with 4 catches for 49 yards in the Raiders' 16-10 loss to the Broncos.
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32. WR
Kelvin Benjamin and CB
Vernon Hargreaves have dueled in the past in college (UF vs. FSU) as well as the NFC South; but 2017 was the first time that you could see a photo in which they both have dreads. In Week 8, before Benjamin was traded to Buffalo and before Hargreaves missed the second half of the season due to a hamstring injury, the two meet here early in the 4th quarter at Raymond James Stadium on the first play after a turnover by the Buccaneers. With his dreads barely long enough to be visible, Hargreaves makes his 6th (and final) tackle (5-1) of the game, stopping KB at the Bucs' 39-yard line on a 9-yard reception. The drive ended four plays later with a 25-yard TD catch by Benjamin, upping the Panthers' lead to 17-3. In addition to his tackles Vernon had 2 PBU. Benjamin finished with 3 catches for 39 yards in his final game in a Carolina uniform as the Panthers won 17-3.
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33. On his first ever carry in an Eagles uniform RB
LeGarrette Blount picks up a few yards on 1st and 19 before encountering a former teammate, LB
Mason Foster. With help from CB Kendall Fuller, Foster stops Blount at the Eaglers' 49-yard line after a 6-yard run with 9:10 remaining in the 1st quarter. The drive ended four plays later when Foster recovered a fumble by QB Carson Wentz. Foster and Blount both began their NFL careers with the Buccaneers and were teammates in 2011 and 2012. In their first of two meetings in 2017 Foster had 9 tackles (8-1), including 2 of Blount, in addition to his FR. Blount was the game's leading rusher with 46 yards on 14 carries and had a 1-yard TD reception. The Eagles got the road win 30-17.
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34. DT
Cedric Thornton got his dreads started in 2015, and in 2017 they're finally long enough to be seen (barely) outside of his helmet as he attempts to beat G
James Carpenter while rushing QB Josh McCown in this Week 9 game between the Bills and Jets. Carpenter played all 67 snaps for the Jets' offense and no doubt bumped into Thornton a few times during his 20 snaps on the field. Thornton, who played his first four seasons with the Eagles and then with the Cowboys in 2016, recorded his 1st sack in a Bills uniform in the game (and would have had two had he not grabbed McCown's facemask on the second one), but the Bills lost to the Jets 34-21.
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35. Giants rookie DE
Avery Moss gets past Broncos OT
Billy Turner, but too late to bother QB Brock Osweiler as he fires this pass late in the 2nd quarter at Denver in Week 6. Moss played 42 snaps in the game but didn't record a single tackle. Turner, who entered the game in the 2nd quarter when OT Menelik Watson was injured, played his first 46 snaps of the season but at some point broke his hand and did not play at all the rest of the season. The Broncos, a 13-point favorite, laid an egg, losing to the 0-5 Giants 23-10.
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36. In one of his 2 defensive snaps on the field in the season opener Titans CB
Tye Smith denies WR
Cordarrelle Patterson what would have been his first TD in a Raiders uniform, stopping him at the 5-yard line for a 2-yard reception on 2nd and 5 late in the 1st quarter at Nashville. 6 plays later the Raiders settled for a FG to take a 10-7 lead. Smith also played 13 snaps on special teams and was credited with the Titans' 1st tackle of the season when they tried an onside kick on the opening kickoff but the Raiders recovered it. Besides this play Patterson had two other touches in the game, a 5-yard run and a big 41-yard kickoff return in the 4th quarter. The Raiders defeated the Titans in Nashville for the 3rd year in a row, 26-16.
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37. LB
Terrance Smith gets a hand on WR
Will Fuller but does not tackle him near the 20-yard line on his only punt return of the night during the 4th quarter of the Chiefs-Texans game in Week 5. It turned out to be a big missed tackle, as Fuller wasn't touched again until P Dustin Colquitt tackled him at the KC 37 after a 49-yard return. 3 plays later the Texans scored a TD to cut the Chiefs' lead to 39-26. Fuller also made 2 receptions in the game, and both went for touchdowns (9 and 48 yards). All 23 of Smith's snaps were on special teams and he finished with 1 tackle (1-0). The Chiefs improved to 5-0 with the 42-34 road win over the Texans.
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38. One play after making his 1st catch of the game for a gain of 8 on 2nd and 12 late in the 2nd quarter in Week 8, WR
Robby Anderson is too fast for CB
Desmond Trufant on a go route on 3rd and 4 and makes the catch in stride in the end zone for a 24-yard TD, giving the Jets a 17-10 over the Falcons. It was the 2nd game in a row with a TD catch for Anderson, adding to a streak that eventually reached 5 games. He finished the day with 6 catches for 104 yards to make the dread stars list for the first time in 2017. Trufant had 2 tackles, one on Anderson's 24-yard reception in the 4th quarter and the other for his 1st sack of the season. The Falcons defeated the Jets 25-20. Here's a video featuring 4 of Anderson's 6 receptions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M223yXjD8Ds
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39. One play after making the catch against
Shaquill Griffin for a 1st down (photo #17) in the 1st quarter in Week 4, WR
T.Y. Hilton tries the Seahawks' other CB with long dreads, none other than
Richard Sherman; but Hilton can't make the catch, and Sherman gets credit for his only PBU of the game. Sherman also made 2 tackles (1-1) in Seattle's win.
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40. After making his 1st (and only) catch of the season during the 2nd quarter in Week 17, WR
Cobi Hamilton has to worry about not only CB Kenny Moore tackling him but also S
Clayton Geathers trying to strip the ball from him. Hamilton hung on for an 8-yard gain to the Colts' 23-yard line to convert a 3rd and 2. Four plays later the Texans took a 10-7 lead on their only TD of the day. Geathers finished with 3 tackles (2-1) as the Colts came back to win 22-13 and finish in a tie with the Texans for last place in the AFC South.
Hopefully this will not be the last catch of Hamilton's NFL career; but it might be. After being released by the Texans and then the Cardinals and Colts too, Cobi did not play for anyone in 2018.
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41. The Colts' game at Cincinnati in Week 8 gets off to a good start for WR
T.Y. Hilton, as he runs after the catch on 3rd and 5 on the opening drive and picks up 17 yards before being caught and brought down by CB
Adam Jones at the Cincinnati 49-yard line. The drive ended 4 plays later however with a punt, which was blocked by the Bengals. For the rest of the game Hilton was no factor. He had a catch for a 2-yard loss on the Colts' next drive and then had no other receptions after that. This was the only tackle (1-0) for Jones in 44 snaps on the field. The Bengals got the winning points on a pick six midway through the 4th quarter to edge the Colts 24-23.
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42. In Week 12 at Paul Brown Stadium
Adam Jones can't make the tackle this time as he pursues another ball carrier with dreads, RB
Isaiah Crowell of the Browns. I don't know for sure, but this probably is the play on which Crowell went out of bounds at the Bengals' 44-yard line for a gain of 9 on 1st and 10 late in the 3rd quarter. Isaiah barely missed getting the 1st down on that play but did pick up 5 first downs on his 16 other touches. He finished with 105 total yards (95 rushing, 10 receiving) to make the dread stars list. Jones had 2 tackles (1-1) and a punt return for a 55-yard TD that was nullified by a penalty (he was given credit for a 16-yard return instead) in his 27 snaps on the field. The Browns dropped to 0-11 and were
officially eliminated from the playoff picture with their 30-16 loss to the Bengals.
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43. In Week 13 the Browns were on the road again, on the West Coast, where Chargers DE
Melvin Ingram greeted
Isaiah Crowell with a little verbal abuse after tackling him for a 1-yard loss in the 2nd quarter, to which Isaiah responds by angrily shoving Melvin away from him. Neither player was penalized. Crowell touched the ball only 11 times in the game and gained 44 total yards. Ingram finished with 4 tackles (4-0), and he stopped Crowell on three of them. The Browns stubbornly stayed in the game, holding the Chargers to only 1 TD; but eventually they extended their losing streak to 13 in a row since beating the Chargers in Week 16 of 2016, dropping this one 19-10.
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44. The gametime temperature of 11 degrees doesn't deter
Isaiah Crowell from going with short sleeves as he is pursued by LB
Sean Spence on one of his 15 carries at Heinz Field in Week 17. I don't know if Spence made the tackle on this play, but he did tackle Crowell 4 times (1-3) during the game and finished with a total of 6 tackles (2-4). Crowell's final game in a Browns uniform was a very forgettable one. He didn't make a single 1st down on his 15 carries, was tackled for a loss 4 times, and was biggest gain was 7 yards. He finished with 21 yards rushing as the Browns finished off their 0-16 season with a 28-24 loss to the Steelers.
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45. CB
Brandon Carr gives WR
Martavis Bryant plenty of cushion on this play at Heinz Field in Week 14. Assuming Bryant made the catch, this was either his 8-yard reception in the 1st quarter, his 7-yarder late in the 2nd quarter (most likely), or his 9-yarder late in the 3rd quarter. All three of those plays were passes to the right sideline, and Martavis went out of bounds on two of them. He finished with a season high 6 catches (on a season high 10 targets) but gained only 33 yards on them; and since the Steelers were giving up so many points, he also had a career high 5 kickoff returns (for only 55 yards). Carr finished with 6 tackles (6-0) and 1 PBU; but he got beat deep three times by WR Antonio Brown, for gains of 28, 43, and 34 yards, with the last of those moving the Steelers into FG range with 1:02 remaining in the game. 4 plays later the Steelers kicked a FG with 42 seconds to play to take the lead and held on to win 39-38.
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46. Back in Week 2
Martavis Bryant was on the field at Heinz Field for his first game since missing the entire 2016 season due to a suspension, and he had what turned out to be his most productive game of the season. Unfortunately for Vikings CB
Trae Waynes, Bryant's two biggest gains came at his expense .....
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47. After scoring a 27-yard TD on his first reception of the day (not at Waynes' expense) in the 1st quarter, Bryant beats Waynes deep on 2nd and 22 on the 3rd play of the Steelers' next drive. Waynes catches up but hits Bryant before the ball arrives and is flagged for a 49-yard pass interference penalty at the 12-yard line. Three plays later the Steelers scored a TD to up their lead to 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter .....
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48. Then midway through the 3rd quarter, after a 13-yard reception by Bryant on 3rd and 12 keeps the drive alive, the Vikings jump offside on the next play, giving the Steelers a free play; and Martavis again beats Trae deep and makes an over-the-shoulder catch - trapping the ball between his forearms and somehow hanging on - for a gain of 51 yards to the 11-yard line. 4 plays later the Steelers settled for a FG to make the score 20-9. Waynes had 5 tackles (5-1) in the game. Bryant finished with 3 catches for a season high 91 yards as the Steelers won 26-9.
Here's a video of Bryant's highlights in the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ22HzWCiP4
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49. After playing all 16 games for the Giants in 2016, LB
Kelvin Sheppard was not re-signed for 2017 and was out of the league until the injury-ravaged Giants brought him back in November. He made just short of a half million dollars while playing in the final 7 games of the season. Here early in the 4th quarter at Oakland in Week 13 RB
Marshawn Lynch, after catching a checkdown pass on 3rd and 7 and eluding two defenders to pick up the first down, keeps going and tries to power his way through Sheppard, who first hits him at the 32-yard line. Lynch ends up dragging Sheppard another 7 yards before finally going down at the 25 for a gain of 21 yards. Two plays later the Raiders scored a TD to up their lead to 17-7. Marshawn made the dread stars list, finishing with 101 yards rushing on 17 carries plus 2 catches for 20 yards .....
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50. Later in the 4th quarter, on the first play from scrimmage after a Giants TD made the score 17-14 and as LB
Ray-Ray Armstrong (#55) and (inactive) DT
Khyri Thornton look on (photo above) from the sideline,
Kelvin Sheppard pursues WR
Cordarrelle Patterson on the run after a catch on a WR screen pass; but CP is too fast for him. Kelvin bites the dust 30 yards downfield at the Giants' 40-yard line, and Patterson keeps speeding down the sideline until being tripped up from behind (barely) at the 9-yard line. The 59-yard catch and run was CP's biggest gain of the season. Two plays later the Raiders scored a TD to up their lead to 24-14. Patterson nearly made the dread stars list, finishing with 4 catches for 97 yards (his most yards receiving since Week 14 of his rookie season in 2013). Sheppard had a team-leading 8 tackles (2-6) as the Giants fell to 2-10 with the 24-17 loss to the Raiders.
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51. Three weeks later another WR with dreads,
Larry Fitzgerald, did make the dread stars list at the Giants' expense. Here in the 1st quarter the Cardinals run a flea flicker on 1st and 10, and pressure by DT
Damon Harrison causes the pass from QB Drew Stanton to be underthrown; but Fitzgerald adjusts and makes the catch while going to the ground between
Kelvin Sheppard and CB
Brandon Dixon, with Dixon getting credit for the tackle after a 19-yard gain. Dixon finished the afternoon with 5 tackles (3-2) .....
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52. Two plays later, after a holding penalty made it 1st and 20,
Larry Fitzgerald runs after the catch and, knowing he doesn't want to get hit by any linebackers, is smart enough to get down in time, causing
Ray-Ray Armstrong to ram into teammate
Kelvin Sheppard instead. Sheppard got credit for the tackle at the 8-yard line after a gain of 20. 4 plays later the Cardinals settled for a FG and a 3-0 lead. Fitzgerald finished with 9 catches for 119 yards, with 7 of the receptions going for first downs, including a 13-yard TD. He also was 1 for 1 passing for 21 yards. Armstrong had 3 tackles (2-1) and Sheppard led the Giants with 9 tackles (9-0) as they lost to the Cardinals 23-0 to drop to 2-13. Here's a video of Larry's highlights from the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY8mViy287Y
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53. In his last season before deciding to go with his head shaved S
Matthias Farley of the Colts had several encounters with players with dreads on opposing teams. This one was in Week 4, as he tries to knock RB
Eddie Lacy off his feet on one of Lacy's 6 carries in the 4th quarter. Lacy carried 6 times for 43 yards on the Seahawks' final drive of the game, with Farley making the tackle on 4 of them. The 84-yard drive ended with a
J.D. McKissic TD catch. Lacy had just 179 yards rushing all year, and a season high 52 of them came in this game. Farley finished with 10 tackles (4-6) (one of three games he had 10+ tackles) and his 1st INT of the season. The Seahawks scored 5 TD in the 2nd half to blow out the Colts 46-18.
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54. As violently as RB
Chris Ivory runs,
Mattias Farley doesn't care where or what he has he grab, he's doing anything he can just to make the tackle on this play at Jacksonville in Week 13. 2 of Farley's team-leading 7 tackles (5-2) were tackles of Ivory; so this may be one of them. Ivory picked up 15 total yards on his 5 touches in the game, which the Jaguars won easily 30-10.
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55. Here in Week 9
Matthias Farley is outweighed by at least 25 pounds as he tries to get Texans rookie RB
D'Onta Foreman on the ground. The caption didn't indicate if Matthias was successful or not, but he might have been because he was credited with 2 tackles of Foreman during the game. Playing all 71 snaps on defense Farley led the Colts with 8 tackles (6-2). Foreman finished with 37 yards rushing on 11 carries and had 1 reception for no gain .....
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56.
Matthias Farley also had 1 PBU vs. the Texans in Week 9, but it wasn't on this play. This looks like a shot of the deep pass intended for WR
Will Fuller that was incomplete on 2nd and 9 early in the 4th quarter. The two, of course, were college teammates at Notre Dame for three seasons, so Matthias wouldn't have ever heard the end of it if he had allowed Fuller to score a TD.
Life without QB Deshaun Watson didn't go so well for Fuller in 2017. One week after Watson threw 2 TD passes to him at Seattle, Tom Savage hit him only twice in 8 attempts for 32 yards in the 20-14 loss to the Colts. After scoring 7 TD with Watson at QB in the first half of the season, Will had no TD catches in 6 games after Watson suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice.
Speaking of that game at Seattle in Week 8 .....
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57. With
Will Fuller and
DeAndre Hopkins starting at WR for the Texans and
Richard Sherman and
Shaquill Griffin starting at CB for the Seahawks, there certainly was no shortage of dread duels when the Texans had the ball; but unfortunately they all had their dreads reduced. Photo #37 in DG173 was a photo of Fuller with his helmet off. This is the play on which it happened. Beaten by Fuller on a post-corner route on 2nd and 8, Sherman figures the only way to prevent the TD is to hit Fuller so hard that he loses control of the ball. But it doesn't work, as Fuller hangs on after Sherman hits him (left photo) and the ground hits him (right photo), although the ground managed to knock his helmet loose. The 20-yard TD catch completed an 84-yard drive that put Houston ahead 21-14 with 9:34 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
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58. On 2nd and 6 late in the 1st quarter
DeAndre Hopkins tries to make one of his patented circus catches but is denied by
Shaquill Griffin. Hopkins briefly gets his hands on the pass (left photo), but Griffin comes in with his right arm and separates DeAndre's hands (right photo), causing him to lose control of the ball. Had Hopkins held on it would have been a 20-yard gain; instead the Texans punted two plays later. This was the first of 2 PBU for Shaq in the game.
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59. Here's a dread duel from when the Seahawks had the ball. LB
Jadeveon Clowney tackled RB
J.D. McKissic one time during the game, and this very likely is the photo of it. JC stops J.D. for a 4-yard loss at the Seattle 39-yard line very late in the 1st quarter on the first play of what turned into a three-and-out possession. Clowney finished with 4 tackles (4-0), including 2 TFL, and 1 strip sack (which the Seahawks recovered for an 11-yard gain). McKissic played only 16 snaps on offense and had 12 total yards on 5 touches.
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60. After the Texans first drive of the afternoon ended with a
Will Fuller 59-yard TD catch, their second drive begins with this 27-yard reception by
DeAndre Hopkins, with
Richard Sherman making the tackle at the Seattle 29-yard line. It was the first of 8 receptions for Hopkins and the first of 4 tackles (1-3) for Sherman. The drive ended 3 plays later with a 78-yard pick six by S Earl Thomas, tying the game at 7.
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61. The shoe is on the other foot here in the 3rd quarter as
DeAndre Hopkins, along with C Nick Martin, tackles
Richard Sherman after Sherman returns an interception 19 yards to the Houston 16-yard line. Under pressure, QB Deshaun Watson overthrew TE Stephen Anderson, and the ball came right to Sherman for his 1st INT of the season. The Seahawks settled for a 21-yard FG on the ensuing possession to take a 27-24 lead.
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62. On the first play after a Seattle punt early in the 4th quarter
DeAndre Hopkins beats press coverage by
Shaquill Griffin and makes the catch in stride 20 yards downfield at the 50-yard line. Nuk makes it to that patch of sunlight on the field before Shaq tackles him at the 37-yard line for a gain of 34. Two plays later a 36-yard reception by
Will Fuller moved the ball to the 2-yard line, and 2 plays after that the Texans scored a TD to regain the lead 31-27. On the Texans' next possession Hopkins took a WR screen pass 72 yards to the house to finish the game with 8 catches for 224 yards (14 yards short of his career high), Griffin finished with 3 tackles (3-0) and 2 PBU.
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63. On the second play after the Seahawks scored a TD to take a 3-point lead with 21 seconds to play in the game
Richard Sherman gets his 2nd INT of the game, picking off a desperation deep pass intended for
Will Fuller at the Seattle 37-yard line with :09 on the clock and then sliding to the ground rather than trying to return it so that neither Fuller nor anybody else can strip the ball from him. The two picks for Sherman were his only two of the season and his last two in a Seahawks uniform. Fuller finished with 5 catches for 125 yards and 2 TD, but the Texans fell to the Seahawks 41-38.
If you have the time, here are a couple of videos where you can see most of the plays involving Hopkins, Fuller, Sherman, and Griffin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NLD-rv_SRc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbZ188z6KQ
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64. After carrying just one time in his NFL debut in Week 1, Texans RB
D'Onta Foreman got the ball 8 times in the 1st half at Cincinnati on Thursday night in Week 2, and on this one he encounters another #27 with dreads, CB
Dre Kirkpatrick. I don't know when in this 1st half this play was, but I do know that Kirkpatrick did not make the tackle on it. Dre finished with 2 tackles (2-0) in the game, with neither of them being a tackle of Foreman.
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65. On his 1st carry of the game
D'Onta Foreman was tackled by the Bengals' other starting CB with dreads,
Adam Jones; and this likely is a photo of that play, as Foreman gains 9 yards on 2nd and 2 to pick up his 1st NFL first down, with Jones making the tackle at the Houston 32-yard line midway through the 1st quarter. The Texans punted 4 plays later. D'Onta played a total of 17 snaps and finished with 12 carries for 40 yards and 2 first downs.
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66. After being suspended for Week 1 due to an offseason misdemeanor
Adam Jones had his dreads at full blast for
his season opener. The Texans had the ball for 66 snaps on offense, and Jones was on the field for 61 of them, often covering superstar WR
DeAndre Hopkins, who played all 66. Both players had their ups and downs.
With Jones giving Hopkins an 8-yard cushion on 2nd and 8 here in the 3rd quarter, he's lucky to have the sideline to help him make his 2nd tackle of the game after Hopkins catches a short pass and turns upfield. Jones doesn't get Hopkins on the ground but does get him out of bounds at the Houston 43-yard line after a gain of 6 .....
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67. 4 plays later Jones has blanket coverage on Hopkins and prevents him from making the catch on a pass 10 yards downfield on 3rd and 10, getting his left arm in between DeAndre's hands (photo above). After a second attempt by Hopkins to make the catch is also broken up by Jones, the ball (visible in the opening between Jones' knees in photo on right) falls to the ground incomplete. It was the 2nd PBU of the night for Jones. The Texans punted on the next play, still leading 10-9.
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68. On 2nd and 9 early in the 4th quarter
DeAndre Hopkins is wrapped up by
Adam Jones at the Houston 17-yard line after making the catch for an 8-yard gain, with S Shawn Williams coming in late to help Jones. Actually Hopkins messed up on this play. He didn't make the catch cleanly at the 19 (for what would have been the first down), instead juggling the ball; and by the time he finally got a handle on it he was a yard short of the first down. After
D'Onta Foreman was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on the next play, the Texans punted for the 8th time .....
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69. The Texans had 15 snaps on their next possession, and
DeAndre Hopkins was the intended receiver on 7 of them. Here on the 2nd play of the drive
Adam Jones again gets credit for a PBU, coming from behind to hit Hopkins as he tries to make the catch at the Houston 33-yard line.
Two plays later Jones was called for a crucial PI penalty while covering Hopkins on 2nd and 20. And 3 plays after that DeAndre beat Adam for a 9-yard reception on 3rd and 7. The drive ended with a FG, as the Texans upped their lead to 13-9 at the 2-minute warning and held on to win. Jones finished with 5 tackles (5-0), including 4 stops of Hopkins; and all 3 of his PBU were on passes to Hopkins. He also had 2 punt returns for 41 yards. On 13 targets Hopkins finished with 7 catches for 73 yards and also had an offensive PI penalty. You can see all the plays in photos #66-69 and a few others involving Hopkins and Jones in this video of their duel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE-Yj4dsD5w
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70. 9 players with dreads were in the starting lineups for the key Week 14 matchup between the Eagles and Rams on an 83 degree day in the middle of December at the Coliseum. Here on the Rams' first offensive snap and in a shot that would've looked way better if both players hadn't had their dreads reduced, CB
Ronald Darby, after giving up a 9-yard cushion, comes forward to tackle WR
Sammy Watkins as he runs after catching a short pass. Darby made the tackle at the Eagles' 32-yard line after a gain of 5 yards. It turned out to be Watkins' only catch of the game (on 4 targets).
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71. Not only the first,
Ronald Darby makes the Eagles' 2nd tackle of the afternoon too, getting his hands on the speeding RB
Todd Gurley at the 10-yard line and pushing him just enough to cause him to go out of bounds at the 2 after a run for a 30-yard gain. Gurley finished the drive with a TD on the next play as the Rams took just 3 plays to cash in a turnover on the Eagles' opening drive and take a 7-0 lead. Darby had 4 other solo tackles to finish with 6 (6-0) for the game. Gurley was the only player to make the dread stars list, gaining 135 total yards (96 rushing, 39 receiving) on just 16 touches and scoring 2 TD.
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72. Early in the 2nd quarter it's LB
Mark Barron's job to tackle RB
Jay Ajayi one-on-one in the open field right at the line of scrimmage on 1st and 10; but he overruns the play and barely gets a hand on Ajayi as Ajayi runs past him. The Jay Train ends up gaining 19 yards before finally being stopped at the Rams 40-yard line. The drive ended with a TD 7 plays later, as the Eagles scored for the 3rd straight possession to up their lead to 21-7.
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73. It isn't a textbook tackle, but CB
Nickell Robey-Coleman gets the job done, stopping RB
LeGarrette Blount (who outweighs him by 67 pounds) at the Eagles' 33-yard line and holding him to a 7-yard gain on a screen pass on 3rd and 20 midway through the 2nd quarter. The Eagles punted on the next play. Blount finished with 2 catches for 11 yards and just 12 yards rushing on 7 carries.
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74. On the first play after the Rams scored a special teams TD to take a 28-24 lead early in the 3rd quarter
Nickell Robey-Coleman is in perfect position to get a TFL; but
Jay Ajayi puts on a spin move to elude him.
Mark Barron (#26) has his back though. After Ajayi broke NRC's tackle, Barron came up a dragged him down for a gain of only 1 yard. The drive ended 15 plays later with a TD, as the Eagles regained the lead 31-28. Barron finished the game with 7 tackles (7-0), including 2 TFL.
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75. After catching a checkdown pass on 3rd and 10 early in the 4th quarter
Jay Ajayi turns and is immediately hit by
Nickell Robey-Coleman at the 23-yard line. Nickell, who read the play quickly and had an 8-yard run-up, uses that momentum plus all of his 180 pounds to stop the 223-pound Jay Train and drive him into the ground for a gain of only 2 yards. You can see NRC grimace while taking Ajayi's leg in his crotch because for some reason he didn't have his mouthguard in on this play. The Eagles kicked a FG on the next play to cut the Rams' lead to 35-34. In addition to this 2-yard reception Ajayi had 78 yards rushing on 15 carries. Robey-Coleman started (the Rams started 3 CBs this game) and played a season high 85 snaps (out of 92) and finished with a career high-tying 7 tackles (7-0), including 1 TFL, and 3 PBU. The Eagles scored the final 12 points of the game to win 43-35 and improve to 11-2. The Rams fell to 9-4.
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76. At the Coliseum two weeks earlier
Sammy Watkins had his dreads right and looking great as he scores the game's first touchdown, beating CB
DeVante Harris on a slant on 1st and goal for a 5-yard reception to give the Rams a 7-0 lead over the Saints. Watkins, who began the 7-play, 59-yard opening drive with a 24-yard reception, had a season high 9 passes thrown to him this game, finishing with 4 catches for 82 yards - his second best game of the season. Harris, making his 1st start of the season, had 3 tackles (2-1) but was so unimpressive that he was demoted to the practice squad a week later .....
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77. After the Rams made it 10-0 with a FG on their next drive the Saints strike back quickly. On 2nd and 9 from their own 26-yard line they call a simple run up the middle out of a 4-WR formation, and RB
Alvin Kamara, behind great blocking, runs through the line untouched and into the clear.
Mark Barron is the only Ram with a chance to save the touchdown, but Kamara easily breaks his diving tackle attempt at the 10-yard line and scores standing up. The 74-yard run was Kamara's 8th TD of the season and the biggest gain from scrimmage during his rookie season. Alvin had a huge day, finishing with 87 yards rushing on 5 carries, 6 catches for 101 yards, and 2 TD. Barron had 5 tackles (4-1). The Rams won 26-20, ending the Saints' 8-game winning streak and leaving both teams with 8-3 records.
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78. In another dread duel that would have looked awesome if both players had had their dreads flowing freely instead of reduced,
Mark Barron tries to strip the ball from RB
Rob Kelley and tackle him at the same time late in the 1st quarter at the Coliseum in Week 2. Barron got credit for the tackle but Kelley kept control of the ball and got 21 yards on the play, his biggest gain of the season. Kelley gained 19 yards on the previous play, accounting for the first 40 yards on a 65-yard TD drive that upped the Redskins' lead to 10-0. He finished with 12 carries for a season high 78 yards. Barron had 10-0 tackles (10-0), including 2 TFL. The Redskins won 27-20.
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79. Just under 7 minutes after making his 1st NFL tackle, rookie DE
Takkarist McKinley makes his 1st
solo NFL tackle, and it ends the season of Bears WR
Kevin White. On the run after a catch early in the 4th quarter in Week 1 White breaks his left collarbone as he is hit from behind by McKinley and dropped for no gain. White, who spent his entire 2015 rookie season and the final 12 weeks of the 2016 season on IR due to leg injuries, lasted 46 snaps in 2017 before his luck ran out. He finished the game (and season) with 2 catches for 6 yards. McKinley had 2 tackles (1-1) as the Falcons won at Chicago for the first time in 34 years, 23-17.
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80. Monday Night Football in Week 16 was on Christmas night, and I already included 5 photos from the Raiders-Eagles game in my Week 16 report ..... but I saved a couple for now.
CB
Ronald Darby tackled RB
Marshawn Lynch 3 times in the 1st half; but the caption says this is from the 2nd half, when Lynch touched the ball 16 times without being stopped by Darby on any of them. Also is the picture here is WR
Cordarrelle Patterson - most of whose dreads are behind his helmet and would be more visible if the camera had been pointing over to the left a bit more - attempting to block Darby. Patterson played 13 snaps on offense and had 1 catch for 7 yards. Darby finished with 6 tackles (3-3) and had a huge INT late in the 4th quarter to set up the Eagles' game-winning FG.
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81. On 1st and 10 late in the 1st quarter the long dreads of LB
Dannell Ellerbe go horizontal as
Marshawn Lynch eludes him at the line of scrimmage on a run off left tackle. While Ellerbe ended up on the ground, Lynch ended up being knocked out of bounds at the Oakland 37-yard line after an 8-yard gain. The Raiders punted 3 plays later. Ellerbe finished with 4 tackles (2-2), including 3 stops of Lynch for 14 yards, with his only other tackle being a TFL. Marshawn picked up 5 first downs as he gained 95 yards on 25 carries, and he also fumbled for the first time all year. The Eagles scored 9 points in the final 25 seconds of the game to defeat the Raiders 19-10.
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82. There was no caption for this collision between Ravens RB
Alex Collins and Bengals CB
Dre Kirkpatrick in Week 17. Perhaps this is shot of when Kirkpatrick knocked Collins out of bounds on an 8-yard run on 2nd and 10 in the 3rd quarter ... or maybe when Dre tackled Alex for a 6-yard gain on 2nd and 4 in the 4th quarter ... or maybe some other play. Kirkpatrick finished with 3 tackles (3-0) and had 2 PBU. Collins had 2 catches for 18 yards and 78 yards rushing on 20 carries, including a highlight reel 17-yard TD on 4th down in the 3rd quarter. In a game the Ravens
had to win to make the playoffs they allowed a 49-yard TD pass on 4th down with 44 seconds to play and lost to the Bengals 31-27.
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83. In photos #21 and 22 we saw a couple of dread duels from the Lions-Ravens game in Week 13. Now here's one more.
Alex Collins scored 2 TD in the game, but on this play he ends up in the arms of DE
Ziggy Ansah. The caption says this was from the 3rd quarter; but I'm guessing this was when Ansah stopped Collins for a 1-yard gain late in the 2nd quarter. Ansah had 5 tackles (5-0) in the game, and on 4 of them he stopped Collins. Despite finishing with 2 total yards less than 100, Alex still made my dread stars list. He gained 75 yards rushing and 23 receiving on 17 touches in the Ravens' 44-20 home win over the Lions.
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84. Steelers S
J.J. Wilcox reaches for
Alex Collins' dreads but misses (barely) as Collins runs past him at the 35-yard line on the first play from scrimmage at Baltimore in Week 4. Alex made it to the 48 for a gain of 23 yards before being stopped. The drive reached the Steelers' 39 before the Ravens punted .....
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85. Midway through the 3rd quarter Wilcox again attempts to grab Collins' dreads but once again comes away empty handed as Collins eludes him near midfield on a sweep right on 1st and 10. This time Alex makes it all the way to the 16-yard line for a 50-yard gain, the biggest gain by either team all day. Two plays later the Ravens scored their only TD of the day, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to 19-9. In his only start of the season Wilcox played all 69 snaps on defense and finished with 3 tackles (3-0) (but none of Collins). Making his 1st career start, Collins had 82 yards rushing on only 9 carries but also had a costly fumble that set up a short TD drive for the Steelers as the Ravens lost 26-9. In this video you can see all of Alex's action from the game, including a nice close-up, slow-motion view of this play at the 3:01 mark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxC6UEGNs1Y
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86. After making his 1st reception of the game on 2nd and 6 during the 1st quarter in Week 14, Chargers WR
Travis Benjamin finds himself face-to-face with CB
Josh Norman of the Redskins near the right sideline .....
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87. ..... Norman finds out that tackling the 175-pound Benjamin in the open field is no piece of cake; and as Benjamin is about to elude him, Josh elects to grabs Travis' facemask instead of his dreads to make the tackle. Benjamin picked up 14 yards on the reception to the 19-yard line, with the penalty moving the ball to the 9. Two plays later the Chargers scored their 1st TD of the game, upping their lead to 10-0. Norman played all 72 snaps on defense and finished with 3 tackles (3-0) and 1 PBU. If you include the 10 yards for this penalty, Benjamin accounted for 100 all-purpose yards on the 5 times he touched the ball - 22 yards rushing, 21 receiving, and 47 on punt returns. The Chargers won their 4th in a row to improve to 7-6 (after an 0-4 start). easily defeating the Redskins 30-13.
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88. Assuming that the blue paint on the field is part of the Cowboys' star logo at midfield, then RB
Melvin Gordon is at the Cowboys' 45-yard line on this play as LB
Jaylon Smith attempts to tackle him on Thanksgiving Day; so I'm guessing this is the play on which Smith tackled Gordon at the 41-yard line for a gain of 8 on 2nd and 13 with 5:24 remaining in the 4th quarter (there are a couple of other plays it could be, but the one at 5:24 is the most likely). Jaylon was busy in his 38 snaps on the field, finishing with a game high 8 tackles (7-1), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU. The Cowboys kept Gordon out of the end zone, but he still gained 88 total yards (65 rushing, 23 receiving) on 24 touches in the Chargers' easy 28-6 victory.
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89. There were plenty of dread encounters in the two games between the Chargers and Raiders. This one came on the Chargers' game-winning drive at Oakland in Week 6.
Melvin Gordon, after taking the handoff on 1st and 10, slipping through a small hole in the line and then noticing that S
Reggie Nelson is going low to tackle him 5 yards downfield, lifts off trying to hurdle Nelson, only to have Reggie raise up and try to upend him. S Karl Joseph wrapped up Gordon on his way down at the 26-yard line and was given credit for the tackle instead of Nelson, as Melvin picked 7 yards on the last play before the 2-minute warning:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000861926/Melvin-Gordon-hurdles-Reggie-Nelson-on-first-down-run ....
This was the first of 5 consecutive plays that Gordon carried the ball, during which he gained 23 yards and picked up 2 first downs, moving the ball from the 33-yard line to the 10
and killing the clock. He finished with 83 yards rushing on 25 carries and had 9 catches for 67 yards as the Chargers kicked a FG on the last play of the game to beat the Raiders 17-16 .....
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90.
Reggie Nelson had his dreads flowing at full blast for the second meeting vs. the Chargers, as he pursues
Melvin Gordon on this play during Week 17. The two met often in this game, with Nelson tackling Gordon 6 times (I don't know if this play was one of them). Reggie finished with 7 tackles (4-3) and had 1 FF - but, as you may recall, that FF was the play where after Gordon lost the ball, it was plucked out of midair by WR Keenan Allen, who ran it in for a TD. In addition to his
good fumble Melvin gained 124 total yards (93 rushing, 31 receiving) but did not score. The Chargers won 30-10 but didn't get the help they needed elsewhere and were eliminated from the playoff picture.
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You have now arrived at the
Jadeveon Clowney section of DG174.
91. On this carry by Titans RB
Derrick Henry in garbage time at Houston in Week 4
Jadeveon Clowney tries to knock the ball out of Henry's hand before Derrick comes back with a stiff-arm (that doesn't work). No penalty was called on that arm reaching out trying to hold Clowney. Jadeveon made the tackle at the Tennessee 5-yard line for no gain on 2nd and 8. The drive ended 3 plays later with Clowney's strip sack of QB Matt Cassel. Those were Clowney's only 2 tackles of the game. Henry carried 6 times and gained 7 yards as the Titans were slaughtered by the Texans 57-14.
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92. One week later J
adeveon Clowney gets a hold of another RB with dreads, here tackling
Kareem Hunt for a loss of 2 at the 47-yard line on 1st and 10 on the 6th play of the Chiefs' opening drive at NRG Stadium. The drive ended with a FG 9 plays later .....
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93. Now in the 4th quarter with the Chiefs leading by 19 and 4:50 on the clock,
Kareem Hunt, after picking up the 1st down on 1st and 14, throws on the brakes and tries to go down before either
Jadeveon Clowney or LB Benardrick McKinney (white shoes) can knock him out of bounds. I know it's McKinney because he got credit for the tackle, not Clowney. Although Hunt couldn't quite stay inbounds, he picked up 23 yards on the play, allowing the Chiefs to keep the ball and make the Texans use up their timeouts before punting 4 plays later. Clowney finished with 3 tackles (1-2) on a rough night for the Texans' D, as the Chiefs gained 450 yards, made 29 first downs, and scored on 8 of their 10 possessions. Hunt accounted for 116 of those yards (107 rushing, 9 receiving) on 32 touches in KC's 42-34 victory.
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94. With starter Marcus Cannon out due to injury, OT
LaAdrian Waddle found himself in the starting lineup for the first time since Week 10 of the 2015 season (when he was with the Lions) for the Patriots' home game against the Texans in Week 3 ..... and found
Jadeveon Clowney across the line from him on many of his 64 snaps on the field; and as on this play in the 2nd quarter, maybe he got his hands on Clowney's dreads a few times too. Postgame reports indicated that Waddle did OK and was not a liability .....
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95.
LaAdrian Waddle does his job a bit too well here on 2nd and 7 midway through the 2nd quarter. His good blocking on Clowney puts Jadeveon in perfect position to recover the fumble in midair after QB Tom Brady is sacked by LB Whitney Mercilus. By the time Waddle realizes Clowney has the ball it's too late, as Jadeveon is already on the way to the house for his 1st career TD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp7To-8zsJE ..... The 22-yard return put the Texans in front (briefly) 20-14. Clowney had 4 TFL, including 2 sacks, among his 6 tackles (6-0) in the game; but the Texans' D allowed the Patriots to go 75 yards in 8 plays on their final drive and score a TD with 23 seconds to play to beat them 36-33.
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96.
Jadeveon Clowney and
Todd Gurley met twice in college, with South Carolina and Georgia both winning at home in 2012 and 2013 respectively; but their first meeting in the NFL didn't take place until the Texans visited the Rams in Week 10 of 2017. Here on the 2nd play of the Rams' second possession of the day Gurley heads up the middle after taking the handoff on 2nd and 10, only to find Clowney in the backfield waiting for him. Gurley tries to bounce off the hit but can't, as Clowney drops him at the 19-yard line for a 1-yard loss. The Rams punted two plays later .....
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97. With Clowney loose in the backfield again on 1st and 10 early in the 2nd quarter, Gurley tries some
legal use of hands to the face; but his stiff-arm fails to shake Jadeveon, who drags him down at the 20-yard line for a loss of 7. The Rams settled for a FG three plays later to increase their lead to 6-0. All 3 of Clowney's tackles in the game were TFLs, as he also had a sack; but all 3 of them came in the 1st half. He was quiet in the 2nd half, during which the Rams outscored the Texans 24-0. Gurley had no success on these two plays and didn't reach the end zone but did make the dread stars list, finishing with 136 total yards (68 each rushing and receiving) on 17 touches in the Rams' 33-7 victory.
You can see the video version of photos #96 and 97 briefly near the end of this zone that presents Jadeveon as the 32nd best player in the league:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TLjTn2AoM8
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98. On the same field and in the same game that
Melvin Gordon tried to hurdle
Reggie Nelson (photo #89) ... WR
Seth Roberts is tackled by S
Jahleel Addae at the Chargers' 40-yard line after making his 1st reception of the day on the 4th play of the Raiders' 2nd possession of the game. Roberts picked up 8 yards on the play on 1st and 10. The drive ended with a TD 7 plays later. This was the first of 4 tackles (3-1) for Addae, who also got credit for 1 PBU.
In the photo on the right
Tre Boston, the Chargers' other S with sick dreads, comes forward to help if needed. And speaking of him, by now you've probably been wondering where all the
Tre Boston photos are. Well, wonder no more. Let's wrap up DG174 with some shots of his 2017 encounters with players with dreads shorter than his .....
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99. And one of them was in the Week 6 game at Oakland. After being tackled by Addae on his 1st catch,
Seth Roberts was tackled by Boston after his other two. Here on 1st and 20 in the 3rd quarter Roberts goes high to make a highlight reel catch while in Boston's arms then gets up and celebrates after the play:
https://www.raiders.com/video/seth-roberts-gets-air-to-make-the-grab-19577007 ..... The reception was good for 15 yards to the LA 25-yard line, but the drive ended with a turnover 4 plays later. Seth finished the game with 3 catches for 35 yards. Boston had 7 tackles (5-2).
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100. Late in the 1st quarter in Week 4 RB
LeGarrette Blount, after making the catch at the LA 37-yard line on 2nd and 12, breaks a tackle by
Jahleel Addae at the 30 (photo above), keeps on going and prepares to lower the boom on
Tre Boston (photo on right) .....
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101. ..... Blount collides with Boston at the 25-yard line and tries to run him over; but Tre gets low enough to get his arm on Blount's left leg and stands him up, and Addae comes back to him make the tackle ... but not until LeGarrette picks up 20 yards on what would be his only reception of the game. The Eagles settled for a FG 4 plays later to up their lead to 10-0. Addae was credited with one of his game high 11 tackles (7-4) on the play. He also finished with 1 PBU .....
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102. LeGarrette Blount also did plenty of damage on his 16 rushing attempts in the game. Here on the first play after the 2-minute warning with the Eagles leading by 2 and needing one 1st down to seal the victory Tre Boston tries to strip the ball from Blount while tackling him on 2nd and 7; but LeGarrette ain't having it. While Blount holds onto the ball, Boston holds onto Blount and makes the tackle short of the 1st down ... but just barely. LeGarrette then went for 15 yards on 3rd and 1 on the next play; and with the Chargers out of timeouts, the Eagles ran out the clock and held on for the 26-24 victory. Boston finished with 7 tackles (3-4), 5 of which were tackles of Blount. Although LeGarrette didn't score a TD, he did have his best game of the season, finishing with 136 yards on 16 carries. Here's a video of Blount's highlights from the game, with the play in photos #100 and 101 at the beginning of the video, and the play in photo #102 at the 1:45 mark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp0hsK3IQsc
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103. Two weeks earlier and 7 weeks before he became
LeGarrette Blount's teammate with the Eagles, RB
Jay Ajayi also enjoyed success at the expense of the Chargers, while wearing a Dolphins uniform. Ajayi had a season high 30 touches and was tackled by
Tre Boston on 5 of them, including these two from the 2nd half. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the photo on the right is the play Ajayi ran for 8 yards early in the 3rd quarter and the photo above is when Tre and CB Trevor Williams stopped Ajayi for a 1-yard gain on 3rd and 6 late in the 4th quarter, right before the Dolphins kicked their game winning FG. The Jay Train rushed for 122 yards on 28 carries and had 2 catches for 4 yards, while Boston finished with 9 tackles (6-3) as the Dolphins won their season opener, defeating the Chargers 19-17. Here's the video of Ajayi's game highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBribysiLs
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And finally ...
104. In Week 13
Tre Boston had only one tackle of the opponent's RB with dreads; and it comes very early in the game, as he goes low to knock the speeding
Isaiah Crowell off his feet at the Browns' 45-yard line on the 4th play of the game's opening drive. Crowell picked up 16 yards - his biggest gain of the day - on 2nd and 13, but the drive ended with a punt 5 plays later. Boston finished with 4 tackles (4-0). Crowell had 41 yards rushing on 10 carries and 1 catch for 3 yards. The Chargers won their 3rd straight to improve to 6-6, dropping the Browns to 0-12 with a 19-10 home victory.
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