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6. CB Shaquill Griffin played all 60 snaps on defense in the Seahawks' game against the Raiders at Wembley Stadium in Week 6, and his stats included a pair of tackles of Marshawn Lynch - one in each half. After catching a short pass in the middle of the field on 1st and 10 late in the 1st quarter, Lynch cuts toward the right sideline and picks up 10 yards before finding Griffin in his path (left photo) at the 22-yard line. Shaquill pretty much got pancaked on the play, but with a little help from S Bradley McDougald (#30) was able to get Lynch down at the 25. The 13-yard reception was Oakland's 1st first down of the evening, but the drive ended with a turnover 5 plays later. Then with the Seahawks way ahead in the 4th quarter, Marshawn again tries to run Shaq over on a carry on 1st and 10, but Griffin grabs onto Lynch's leg (right photo) and brings him down at the Seattle 17 after a gain of 5. After sacks on the next two plays, the Raiders kicked a FG on 4th and 12 to break up the Seahawks' shutout. Griffin finished with 3 tackles (3-0). Lynch had 59 total yards (45 rushing, 14 receiving) in his first game against the Seahawks since 2008. The Raiders fell to 1-5, getting embarrassed by the Seahawks 27-3. It turned out to be Marshawn's last game of the season. He went on IR before the next game with a core muscle injury.
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10. CB Dre Kirkpatrick consoles WR Julio Jones, his teammate in college for 2 seasons (2009-10) at Alabama, after the final play of their first NFL meeting against each other in Week 4 at Atlanta. I included both photos because the one on the left is larger and gives you a better look at Jones' dreads. After an A.J. Green TD catch with 7 seconds to play gave the Bengals a 1-point lead, Jones needed to go 60 yards on the final play of the game but was tackled at the 11-yard line just after making the catch. The 49-yard gain further padded Julio's stats, and he finished with 9 catches for 173 yards. Kirkpatrick played 68 of the Bengals' 70 defensive snaps and finished with 1 tackle (1-0) as the Bengals beat the Falcons in Atlanta for the first time since 1987, 37-36.
In his only season with dreads before I had to kick him out of the house again, Jones led the NFL in yards receiving for the 2nd time in his career, finishing with 1,677 on 113 receptions.
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Marshall's stellar and turbulent career ended very quietly in 2018. After catching 11 passes for 136 yards and 1 TD in 7 games in his first season for the Seahawks, he was released after Week 8. The Saints then signed him, but he did not play at all in his 4 weeks with them. But you can still see Brandon's dreads these days (usually banded together) as he continues to appear as one of the hosts on the TV show Inside the NFL on Showtime .....
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16. DeAndre Hopkins was clutch all day on the road against the Colts in Week 4; and on 3 of his 10 catches he was tackled by S Clayton Geathers, including these two in overtime. The Colts took the lead with a FG on the opening possession of OT, and on the 4th play of the ensuing possession Hopkins is tackled by Geathers immediately after making the catch (photo above) at the Indy 37-yard line; but the 11-yard gain on 2nd and 8 is enough for a 1st down. 2 plays later DeAndre nearly made a great catch that would have been the game winner, but as he hit the ground in the end zone he had control of the ball with only one hand, and he couldn't hang on. The drive ended with a FG with 1:50 to play.
Then after the Colts rolled the dice and lost, failing to convert a 4th and 4 from their own 43-yard line, the Texans got the ball with :24 left; but they weren't in FG range until .....
Hopkins runs the same route as in photo #14 on 1st and 10 and easily beats LB Darius Leonard, making the catch in stride at the 37-yard line. He then encounters Geathers at the 30 and their dreads almost get tangled (photo on right) as he throws out a stiff-arm. Geathers eventually gets Nuk on the ground, but not until he gets all the way to the 19-yard line for a 24-yard gain with :18 on the clock. The Texans then ran the clock down to :04 and kicked a FG on the final play to win it 37-34 and snap their 9-game losing streak (including the final 6 games of 2017).
Geathers and Hopkins both played all 86 snaps that the Texans' offense was on the field. Geathers, who also got 6 snaps on special teams, finished with 7 tackles (7-0). Hopkins finished with 169 yards (one yard short of his season high) on his 10 catches; and incredibly ALL 10 catches went for 1st downs, including three 3rd down conversions and his 5-yard TD late in the 2nd quarter.
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Nuk toughed it out in the 2nd half and eventually played all 71 snaps; but he was ineffective, catching only 2 passes for 11 yards in the 2nd half and 5 for 37 yards for the game. Geathers also played all 71 snaps and had 9 tackles (5-4) and 1 PBU as the Colts advanced to Round 2 with a 21-7 win over the Texans.
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19. Now here's a rarity: Bears WR Kevin White with the ball in his hands during an actual game. One week after losing to the Vikings the Jets were in Chicago, and after making the catch on 3rd and 7 in the final minute of the 1st half, Kevin covers up and holds on tight as he is tackled by CB Darryl Roberts at the Jets' 35-yard line for a 20-yard gain. But as was typical for White, who seemed to have nothing other than bad luck while with the Bears, this play didn't count - thanks to an unnecessary roughness penalty against an O-lineman that offset a roughing the passer penalty on the Jets. Instead of being in FG range, the Bears punted 2 plays later. On the Bears first drive of the 2nd half Kevin made a reception that did count (for 6 yards), one of 4 he had all year in 170 snaps on the field. Roberts finished the afternoon with 5 tackles (5-0) and 1 PBU. The Bears won 24-10, their first of 5 wins in a row.
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Wilson, in his first (and only) season with the Rams, started the first 4 games; but after Mark Barron returned to the lineup in Week 5, Ramik played almost exclusively on special teams for the rest of the season.
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In case you missed it ..... After his rookie contract expired at the end of the season, Philon signed as a free agent with the Cardinals. But he never played for them. He was released early in the preseason after an off-field 'incident' in which he was accused of some seriously illegal misbehavior. Apparently the case is still pending because I can't find any recent info on it. But unless he can find a way to prove he's innocent of the allegations, he'll never play in the NFL again.
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OK. Let's take a break from the dread duels for a while. There'll be plenty more later on in this DG.
The 124 total yards put Gurley on the dread stars list for the 11th (and last) time during the regular season, the most of anyone. Rounding out the top 5 in dread stars appearances were Julio Jones (10), Alvin Kamara and Melvin Gordon (8), and DeAndre Hopkins (7). Gurley's 1,251 yards rushing also were the most by any player with dreads (and 3rd most in the league) as were his 1,831 total yards from scrimmage (4th in the NFL).
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27. On a sweep left on 1st and 10 late in the 2nd quarter at the Coliseum in Week 3 Melvin Gordon spins away from a tackle attempt by S Lamarcus Joyner at the 4-yard line, keeps his balance, and dives sideways into the end zone for a highlight reel 11-yard TD run, pulling the Chargers within 21-13. It was Melvin's 4th TD of the season and the 3rd of 4 touchdowns scored by players with dreads in the game, which the Rams won 35-23.
The LA Memorial Coliseum takes house of dread award for the whole season. In the Rams' 8 games at the Coliseum in 2018 there were a total of 20 TD scored by players with dreads, the most of any stadium. Of course, that wouldn't have been the case had not the Rams' Week 11 home game scheduled for Mexico City been moved to LA. There were 3 TD by players with dreads in that game. Next up was Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City with 19 TD by players with dreads. And in 3rd place was MetLife Stadium, which, even with two tenants and 16 games, couldn't finish 1st. There were 17 TD by players with dreads in the games hosted by the Jets (12) and Giants (5 - none of which were scored by the Giants). Lambeau Field was 4th with 16.
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29. In my House Calls post for 2018 we saw which players and teams had the most TD scored by players with dreads. Which team allowed the most TD by players with dreads?
Well, DeAndre Hopkins again is included in the answer. His 16-yard TD catch against a blown coverage by the Broncos' defense (I mean, how can you not cover DeAndre Hopkins?) on 3rd and 4 in the 2nd quarter in Week 9 not only upped the Texans' lead to 13-3, it marked the 9th straight week to start the season that the Broncos had at least one TD scored against them by a player with dreads. By the end of the season they had allowed 15, most in the league. Second most were the 14 allowed by the Rams. And in 3rd place were the Cardinals, Seahawks, and Dolphins with 13.
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31. RB Derrick Henry shoves aside the first obstacle in his path - Jaguars CB A.J. Bouye - at the 20-yard line (left photo) before going another 80 on his NFL record-tying 99-yard TD run in the 2nd quarter in Week 14. Then in the 3rd quarter Derrick has nothing but green in front of him as he cruises toward the end zone (right photo) and a 54-yard TD, his 4th TD of the night, to up the Titans' lead to 30-2.
Henry rushed for 238 yards in the game, the most yards rushing by anyone (with or without dreads) in a single game in 2018. The 238 were also the most total yards from scrimmage by anyone with dreads all year.
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There'll be plenty more on Isaiah coming up.
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33. Taking the bronze medal for most scrimmage yards in a game by a player with dreads, and the gold for the most yards receiving by anyone with dreads, were the 215 put up by WR Tyreek Hill on Monday night in Week 11. In the game that was supposed to be played in Mexico but ended up happening in LA the Chiefs and Rams could not stop each other. And one of the many reasons why was the Rams' decision to assign CB Sam Shields to Hill. They thought that Shields, with his great speed, would be able to cover Hill one-on-one; but it was a mismatch and a very long night for Shields. Hill finished with 10 receptions, gaining 20, 25 (TD), 26 (left photo, on 3rd and 2 early in the 2nd quarter, as Shields tackles him at the LA 41-yard line), 17, 6, 8, 11, 73 (TD), 3, and 26 yards. All but the 6 and 3-yarders went for 1st downs. But as he carried his pads off the field (right photo) after the game, Tyreek had a bittersweet feeling (mostly bitter), because the Chiefs, despite scoring 51 points, didn't win. The Rams did 54-51, with the 105 points making it the third highest scoring NFL game ever.
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34. Falcons fans got that deja vu feeling on this play, as the Falcons' 2018 season begins almost exactly the way the 2017 season ended, with WR Julio Jones unable to make a leaping catch in the north end zone at Lincoln Financial Field that would have given the Falcons a win over the Eagles. In the 2nd round of the 2017 playoffs it was on the right sideline with CB Jalen Mills covering him, and there were still 58 seconds to play. Here in the Thursday night 2018 season opener it's the final play of the game from the 5-yard line, as Jones leaps above CB Ronald Darby to make the catch on the left sideline. But as he comes down, Julio's momentum carries him out of bounds, and Darby makes sure he lands out of bounds. Darby didn't get a PBU on the play because there's no way Jones would have come down inbounds even if Ronald hadn't shoved him. Darby finished with 6 tackles (5-1), including 1 TFL and 4 tackles of Jones. He also had 3 PBU, all on passes intended for Jones. Julio, who had 9 catches (on 16 targets) for 101 yards in the 15-10 loss that ended the 2017 season, finished with 10 catches (on 19 targets) for 169 yards and also 10 yards rushing on 1 carry as the Falcons began 2018 with another tough loss to the Eagles, 18-12.
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35. A WR can't have a feeling much worse than the one Kelvin Benjamin had on this play. Back in photo #14 I mentioned something about a Jonathan Joseph pick 6, and here it is. As if he had been in the Bills' huddle and knew exactly what the play was, Joseph jumps Benjamin's short route near the left sideline on 2nd and 10 and intercepts the pass in stride already 2 yards in front of KB at the Bills' 28-yard line. Benjamin gives chase even though he knows there's no way he'll catch Joseph. Any pick 6 intended for you is sickening enough for a WR. But this one was even worse, because it came with the game tied and only 1:23 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Bills' final possession also ended with an INT 1 minute later. In another one of his several disappointing games in 2018, Benjamin finished with 2 catches (on 6 targets) for 43 yards as the Bills lost to the Texans 20-13.
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By the way, the O-lineman whose dreads are partially visible in the photo on the right is Joe Barksdale, who was signed by the Cardinals immediately after being released by the Chargers in early December and started the last 4 games of the year.
Fitzgerald finished with 6 catches for 53 yards, but his TD pass was just about all there was for Cardinals fans to cheer for as the Rams cruised to a 31-9 victory.
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Little did he know it on that day, but Shaw was playing his last game in the NFL .... probably. He was inactive for the final 2 games of the season; and after signing with the Cardinals during the offseason and suffering an injury during the 2019 preseason, he was placed on IR. Apparently bored with not being able to play, Shaw then made the worst decision of his life (even worse than that lie he got caught in that caused him to be suspended while he was in college at USC). Just after Thanksgiving it was announced that Josh would be suspended for the entire 2020 season for betting on NFL games. So that makes it two giant black marks on his career bio. Maybe he'll be back in 2021, but more likely than not he'll get blackballed from the league. Betting on games in the league you play in is a huge no-no. Just ask Pete Rose.
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39. DeAndre Hopkins finished the season with a career high 115 receptions for a career high 1,572 yards; but his best highlight of the season came on a play that didn't count due to offsetting penalties. Midway through the 3rd quarter in Week 8 against the Dolphins the pass on 3rd and 8 is too far off target for Hopkins to get hands on. But that's no problem for Nuk. He goes up and catches the ball with one hand (photo above) and, as he's falling down backward, brings it between his legs and pins it against the back of his thigh (photo on right) until he can get his other hand it. Then he hangs on after he hits the ground for a 34-yard gain. The play was nullified, however, because Hopkins shoved CB Xavien Howard before going up and was called for offensive PI. This game was on Monday night, so you probably have already seen it; but if you haven't ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhmzEZbZdX0
Just another routine spectacular catch for Hopkins, who was voted 1st team All-Pro for the 2nd year in a row after the season was over. The Texans punted 2 plays later. DeAndre had 6 catches for 82 yards and 2 TD as the Texans defeated the Dolphins 42-23.
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Foster, Norman, and Swearinger started every game for the Redskins' D in 2018 until D.J. got released before the final game of the season. Foster was 7th in the league and led all players with dreads with 131 tackles. He also had 2 INT, with Norman getting 3 and Swearinger 4, as the Redskins finished as the team that had the most interceptions by players with dreads (10).
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Ever since he was drafted in the 5th round in 2012 we have watch his dreads grow from long to extremely long; but in 7 seasons he has played in only 17 career games - and only 4 since 2014. He's one of several O-lineman with awesome dreads with some NFL experience I've seen playing minor league football lately (the AAF in 2019, the XFL this year). Although it's good to see them still playing, their dreads have been sorely missed on Sundays in the fall. It's really a shame they aren't quite good enough to stick in the NFL.
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44. Before DE Melvin Ingram comes onto the field to greet him during the 3rd quarter in Week 2 of the preseason (see photo #21 in Part 1), WR Mike Williams goes way up to catch a jump ball pass from QB Geno Smith above the coverage of CB Akeem King (left photo) for a 25-yard TD on 1st and 10, upping the Chargers' lead over the Seahawks to 21-6. Williams then gets nearly as high for his celebration (right photo), doing an air bump with WR Geremy Davis far above the ground before being mobbed by Ingram and other teammates. Everybody was happy for Williams because it was his 1st TD in a Chargers uniform. After being drafted in the 1st round in 2017, he came up empty during his rookie season, missing the first 6 games due to injury and then scoring no touchdowns on only 23 targets in the 10 games he played. Even though this was the preseason, this TD got him off the schneid, and he would finish the regular season with 11 TD scored..
Roberts finished the night with 184 all-purpose yards (1 carry for 2 yards rushing, 2 kickoff returns for 45 yards, 3 punt returns for 137 yards) as the Jets, a 7-point underdog, rolled over the Lions 48-17. Andre ended up leading the league in punt return average (14.1) and was 2nd in kickoff return average (29.4), earning 1st team All-Pro honors as a KR.
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46. What probably was my most favorite celebration of the year was done by a player without dreads. WR Marquise Goodwin, after going topless during his early warmups (photo #5, Part 1), made TD catches of 67 and 30 yards in the 1st half at Green Bay in Week 6; and after the second one Marquise, who represented the USA in the 2012 Summer Olympics in the long jump, celebrates by performing a truncated version of his specialty, flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Of course he couldn't do the real thing because, with no sand pit to land in, he needed to make sure he landed safely on his feet.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2018/10/18/17993792/marquise-goodwin-touchdown-celebration-long-jump-video-49ers-vs-packers
https://twitter.com/i/events/1052014716241948672
Goodwin finished with 4 catches for a career high 126 yards, but the 49ers, a 9-point underdog, lost a game they should have won, 33-30 on a last-second FG.
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This wasn't the only time Za'Darius celebrated in this manner; but he's never been fined for it, so I guess in the eyes of the NFL it must be kosher.
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Peters was not flagged by the game officials but certainly was a few days later by the league office, which fined him $13,369 (the 4th fine of his career) . Marcus' reaction to the news he had been fined: "Yeah, it's a lot of money, but it was worth it."
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49. 10 days later Isaiah Crowell put in his bid for the award for most disgusting TD celebration of the year. In the Week 3 Thursday night game at Cleveland, Crowell, playing his 1st game in Cleveland in an enemy uniform after having played the first 4 years of his career for the Browns, lets Browns fans know what he thinks of them here in the 2nd quarter. After giving the Jets a 14-0 lead with his 2nd TD of the game, Crowell decides to celebrate by pretending wipe his ass with the football and then throwing the ball into the crowd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAjJsZTXhkM
For his trouble Crowell got the same $13,369 fine that Marcus Peters did; and he also got a tongue lashing from Coach Bowles, because the game officials threw the flag this time, and it cost the Jets 15 yards. After the game Isaiah claimed his celebration was a spur of the moment thing and was not anything malicious directed at the Browns and their fans. But I don't think I'm buying that: https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/nfl/jets/2018/09/21/jets-todd-bowles-not-amused-isaiah-crowells-td-celebration/1377183002/
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They didn't spend much time reviewing the play; but even if they had, it wasn't conclusive enough to change the ruling made on the field. So the Lions kept the ball and settled for a FG on the next play, cutting the Jets' lead to 17-10 at halftime. This was one of just 3 defensive snaps (and 6 total) Nickerson had in his NFL debut. He finished with 1 tackle (1-0) in the Jets' 48-17 rout of the Lions.
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53. When Cordarrelle Patterson was drafted in the 1st round in 2013, it was pretty much a given that he was going to be a great kickoff returner - and he has been. But once it became evident he wasn't going to cut it as an every-down NFL WR, it was disappointing to me that he wasn't used as a RB more often. In his only season with the Patriots he did get more snaps at RB than ever before, but he still had only 42 carries all season. In Week 9 Patterson got a chance to show off his RB skills, especially on a drive late in the 2nd quarter when, for the first time in his career, he had rushing attempts on 4 consecutive plays. This was the first of them. After starting up the middle on 1st and 10 then cutting to the right, Cordarrelle stiff-arms CB Bashaud Breeland, only to have Breeland grab onto his undershirt. Breeland hangs on for dear life as CP drags him across the 50-yard line (left photo) until help arrives. With Breeland back on his feet and still on his shirt, LB Blake Martinez grabbing at his legs, and S Kentrell Brice grabbing his facemask (right photo) (no penalty was called), Patterson is stopped at the Green Bay 45-yard line after a gain of 10, with a personal foul penalty after the play moving the ball to the 30 .....
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGJGhtdp1Z0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY5v_oqmZmQ
For the night Patterson finished with 61 yards rushing on a career high 11 carries. He also had 1 catch for 7 yards and 2 kickoff returns for 64 yards as the Patriots improved to 7-2 with a 31-17 home win over the Packers.
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55. After giving up 29 points in the 1st half in Week 10, the Jaguars shut out the Colts in the 2nd half and were about to make it all the way back from a 16-point deficit ..... until this play with 1:30 remaining in the 4th quarter. After making the catch at the Colts 25-yard line for a gain of 10 on 3rd and 1, WR Rashad Greene loses control of the ball as he is tackled by S Clayton Geathers (left photo). Geathers didn't get credit for the FF, as CB Kenny Moore (with the camouflage sleeve on his left arm) was the one who ripped the ball from Greene's grasp; but had Geathers not been there, Greene likely would have regained control before hitting the ground or would have recovered the fumble himself. Instead the fumble was recovered by S Malik Hooker; and after the play is reviewed and the ruling on the field (that Greene was down before fumbling) is reversed, Hooker celebrates (right photo) the play that saves the day for the Colts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBQAKBQqng
Had the Jaguars kept the ball, they would have been in FG range and still had plenty of time to score a TD that would have given them the win. Hooker and Geathers both played all 75 snaps on defense. Hooker had 4 tackles (4-0) in addition to his FR, while Geathers tied for the team lead with 10 tackles (5-5). In a battle between two 3-5 teams that turned out to be the turning point in their seasons, the Colts hung on for the 29-26 home win over the Jaguars. It was the Jaguars' 5th straight L, and they went on to lose 5 of their last 7 games. The Colts went on to win 6 of their last 7 and made the playoffs.
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After being shut out by the Jaguars' D in the 2nd half of their first meeting, the Colts were shut out for all 4 quarters in the rematch 3 weeks later. On 13 passes intended for him, Hilton finished with 8 catches for only 77 yards. The Colts drove into Jaguars territory on 5 of their 11 possessions, including the red zone twice, but could not score. The Jaguars crossed the 50-yard line on only 2 of their 11 drives but came away with field goals on both of them. Despite gaining only 211 total yards, the Jaguars, a 4-point underdog at home, defeated the Colts 6-0 to end their 7-game losing streak and the Colts' 5-game winning streak.
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58. A little earlier I mentioned the bad luck that has plagued WR Kevin White. Well, it was just his luck that his best play in a Bears uniform still resulted in the Bears losing. With the Bears trailing the Patriots by 7 in Week 7 and needing a miracle on the the final play of the game, they almost get it. White goes up to catch the Hail Mary pass against several defenders, including WR Josh Gordon (#10); but as he comes down, he's not in the end zone and still has more work to do ......
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The 54-yard reception was by far the biggest gain of his career and gave him a career high 64 yards on 2 catches for the game. But it didn't mean a thing. The Bears, who haven't beaten the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe was their QB, lost to them again 38-31, the only time all season they allowed more than 22 points in a home game.
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The Eagles drove 76 yards for a TD on the ensuing drive and then 75 yards on their next drive to go up 14-0 but never scored again. Cre'von played 68 snaps (57 defense, 11 special teams) and had 4 tackles (3-1) and 1 PBU in addition to his INT; but the Eagles were officially dethroned, their season ending with a tough 20-14 loss to the Saints.
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62. In the play-by-play section of the NFL's official game summary this play is described "R.Fitzpatrick pass deep left intended for D.Jackson INTERCEPTED by D.Jackson." Indeed in this duel of the D.Jacksons at Charlotte in Week 9, Donte was greater than DeSean. Starting at their own 39-yard line after a punt and down 14 with just 3:45 to play, the Buccaneers go for the quick strike, but rookie CB Donte Jackson has blanket coverage on WR DeSean Jackson's out-and-up route on the left sideline. They both go up, and Donte, with DeSean's towel brushing up against his dreads, comes down with the ball and with all of his body inbounds at the Panthers' 20-yard line. It was the 4th INT of the season for Donte, who had only 4 INT during his entire 3-year college career at LSU.
This was the Bucs' last offensive snap of the game, as the Panthers picked up 2 first downs on the ensuing possession and ran out the clock. Donte had 5 tackles (5-0) in addition to his pick as the Panthers, scoring the second most points they've ever scored against the Buccaneers, won 42-28.
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And now, here's the occupational hazard section of DG177, containing photos reminding you of just how hazardous playing football can be to your health.
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68. Then early in the 4th quarter, after making his 1st catch of the day, WR Will Fuller tries to spin away from CB Phillip Gaines, only to have Gaines try to yank his head off at the Texans' 41-yard line. Fuller gained 16 yards on the play, but no penalty was called against Gaines. The Texans punted 4 plays later.
Late in the 4th quarter Fuller began the Texans' game-tying drive with his only other reception of the game, good for 17 yards. 5 plays later Gaines was called for PI on a pass to Fuller in the end zone, a 41-yard penalty that led to the Texans' game-tying FG.
There'll be more from this game a bit later in the occupational hazard section.
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69. While Will Fuller survived the game against the Bills, he didn't make it to the end of the Texans' next home game against the Dolphins in Week 8. As he tries to get under a deep pass on 2nd and 7 in the 4th quarter, Fuller is bumped off balance by CB Bobby McCain (left photo), who is called for pass interference, then lands awkwardly on his right leg at the 3-yard line, bringing a grimace to his face (right photo). Will can't make the next step with his right leg and goes tumbling into the end zone .....
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70. ..... where he immediately grabs his knee (left photo), knowing that this ain't good. After the trainers come on the field to check on him (right photo), Fuller walks off and to the medical tent on the sideline, never to be heard from again for the rest of the season. Here's the play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uG5d2vb3C8
Up until this play Will was having his best game of the season. He finished with catches 5 for 124 yards, including a 73-yard TD, as the Texans won their 5th straight after an 0-3 start, defeating the Dolphins 42-23. The next day it was confirmed that Fuller had torn the ACL in his tight knee, ending his season. He was on the way to having his best season, with 32 catches for 503 yards and 4 TD in the Texans' first 8 games.
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71. After making his big 14-yard TD catch to give the Texans a 26-22 lead over the Jets with 2:15 to play, DeAndre Hopkins realizes he is unable to get up off the turf at MetLife Stadium. Instead of waiting for the trainers to tend to him, Hopkins, who said he twisted his ankle early in the game and aggravated it on the TD catch, gives a thumbs down as he is helped to the sideline by RB Alfred Blue and QB Deshaun Watson. But he was back on the field for the Texans' next possession, although he wasn't needed as they ran the ball 3 straight plays to burn time off the clock.
You'd have had a hard time convincing the Jets that Hopkins was hurting. He finished with 10 catches (on 11 targets) for a season high 170 yards in the Texans' 29-22 win.
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Earlier (photo #16) I mentioned that all of DeAndre Hopkins' catches in the game went for first downs. Well, so did all of Hilton's. After his 40-yarder, he had a 15-yard catch on 3rd and 10, an 18-yard catch on 3rd and 13, and a 42-yard catch on 3rd and 10 that helped start the Colts' comeback from a 28-10 deficit. There's no telling how much more damage he would have done had he stayed healthy. He finished with 4 catches for 115 yards in the Colts' 37-34 loss. T.Y. also missed the Colts' next 2 games, both of which they lost.
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In his 1st season with dreads, Chung was pretty much the same player he was in his 9 previous seasons without dreads, finishing with 84 tackles, a half sack, 2 PBU, and 1 INT. This was the 3rd time he has won the Super Bowl.
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74. In the same Week 15 game that DeAndre Hopkins injured his ankle, Jets OT Brandon Shell plays his last game of the season. While blocking DE J.J. Watt on 2nd and 10 earlier in the 3rd quarter, Shell was hit from behind by teammate Spencer Long and DE D.J. Reader, both of whom fell on the back of his leg. Had this occurred early in the season, Shell's knee injury would have kept him out of action for 2 months. Since there were only 2 games left in the season, he was placed on IR. Prior to the injury he had played every single offensive snap all season, all 850 of them.
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75. I wonder if Earl Thomas would have done this had he been carted off in front of his own sideline rather than the Cardinals'..... After failing to prevent the game-tying TD catch by WR Chad Williams with 8:59 remaining in the game in Week 4 and breaking his leg on the play too, Thomas shows the Seahawks' sideline - and presumably Coach Carroll in particular - the back of his raised middle finger as the truck wheels him off the field. Already involved in a bitter contract dispute with the team and realizing that this injury has just ruined his chance to get the money he wanted, Thomas makes an exit Seahawks fans will never forget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rro-H5HgQvc
Thomas finished with 4 tackles (3-1) and 1 PBU in his 125th and last game in a Seahawks uniform, which Seattle won 20-17 on a last-second FG. Playing his 1st full season with the 2nd edition of his dreads, Thomas already had 3 INT on the season, and he finished the year tied for the team lead in picks even though he missed the last 12 games. During the offseason he signed a very nice new contract with the Ravens on the first day of the free agent signing period, one that will pay him $55 million if he makes it through all 4 years of the deal - and I hear he had a pretty decent first season with his new team.
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Just one week after making the game-winning TD catch in Michigan State's road win over Penn State, WR Felton Davis was grabbing his leg in agony and his head in frustration and disappointment after suffering one of the most devastating injuries of any college player with dreads in 2018. Not only did the torn Achilles end Davis' senior year in Week 8, it ended his hopes of being picked in the 2019 NFL Draft. If you want, you can check out this article from the Detroit News about Davis and his recovery written during last year's Combine: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state-university/2019/03/01/former-michigan-state-spartans-star-felton-davis-refuses-let-ruptured-achilles-derail-nfl-dream/3027730002/
After not hearing his name called in the Draft, it was the Chiefs - much to my delight - that were the team that signed him as a free agent. And he showed enough during the preseason that they decided to stash him on IR all year, allowing him to be fully recovered for 2020. So just maybe we haven't seen the last of him and those awesome dreads.
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This play was the 9th and last 1st down recorded by Gordon in the game. He finished with an even 150 total yards, 2 catches for 18 yards and a season high 132 yards and 3 TD rushing on 18 carries, as the Chargers whipped the Browns 38-14. And by the way, Ogbah and Randall both were fined $10,026.
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78. On this play early in the 2nd quarter in Week 4 CB Janoris Jenkins, as he makes the tackle at the Saints' 21-yard line for a gain of 6 on 1st and 10, doesn't grab RB Alvin Kamara's dreads nor the inside of his jersey either. It looks like a clean tackle; but the officials, after a quick conference, still decide to call him for a horse collar penalty. Giants players, coaches, and fans were angry with a lot of bad calls by the officials in the game, and this one was up there near the top of the list. But for real, the way Jenkins is yanking down Kamara from behind is very similar to a horse collar tackle and just as dangerous; and I remember reading something (which I can no longer find) that mentioned that throwing the flag here actually was the right call - and I can understand that.
Jenkins had a good game, holding star WR Michael Thomas in check (mostly); and Kamara played well too, scoring 3 TD and rushing for over 100 yards for the only time also season, as the Saints defeated the Giants 33-18. Little did they know or expect it then, but Jenkins and Kamara would be teammates in 2019.
While a penalty was called on this play .....
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPQY64MwzQE
I mean, field judge #43 had a clear view of Smith practically taking a flying leap at Kamara, and yet neither he or any of the other officials threw a flag? Mercy. It turned out to be a huge missed call. Instead of the drive staying alive and the Saints being in range for the game-tying FG, they punted on the next play. Although it didn't cost him 15 yards, the hit did cost Jaylon a $26,739 fine.
Kamara and Smith had a close encounter on another key play in this game, which we'll look at a little later.
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While wearing your dreads long while uniform may make you look good, there's always some risk. Because every time you get the ball there may be a defender out there with evil intentions. While most NFL players accept that it is taboo to tackle a player by his dreads, not all do, and a few players found that out during the season .....
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You know, all through his college and NFL career over the past decade, I can't remember seeing Travis ever have his dreads tackled. It certainly helps to be as fast as he is., huh?
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When Crowell went 15 yards on his 1st carry of the day, little did anyone know that it was the start of a record-setting performance. I mean, if you look at his highlights from this game, you wonder why Isaiah isn't one of the best RBs in the league. In addition to his 77-yard TD and this 54-yard run, he added a 36-yard run on his final carry of the day midway through the 4th quarter that upped his rushing total for the game to 219 yards, a new Jets record, helping the Jets get their 1st home win of the season, 34-16. Here's his highlight video, with this play starting at the 1:13 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUDRLpW-kwU
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Crowell signed a 3-year contract with the Jets before the 2018 season; but during the 2019 offseason he was released right after the Jets signed Le'Veon Bell. Isaiah then signed a 1-year deal with the Raiders, but you never heard from him during the season because he suffered an Achilles injury during a team workout early in May a couple of weeks before the start of OTA practices. Hopefully he'll recover enough and be back on the field in 2020, but as of now he remains unsigned.
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86. WR Cordarrelle Patterson decided to unleash his dreads for his first career Super Bowl, and it did not take long for somebody to tackle them. With the Rams scoring only 3 points, Patterson didn't have many opportunities to shine on kickoff returns. The game's opening kickoff was the only one he returned, and he certainly shined, returning it 38 yards to the 39-yard line. Actually though it looked like he might take it all the way to the house. The last man in his path was the kicker, Greg Zuerlein, who first tried to wrap up Patterson around his chest. But when CP started to break that tackle, Zuerlein decided he'd better make sure, using his left hand to grab onto a bunch of Cordarrelle's locks and dragging him out of bounds and hanging on well after he was out of bounds. The Patriots could have used that touchdown too, because 5 plays later their opening drive ended with an INT; and their other first half possessions resulted in 2 punts, one made FG, one missed FG, and a failure to convert a 4th and 1.
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Smith finished with 2 returns for 22 yards, by far his worst game of the season; but the Chiefs won anyway, as expected, improving to 5-0 all time against the Cardinals at Arrowhead Stadium with a 26-14 victory.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g642fIkA4eM
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/10/14/jadeveon-clowney-tackles-chris-ivory-hair-texans-bills
https://www.chron.com/sports/texans/article/Texans-Jadeveon-Clowney-tackles-Chris-Ivory-by-13306650.php
The play went for a 3-yard loss but was rendered moot when on the next play the Bills took the lead on a (no kidding) Nathan Peterman TD pass. This was Clowney's only tackle in 57 snaps on the field. Ivory played 16 snaps, finishing with 5 yards rushing on 6 carries and 1 catch for 4 yards. The Texans won 20-13.
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If you like or if you haven't already seen it, you can join the more than 2.5 million people that have seen this 5-minute video titled "NFL Hair Tackles," most of which I've mentioned in various posts in this past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK__Cbff2zk
And now here's another NFL Hair Tackles video, which was done 2 years earlier than the one on the link above. Some of the plays in this one weren't included in the other video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuLBUx8KpcU
You know, in that second video, it just drives me nuts to hear (at the 0:28 mark) Troy Aikman say "there's nothing illegal about that" as B.W. Webb has his dreads grabbed while trying to run down field on a punt. Yes, it is too illegal! I mean, you hear it over and over: the hair is part of the uniform. And since that's the case, it is legal to grab someone's hair when he's carrying the ball. But when it happens away from the ball, if you grab a player's hair/jersey, it's supposed to be a holding penalty. On that play if Webb's jersey had been grabbed that blatantly instead of his hair, a flag certainly would have been thrown. So if the hair truly is part of the uniform, then that's a penalty too. That play happened in 2013. Hopefully by now Aikman is more enlightened and isn't giving out incorrect information like that anymore.
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OK. We're not quite done with all the hair pulling yet. Welcome now to the Bryce Perkins section of DG177. There were a couple of photos of him in Part 1, and here are a few more that focus more on his dreads. The rare quarterback with dreads and the really rare outstanding QB with dreads, Perkins was already a redshirt junior when he arrived at the University of Virginia in 2018. He redshirted as a freshman at Arizona State, did not play in 2016 due to injury, and spent his 2017 sophomore season in junior college. Perkins was a bit more cautious with his dreads in 2019, but during his junior season he wanted nothing to do with holding his dreads back while he was on the field. That made him a lot of fun to watch, but it put him at risk of having his dreads grabbed on every single play. Call him stubborn if you want, but no matter how many times they got grabbed, he was right back for the next game with them still flowing at full blast. And they got grabbed more than once .....
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91. WTF? North Carolina DT Jalen Dalton shouldn't have been allowed to get away with this in Week 9, but he was. After Dalton gets pressure up the middle on 2nd and 10 in the 2nd quarter, Bryce Perkins tries to escape, only to have Dalton grab his facemask (photo above). Then after letting go Dalton reaches from behind and grabs Perkins again, this time by his dreads (photo on right), to keep him from moving up in the pocket and pulls him down at the UNC 27-yard line. All of the officials missed the facemask grab, so instead of a personal foul penalty it was a sack for a 5-yard loss. Two plays later the Cavaliers kicked a FG to increase their lead to 17-7. Perkins passed for 217 yards and 3 TD and led the Cavaliers in rushing with 112 yards and 1 TD on 21 carries. UVA won their 3rd straight and improved to 4-0 at home, defeating North Carolina 31-21.
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92. After Virginia Tech missed a FG on their opening drive in Week 13, Virginia could do no right on their first possession, culminating with this happening to Bryce Perkins. After a dropped pass on 1st down, an illegal low block on 2nd down, and a 3-yard pass on 2nd and 23, the 3rd and 20 play begins with the ball being (shotgun) snapped before Perkins is ready. At least two UVA players think the play is going to be a false start penalty and blown dead; but it isn't. Perkins muffs the snap but gets a good bounce, quickly recovers the ball and rolls to his right. But neither the right tackle nor the tight end bother to block DE Tyjuan Garbutt, who goes right between them and is in Perkins' face almost immediately. Perkins slams on the brakes, trying to escape; but Garbutt ain't having it, grabbing Bryce's dreads (left photo) to keep him right there. Tyjuan doesn't let go either and still has a good grip as Bryce tries to get rid of the ball (right photo), eventually throwing it incomplete but at least in the direction of a receiver in the right flat and avoiding both the sack and an intentional grounding penalty. And just to add injury to insult, after Garbutt finally let go of his dreads, he still took Perkins to the ground, causing Bryce to aggravate a previous ankle injury and limp off. The Cavaliers at least successfully executed their punt on 4th and 20, and Perkins didn't miss any snaps.
After a disastrous 1st half (5 punts, one of which was blocked for a TD, and a questionable red zone fumble by Perkins), Virginia had 3 75-yard TD drives and an 85-yard TD drive on their first 4 possessions of the 2nd half, eventually taking a 31-24 lead. But after Tech tied the game on a lucky fumble recovery in the end zone with 1:51 to play, the game went into overtime. After Tech kicked a FG on their possession, UVA had a chance to win the game. But on 1st and 10 from the 14-yard line, an unblocked blitzing LB caused Perkins to keep the ball rather than hand it off, and the RB knocked the ball out of his hands as he went by, with Tech recovering the fumble to end the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQbZ1dSESnI ..... And so UVA's more-than-a-decade-long losing streak to Virginia Tech continued for one more year.
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93. UVA's other star player named Bryce, CB Bryce Hall, consoles a dejected Bryce Perkins (left photo) after the 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech. Even on a bad ankle Perkins went 14 for 29 for 259 yards and 3 TD passing and rushed for 112 yards on 24 carries. But those two turnovers were killers. And with everything that went wrong for the Cavaliers in the game that allowed VA Tech to escape with the win, UVA fans were probably wondering if they were ever going to beat Tech again.
It was much happier times for Perkins after the Week 4 win over Louisville. After he passed for 2 TD and rushed for 1 and accounted for 275 yards of total offense, young fans battle to catch his gloves (right photo) after he tosses them to them as he heads in toward the tunnel and back to the locker room. I thought I'd include this shot so you could get a great look at Perkins' dreads, which certainly have no shortage in the number of locks. You don't see many players with this many locks anymore these days, and I wish we did.
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After the fans in the stadium clear out the celebration is still on as Perkins, with trophy in hand, poses with senior WR Olamide Zaccheaus (photo above), who decides not to display the smaller trophy he won for being named the game's MVP. Zaccheaus caught 12 of the 22 passes Perkins completed for 100 yards and all 3 TD. Zaccheaus, by the way, scored 2 TD in his 2019 rookie season for the Falcons.
As for UVA in 2019, their 9-5 record was only slightly better than their 8-5 mark in 2018. But that's very deceptive. The 2019 season was so much more satisfying because it included the Cavs' first victory over Virginia Tech in 16 years, their first ever appearance in the ACC championship game, the first ever appearance in the Orange Bowl, and their first appearance in a major bowl in 29 years. After Perkins passed for 22 TD and a school record 3,538 yards and rushed for 769 yards and 11 TD to earn 2nd team All-ACC honors, NFL scouts reacted with a collective yawn. He was not invited to the Senior Bowl nor the NFL Combine. So if he's going to join his brother, Paul, in the league and become the first quarterback with dreads in the league, he's got his work cut out for him. My opinion? Well, his throwing motion is kind of funny looking, and he certainly doesn't have a rocket for an arm. But still, it will be a huge disappointment if he doesn't get picked in the upcoming NFL Draft. Mobile quarterbacks are more in demand in the NFL now than they have been in the past, and Perkins should at least be able to earn a backup position somewhere. His college coach thinks so, which is mentioned in these two recent articles about his preparation for the Draft.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/high-school/2020/04/02/nfl-draft-former-virginia-footall-qb-bryce-perkins-wants-shot-nfl/5111714002/
https://jerryratcliffe.com/perkins-had-superstar-written-all-over-him-from-the-first-time-he-set-foot-at-uva/
Remember that last quote from that article ..... "I know I will be a great quarterback for someone in the league." Well, Bryce, talk is cheap. SHOW US! ..... And while you do, don't ever let anybody talk you into cutting off your dreads.
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We're coming into the home stretch of Part 2 of DG177. From here on it's back to nothing but photos of dread duels ..... starting with the section on Larry Fitzgerald .....
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96. Larry Fitzgerald didn't get any separation on his route against CB Shaquill Griffin on this play; but after keeping his body between Griffin and the ball, he is able to make the catch and convert a key 3rd and 5 on the last play before the 1st half 2-minute warning in Week 4. As you can see Larry doesn't have control of the ball yet, and actually it looked like the ground helped him gain full possession of the ball; but the officials gave him the benefit of the doubt, and the Seahawks didn't challenge. After his 6-yard reception to the Seattle 18-yard line, Fitzgerald gets up and celebrates alongside WR Chad Williams (right photo) while Griffin walks away. 2 plays later the Cardinals scored a TD to take a 10-7 lead. Larry finished with just 3 catches for 28 yards (on 7 targets). Griffin finished with 4 tackles (3-1), including 1 TFL, with this play the only time he tackled Fitzgerald. The Seahawks improved to 5-0-1 in their last 6 road games against the Cardinals with a last-second 20-17 victory.
Bizarre fact: The series between the Cardinals and Seahawks has been very fan unfriendly in recent years. Including 2019 the home team has won only 2 of the last 14 meetings between the teams.
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97. Early in the 4th quarter in Week 8 CB Richard Sherman reaches around Larry Fitzgerald trying to break up a deep pass on 1st and 10, but Larry stays focused on the ball and makes the leaping catch at the 49ers' 26-yard line for a 37-yard gain, his biggest gain of the season. And the comeback was on. Two plays later Fitzgerald made a 13-yard TD catch (without Sherman covering him) to cut the 49ers' lead to 15-10. Then late in the 4th quarter Larry had receptions of 11 (on 3rd and 10) and 20 yards on back-to-back plays during a 73-yard drive that ended with a TD with 39 seconds to play. Larry then made the catch for the 2-point conversion to give the Cardinals a 3-point lead and make the 49ers' final drive a little less stressful for Cardinals fans. Fitzgerald finished with 8 catches for 102 yards, making his only appearance of the season on the dread stars list, to help the Cardinals to an 18-15 home win over the 49ers. Here are Larry's highlights from the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBBN3Szjt3M
With both teams already almost out of the playoff picture, Sherman can manage a smile as he poses with Fitzgerald after the game. Thanks to their ability (fortune?) to be mostly healthy, this was the 14th time they've faced each other (out of a possible 16 games) during their careers - the first 12 while Sherman was with the Seahawks and the last 2 during Sherman's first season with the 49ers. After this game, a headline from the SF Chronicle called their meeting a "matchup for the aged" - not ages, haha. For their two meetings in 2018 Litzgerald was 35 years old and Sherman 30. The two had two more meetings in 2019 and are planning on another two this year.
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98. The first player with dreads to tackle Larry Fitzgerald in 2018 was S D.J. Swearinger on Larry's 27-yard reception early in the 3rd quarter (the Cardinals' 3rd first down of the game) in Week 1. Then later in the 3rd Swearinger and Fitzgerald meet again, with D.J. coming in low to hit Larry and knock him off his feet after a catch over the middle on 1st and 10, holding him to a gain of 7. Larry had another 27-yard reception 3 plays later, but the drive ended with an INT 2 plays after that. Fitzgerald was the game's leading receiver, beginning his 15th NFL season with 7 catches for 76 yards. Swearinger tied with 4 other players for the team lead in tackles with 5 (5-0) and had 1 PBU. The Redskins rolled to an easy road victory, doubling up the Cardinals in total yards 429-213 and winning 24-6.
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102. Cordarrelle Patterson played only 4 snaps on offense in the Super Bowl, but he certainly can't complain that he was used as a decoy. No, he touched the ball on all 4 snaps ..... although on this play he probably wishes he hadn't. Early in the 2nd quarter the Rams' defense isn't fooled on a jet sweep on 1st and 10, and Patterson has to elude two defenders even before getting to the line of scrimmage. After the second one he then is immediately wrapped up LB Mark Barron and DT Ndamukong Suh (#93) at the Rams' 28-yard line, with LB Cory Littleton and S John Johnson coming in late to lend a hand, after a 1-yard gain. 3 plays later the Patriots kicked a FG for the first points of the game.
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103. Cordarrelle Patterson had another close encounter with Mark Barron later in the 2nd quarter, on the first play after the 2-minute warning. After catching a pass in the left flat on 1st and 10 Patterson has both Barron and CB Marcus Peters (to the right of Barron but not in the left photo) in his way and decides to just go straight ahead and get as many yards as he can. The collision (right photo) knocks Barron back about a yard, and he and Peters make the stop at the LA 46-yard line for a gain of 5. 3 plays later Cordarrelle had his biggest gain of the game from scrimmage, a 9-yard reception on 3rd and 10, but the drive ended with an incomplete pass on 4th and 1 on the next play. Patterson finished with 2 carries for 7 yards rushing and 2 catches for 14 yards, plus that 38-yard kickoff return we saw earlier. Barron had 8 tackles (3-5) and 1 PBU. In the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever, Super Bowl 53 went to the Patriots, 13-3 over the Rams.
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Carpenter and Shell played all 60 snaps for the Jets' offense, which gained 349 yards and scored 4 TD. Jean Francois had 4 tackles (3-1) in 56 total snaps, while Reeves-Maybin had no stats in his 44 snaps on the field. And Crowell made the dread stars list, rushing for 102 yards and 2 TD on 10 carries. The Jets set a new franchise record for their most points ever in a road game in the 48-17 blowout over the Lions.
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105. Before they had their violent collision in the 4th quarter (see photo #79), Alvin Kamara and Jaylon Smith had an even more important encounter on this play during the 2nd quarter of the Saints-Cowboys game in Week 13. On 3rd and goal from the 4-yard line Kamara makes the catch in the left flat and makes CB Byron Jones miss at the 5-yard line; but Smith comes to the rescue. Sprinting from the hash mark toward the sideline as soon as the pass is thrown, Smith arrives in time, lunging at Kamara and dropping him at the 1. The drive, which began at the Dallas 39 after a turnover, ended on the next play with the Cowboys still leading 10-0 after Kamara was stopped for no gain on 4th down. Smith played all 52 snaps on defense and finished with 9 tackles (6-3) as the Cowboys' D held the Saints to a season low 176 total yards (the Saints' second lowest total all season was 270). Kamara finished with 36 yards rushing on 11 carries and 36 yards receiving on 8 catches and had 3 punt returns for 17 yards. Leading 13-0 at the half, the Cowboys hung on to defeat the Saints 13-10.
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106. Late in the 1st quarter at London in Week 7 WR Mike Williams gets the ball on a reverse on 1st and 10 and, after doing well to avoid being tackled for a 5-yard loss, gets back to the line of scrimmage but begins to lose his balance (photo above) as S Kendrick Lewis moves in. Williams stumbles forward and would have gone down on his own, but Lewis slams into him (photo on right) and makes sure he's down. Mike gains 3 yards to the Titans' 11, but 3 plays later the Chargers settle for a FG, increasing their lead to 10-3. On the only other time Williams touched the ball he burned Lewis for a 55-yard TD catch in the 3rd quarter. In the starting lineup due to an injury to Kenny Vaccaro, Kendrick played all 44 snaps on defense and finished with 4 tackles (3-1). The Titans scored a TD with 31 seconds to play but failed on the ensuing 2-point conversion, allowing the Chargers to escape with the victory in their home-away-from-home game 20-19.
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110. WR Geremy Davis and S Travell Dixon, both with their long dreads reduced, had (at least) these two encounters during the 2nd half of the preseason opener between the Chargers and Cardinals. Late in the 3rd quarter Dixon doesn't have the coverage on Davis and arrives far too late to prevent the TD (left photo) after Davis makes a leaping catch on 3rd and 19 for a highlight-reel 47-yard TD: https://www.chargers.com/video/can-t-miss-play-geremy-davis-gets-up-for-head-turning-td ..... That cut the Cardinals' lead to 14-10. Then on the 3rd play of the Chargers' next drive (and the first play of the 4th quarter) Davis puts in his bid for another TD; but after making the catch over the middle at the 15-yard line on 1st and 10, his progress is abruptly halted when Dixon slams into him (right photo) at the 11. In slow motion this was a clean tackle; but since it was such a big hit, the officials felt obligated to throw a flag, claiming that Dixon initiated contact with his helmet. Uh, no he didn't. The 18-yard reception plus the penalty moved the ball to the 6, and the Chargers took the lead with a TD on the next play. Davis was one of the stars of the game, finishing with 4 catches for 88 yards. This tackle was Dixon's only stat in 21 total snaps on the field. The Cardinals came back to win 24-17.
Davis made the team and played his 4th NFL season, appearing in a career high 14 games in 2018; but his career stats include many more tackles than receptions, which isn't exactly what you're hoping for if you're a WR. When they are not reduced, Dixon's dreads would arguably be the best in the league (just check out some of the videos on his Instagram page) .... if we were in the league. Sadly he was released at the end of the preseason and hasn't been heard from since.
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112. On the first play after the 2-minute warning before halftime in Week 12 WR Robby Anderson goes up to catch a deep pass from QB Josh McCown on 1st and 10, but he's got a better chance of catching CB Stephon Gilmore's dreads than the ball. Gilmore has him blanketed to begin with; but with the pass being underthrown, it makes it even easier for Gilmore to get the INT, his 2nd of the season. At least Anderson made the tackle at the 2-yard line, and that turned out to be big, because the Jets were able to get the ball back and they tied the game with a FG just before the half ended. Robby finished with only 2 catches (on 5 targets) for 22 yards. Gilmore played all 64 snaps on defense and had 1 tackle (0-1) and 2 PBU in addition to his pick. The Jets gave the Patriots a run for their money until coming up empty on all 3 of their drives in the 4th quarter, and the Patriots won 27-13.
I see that Anderson recently left the Jets in free agency, joining his former college coach, who just became coach of the Panthers. And I bet he won't miss playing the Patriots twice every year. In his 8 career games vs. New England (all Jets losses) Robby has 16 catches for 179 yards and 0 TD. That's an average of 2 catches for 22 yards per game. Aggregately by game (including 2019) his yardage totals were 34, 0, 76 (Gilmore missed that game with an injury), 2, 22, 24, 11, and 10. Wow.
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113. Back in Week 9 the WR and QB Stephon Gilmore faced were much better than those for the Jets. But the results were pretty much the same, as Packers Pro Bowl WR Davante Adams had his least productive game of the season. Gilmore's most impressive moment was in the 1st quarter. On the 13th play of the Packers' opening drive Adams runs an out route from the slot on 2nd and goal from the 14-yard line and Gilmore stays with him, reaching in and not letting him catch the ball (left photo) along the left sideline in the end zone. It was Gilmore's only PBU of the night. The Packers settled for a FG 2 plays later, cutting the Patriots' lead to 7-3. Then early in the 2nd quarter the shoe is on the other foot, as Adams has to reach in and break up a left sideline pass (right photo) that would have been intercepted by Gilmore 25 yards downfield near the New England 45. Not fooled at all by Adams' out and up double move on 2nd and 4, Gilmore is in better position to make the catch, and Adams' becomes the defender to prevent the turnover. The Packers punted 2 plays later, keeping the score at 10-3 .....
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114. On the 5th play of the Packers' next drive Adams catches a short pass in front of soft coverage by Gilmore on 1st and 10, and Stephon comes up and tries to wrap Adams up at the New England 35-yard line (right photo). But Davante doesn't go down easily and tries to spin out of Gilmore's grasp (left photo), and does for a second. Gilmore stayed on his feet, however, and got Adams on the ground on his second attempt at the 34, one yard short of the first down. The drive ended 9 plays later with Adams making his 7th TD catch of the season to tie the game at 10 .... on a play where Gilmore was all the way over on the other side of the field covering someone else.
After being held to 1 catch (on 2 targets) for 8 yards in the 2nd half, Adams got so frustrated that he and Gilmore nearly came to blows after a play with 6 minutes remaining in the game. Adams played 71 and Gilmore 72 of the 74 snaps the Packers' offense was on the field. Davante finished with 6 catches (none went for more than 10 yards) for a season low 40 yards. Stephon had 3 tackles (3-0), 1 PBU, and also recovered a fumble by RB Aaron Jones for a huge turnover on the first play of the 4th quarter. The Patriots outscored the Packers 14-0 in the 4th quarter to win 31-17. Here's a video of some of the duel between Adams and Gilmore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9MvaJFl7XQ
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115. By Davante Adams' own admission his favorite highlight of the season came on this play early in the 4th quarter on Thursday night in Week 11 - "the bomb in Seattle." - mostly because of the degree of difficulty of it. After getting beat at the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 9, CB Shaquill Griffin, with his dreads reduced, chases Adams all the way down the field on a go route. As the ball arrives, Griffin finally catches up to Adams enough to grab his left arm, but Adams somehow makes the over-the-shoulder catch anyway, trapping the ball between his right hand and chest before going down at the 17-yard line for a 57-yard gain. Even though it was pass interference on Griffin, no flag was thrown, so Adams had to make the catch. Unfortunately for him the Packers had to settle for a FG 4 plays later, increasing their lead to 24-20. The Seahawks then went 75 yards on the ensuing drive for the winning TD.
This was Adams' biggest gain of the season and one of 10 catches he had in this game, which went for a career high 166 yards. And it's the featured highlight in this video (done after the season) proclaiming Davante as the 35th best player in the league: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb24rJucn8g
Adams topped 100 catches and 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, finishing 2018 with 111 catches for 1,386 yards, 64 first downs, and 13 TD and made the Pro Bowl for the 2nd year in a row. Interestingly the Packers missed the playoffs in both of those years.
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117. A little earlier in the same Week 10 game that Tremon Smith got yanked down by his dreads (photo #87) ...... no, Tre Boston didn't get his dreads grabbed, but he did have this do or die encounter with RB Kareem Hunt in the 2nd quarter. After taking the handoff on 2nd and 10, Hunt is already 10 yards past the line of scrimmage when he finds Boston in his way. If Tre doesn't make the tackle, or at least slow Hunt down, it's going to be a TD. Kareem makes a move trying to elude Boston, but Tre isn't faked out and hits Hunt at the KC 38-yard line. Kareem, of course, is very difficult to tackle one-on-one and nearly breaks away. But while lying on the ground, Tre wraps up Kareem's legs and gets him down at the 44 after a 17-yard gain. The drive ended 7 plays later with Tyreek Hill's 2nd TD catch of the game, upping the Chiefs' lead to 20-7. Boston finished with 4 tackles (3-1), while Hunt barely missed making the dread stars list with 96 total yards (71 rushing, 25 receiving). With their showdown against the Rams up next on the schedule, the Chiefs were a bit flat for this one vs, the 2-6 Cardinals. Favored by 16, the Chiefs won by only 12, 26-14.
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119. ..... All Bryant can do is watch helplessly as Addae makes no mistake, dropping on the ball for the FR at the Oakland 48-yard line and then finishing the play by doing Deion Sanders' famous celebration dance: https://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000971253/Jahleel-Addae-recovers-Bryant-s-fumble-in-open-field
Even if Bryant had not fumbled the ball, the play would not have counted because he was flagged for offensive pass interference, as he shoved Davis away from him at the end of his route and didn't get away with it. But with the fumble, the Chargers happily declined the penalty. 6 plays later a Melvin Gordon TD run upped LA's lead to 17-3.
Even with the fumble, it was still Martavis' best game in a Raiders uniform, as he contributed receptions of 23 and 47 yards on Oakland's only two scoring drives. He finished with 3 catches for 91 yards. The only Chargers defender to play all 53 snaps, Addae recorded 4 tackles (4-0) in addition to the FR. The Chargers won 26-10.
While I was searching for the video of this play, I stumbled on a video featuring Addae that had me kicking myself. And after seeing it, I knew I would have included it in DG176 if I had known about it then. That was the DG of the Chargers-Giants game in 2017. Jahleel was mic'd up for that game, and the video made from that was posted on the Chargers' website and YouTube channel. So instead of including it in DG176 after the fact (where you might not see it), here it is now. Jahleel's dreads never looked better, as he had them almost completely unleashed for that game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRfi0YLtkdI
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And finally ....
120. Shutterstock.com has 5 different photos of this dread duel (they all look almost exactly alike) and for one of them their caption begins "Battle of the Dreadlocks" and for another it begins "Hair wars". Indeed the dreads of WR Dwayne Harris and CB Shaquill Griffin are the featured attraction on this play during the 2nd quarter between the Seahawks and Raiders at Wembley Stadium in Week 6. After faking like he was going to block, Harris catches a short pass on a bootleg by QB Derek Carr; and the first defender he encounters is Griffin 3 yards past the line of scrimmage. They collide, and their dreads go flying.
This play certainly didn't make Griffin's highlight reel. He bounced off Harris and went down as if he had run into a brick wall. Dwayne continued forward and bounced off two more defenders before S Bradley McDougald knocked the ball out of his hands from behind. The ball landed out of bounds at the Oakland 21-yard line and was marked back at the 17, where Harris fumbled, giving him a gain of 7. Dwayne wasn't feeling too good after being hit 4 times and was visibly ailing on the sideline after the play. The drive ended 10 plays later when Carr was stopped short on a QB sneak on 4th and 1. This was the only time Harris touched the ball in the game (I'm not including his 1 fair catch of a punt); and as mentioned earlier (photo #6) 2 of Griffin's 3 tackles were stops of Marshawn Lynch. In a season full of bad performances this was one of the Raiders' worst. They were held to a season low 185 yards in their 27-3 loss to the Seahawks.
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