House of Dread: 2021 NFL House Calls

For every NFL season - except for one - between 2013 and 2020 a player with dreads led the league in touchdowns scored. Familiar names like Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Marshawn Lynch, and Jamaal Charles were among those at the very top of the lists during that 8-year span. And even during the one exception a player with dreads finished in 2nd place (LeGarrette Blount in 2016). Going back even further, during each and every season - without exception - since Edgerrin James finished in 4th place in touchdowns in 2005 there has been at least one player with dreads in the top 10 in the league in TD scored. Sadly, and shockingly, that 16-year streak came to an end in 2021.

Last season indeed was a strange one for the league's dreadheads when it came to touchdowns. While none of them were among the league leaders, they still managed to make more house calls than ever before.

There was a tie for the player with dreads with the most touchdowns in 2021. No surprise that Packers WR Davante Adams (top photo on right, finishing off his 38-yard catch and run for a TD against the Bears in Week 14) was one of them. But the other one? I'm not even going to ask for a show of hands because I know when the season began nobody had Cordarrelle Patterson scoring the most TD among players with dreads. The 11 scored by Patterson (including his 7-yard reception against the Buccaneers in Week 2 in bottom photo on right) in his first season with the Falcons and by Adams in what turned out to be his final season with the Packers was the lowest leading total for a player with dreads since James scored 9 in 2004. And the 11 weren't enough for a top 10 finish in the league, as 11 players without dreads scored 12 or more TD.

But while the number at the top of the list may have been small, the overall number was very large - as in 300.

That total, of course, is unofficial, because I only counted the touchdowns for players who had their hair in dreads for the whole season; otherwise it would be a bit higher. The 300 breaks the record of 290 set in 2020; and quite honestly, it should have broken the record, because in 2021 the number of games played increased from 16 to 17 for each team. Anything short of a new record would have been unacceptable. Also a new record was the percentage of TD scored by players with dreads. 300 out of the 1,423 total TD in the league comes to 21.1%, much more than the 19.7% from 2020. And it's not at all surprising because the total number of players with dreads in the league is still increasing. Even with the strong resurgence of braids over the last couple of seasons there are still more players with dreads than ever.

After finishing in 2nd place to the Packers 2 years in a row, the Minnesota Vikings finally wrested the team crown away from the Packers, their 27 touchdowns by players with dreads being the most by any team in the league in 2021. RB Dalvin Cook (photo on left, scoring on a 1-yard run against the Packers to give the Vikings a 9-3 lead in Week 11), who scored 17 TD in 2020, surprisingly scored only 6 last season; but with strong performances from WRs Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn, the Vikings finished on top. After their 2 years on top, the Packers dropped to 3rd place with 22. The Titans (24) and Steelers (20) were the other two teams with at least 20 TD by players with dreads. The Steelers edged the Vikings in the category of highest percentage of TD scored by players with dreads - mainly because they scored only 34 TD all season. With 20 of the 34 by players with dreads, that's 58.8%. The Vikings were the only other team over 50%, coming in at 56.3% (27 of 48).

The 300 total touchdowns were scored by 82 different players with dreads, with 8 rookies contributing 29 TD. 7 of those 82 players were Dallas Cowboys - largest number for one team, with the Titans coming in 2nd with 6. 12 different defensive players with dreads made house calls in 2021, with one of them scoring twice. And even without the usual contribution from Patterson, there still were 3 special teams house calls by players with dreads.

I still owe you a house calls report for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which I'll get to ............. eventually (I've got all the numbers tallied but haven't saved many photos yet). So for now, here's the list of all the players with dreads who scored touchdowns in 2021.

Davante Adams (GB)

Cordarrelle Patterson (ATL)

Melvin Gordon (DEN)

Najee Harris (PIT)

Derrick Henry (TENN)

Justin Jefferson (MINN)

Aaron Jones (GB)

Alvin Kamara (NO)

Darrell Henderson (LAR) (photo below of his 2-yard TD run vs. the Colts in Week 2)

DeAndre Hopkins (ARIZ)

Diontae Johnson (PIT)

James Robinson (JAC)

K.J.Osborn (MINN)

Jaylen Waddle (MIA)

Marquise Brown (BAL)

Marquez Callaway (NO) (photo below of his big 15-yard TD catch vs. the Titans late in the 4th quarter

Dalvin Cook (MINN) in Week 10)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC)

Devonta Freeman (BAL)

CeeDee Lamb (DAL)

Brandon Aiyuk (SF)

Robby Anderson (CAR)

A.J. Brown (TENN)

Kareem Hunt (CLEV)

Zack Moss (BUF)

Cam Newton (CAR)

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE)

Mo Alie-Cox (IND)

Antonio Brown (TB)

Ronald Jones (TB)

Alexander Mattison (MINN) (photo below, scoring his 2nd TD of the season on a 6-yard run vs. the

David Njoku (CLEV) 49ers in Week 12)

Brandon Bolden (NE)

Ashton Dulin (IND)

D'Onta Foreman (TENN)

T.Y. Hilton (IND)

D'Ernest Johnson (CLEV)

Zach Pascal (IND)

MyCole Pruitt (TENN)

Jamaal Williams (DET)

Teddy Bridgewater (DEN)

Quintez Cephus (DET)

Chase Claypool (PIT)

Alex Collins (SEA)

Chris Conley (HOU)

DeeJay Dallas (SEA)

Trevon Diggs (DAL)

Demetric Felton (CLEV)

Michael Gallup (DAL)

Dontrell Hilliard (TENN)

Jermar Jefferson (DET)

Jakobi Meyers (NE)

Dare Ogunbowale (JAC)

Calvin Ridley (ATL)

Cam Sims (WASH) (photo below of his 1st TD of the season, a 6-yard reception at Carolina in Week

Kristian Wilkerson (NE) 11)

Ameer Abdullah (CAR) (photo below, waiting until Week 15 to score his only TD of the season on a

Nick Bolton (KC) 23-yard catch and run against the Bills)

Jason Cabinda (DET)

Tevaughn Campbell (LAC)

Corey Clement (DAL)

JaQuan Hardy (DAL)

JaMycal Hasty (SF)

Trayvon Henderson (CIN)

Mike Hilton (CIN)

O.J. Howard (TB)

Godwin Igwebuike (DET)

Julio Jones (TENN)

DeMarcus Lawrence (DAL)

Tyrann Mathieu (KC)

Bobby McCain (WASH)

Xavier McKinney (NYG)

Qadree Ollison (ATL)

Andre Roberts (LAC)

Elandon Roberts (MIA)

Trey Sermon (SF)

Tremon Smith (HOU)

Patrick Taylor (GB)

Tavierre Thomas (HOU)

Carlos Watkins (DAL)

Quez Watkins (PHIL)

Jonathan Williams (WASH)

And now here are all the players again, listed by team.

AFC EAST (25)

BUF (5) - RB Zack Moss 5

MIA (8) - WR Jaylen Waddle 7, LB Elandon Roberts 1

NE (12) - RB Rhamondre Stevenson 5, RB Brandon Bolden 3 WR Jakobi Meyers 2, WR Kristian Wilkerson 2

NYJ (0)

AFC NORTH (48)

BALT (12) - WR Marquise Brown 6, RB Devonta Freeman 6

CIN (2) - S Trayvon Henderson 1, CB Mike Hilton 1

CLEV (14) - RB Kareem Hunt 5, TE David Njoku 4, RB D'Ernest Johnson 3, RB Demetric Felton 2

PIT (20) - RB Najee Harris (10), WR Diontae Johnson 8, WR Chase Claypool 2

AFC SOUTH (51)

HOU (4) - WR Chris Conley 2, CB Tremon Smith 1, CB Tavierre Thomas 1

IND (13) - TE Mo Alie-Cox 4, WR Ashton Dulin 3, WR T.Y. Hilton 3, WR Zach Pascal 3

JAC (10) - RB James Robinson 8, RB Dare Ogunbowale 2

TENN (24) - RB Derrick Henry 10, WR A.J. Brown 5, RB D'Onta Foreman 3, TE MyCole Pruitt 3, RB Dontrell Hilliard 2, WR Julio Jones 1

AFC WEST (22)

DEN (12) - RB Melvin Gordon 10, QB Teddy Bridgewater 2

KC (8) - RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire 6, LB Nick Bolton 1, S Tyrann Mathieu 1

LV (0)

LAC (2) - CB Tevaughn Campbell 1, WR Andre Roberts 1

Derrick Henry, one of 6 players with dreads to make house calls for the Titans, scores for the 3rd time during the 2nd half in Week 2 on a 1-yard run with 29 seconds to play in the 4th quarter at Seattle, tying the game at 30. The Titans won in OT. Limited by injury to only 8 games played, Derrick finished the season with 10 TD, his fewest since he scored 6 in 2017 (his 2nd NFL season).

NFC EAST (20)

DALL (14) - WR CeeDee Lamb 6, CB Trevon Diggs 2, WR Michael Gallup 2, RB Corey Clement 1, RB JaQuan Hardy 1, DE DeMarcus Lawrence 1, DT Carlos Watkins 1

NYG (1) - S Xavier McKinney 1

PHIL (1) - WR Quez Watkins 1

WASH (4) - WR Cam Sims 2, S Bobby McCain 1, RB Jonathan Williams 1

NFC NORTH (58)

CHI (0)

DET (9) - RB Jamaal Williams 3, WR Quintez Cephus 2, RB Jermar Jefferson 2, RB Jason Cabinda 1, RB Godwin Igwebuike 1

GB (22) - WR Davante Adams 11, RB Aaron Jones 10, RB Patrick Taylor 1

MINN (27) - WR Justin Jefferson 10, WR K.J. Osborn 7, RB Dalvin Cook 6, RB Alexander Mattison 4

NFC SOUTH (49)

ATL (14) - RB Cordarrelle Patterson 11, WR Calvin Ridley 2, RB Qadree Ollison 1

CAR (11) - WR Robby Anderson 5, QB Cam Newton 5, RB Ameer Abdullah 1

NO (15) - RB Alvin Kamara 9, WR Marquez Callaway 6

TB (9) - WR Antonio Brown 4, RB Ronald Jones 4, TE O.J. Howard 1

NFC WEST (27)

ARIZ (8) - WR DeAndre Hopkins 8

LAR (8) - RB Darrell Henderson 8

SF (7) - WR Brandon Aiyuk 5, RB JaMycal Hasty 1, RB Trey Sermon 1

SEA (4) - RB Alex Collins 2, RB DeeJay Dallas 2

After playing only on special teams and not scoring at all during his 2020 rookie season, K.J. Osborn burst onto the scene in 2021, contributing 7 TD to the Vikings' league-leading total of 27 TD by players with dreads. This was his 3rd of the season, a 5-yard reception to bring the Vikings to within 23-21 of the Lions at Detroit (35 away from his hometown of Ypsilanti, MI) in Week 13. But it didn't prevent the Lions from picking up their 1st win of the season, 29-27.

PLAYOFF TD (3) - A.J. Brown 1, Derrick Henry 1, Diontae Johnson 1

Sorry, I did not save photos of all 300 touchdowns scored by players with dreads. But here is the photographic proof of several of them.

FIRSTS

1. Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb got the honor of being first - mostly because he played in the Thursday night season opener, 3 days ahead of everyone else. After catching a slightly underthrown pass in stride at the 5-yard line, Lamb gets into the end zone (barely) before CB Sean Murphy-Bunting and S Antoine Winfield can knock him out of bounds. The 22-yard reception was the first of the 300 TD scored by players with dreads, and it tied the game at 7 late in the 1st quarter at Tampa. CeeDee finished with 7 catches (on a career high 15 targets) for 104 yards as the Cowboys dropped a 31-29 heartbreaker to the defending champion Buccaneers.

2. On a run that started out as a sweep to the left RB Dalvin Cook cuts up the middle through a hole and into the end zone standing up for the first of the Vikings' 27 touchdowns by players with dreads with 9:23 remaining in the 4th quarter at Cincinnati in Week 1. The 1-yard TD cut the Bengals' lead to 24-21. But the day didn't have a happy ending for Dalvin. With the Vikings almost in FG range late in overtime, the officials ruled he fumbled the ball before he went down at the 38-yard line (a call too close to be overturned by replay), and 7 plays later it was the Bengals, not the Vikings, kicking a FG to win 27-24.

3. It did not take rookie WR Jaylen Waddle long to get his 1st career TD. On the Dolphins' 2nd half opening drive at New England in Week 1 Waddle, after catching the pass in the left flat on 1st goal, breaks a tackle by S Kyle Dugger at the 2-yard line and dives just inside the pylon before CB Joejuan Williams can knock him out of bounds. The 3-yard TD gave Miami a 17-10 lead. Waddle, the Dolphins' 1st round draft pick (6th overall), finished with 4 catches for 61 yards in his first NFL game, and the Dolphins held on to win (barely) 17-16.

4. It did take Jaylen Waddle a while before he scored his 1st touchdown at home - Week 12, in the Dolphins' 6th home game - to be specific. On 3rd and goal from the 9-yard line Jaylen makes a leaping catch in the front of the end zone against the coverage by Panthers CB Donte Jackson, with LB Jermaine Carter coming over too late to help. The TD cashed in a turnover and put the Dolphins ahead (to stay) 14-7 in the 2nd quarter. Waddle had his best game of the season, finishing with 9 catches for 137 yards as the Dolphins, in the middle of their 7-game winning streak, improved to 5-7 with a 33-10 spanking of the Panthers.

But all is not well as far as Waddle is concerned. After scoring 7 TD as a rookie, Jaylen (sadly and disappointingly) decided to cut off his dreads during the offseason.

5. After scoring 43 touchdowns for the Falcons and 1 for the Giants between 2014 and 2020, RB Devonta Freeman, with his dreads seriously reduced, scores his first in a Ravens uniform, on a 9-yard run around left end after taking the pitch from QB Lamar Jackson on an option play on 1st and goal on the first play of the 4th quarter at Baltimore in Week 6. The TD accounted the the last points of the game and was icing on the cake for the Ravens. With Freeman contributing 53 yards rushing on 9 carries, the Ravens, in a battle of 4-1 teams, whipped the Chargers 34-6.

At Baltimore earlier in the season ......

6. ...... The Ravens' home opener in Week 2 gets off to a shaky start for the home team as S Tyrann Mathieu, on the 3rd play from scrimmage, picks off a Lamar Jackson pass and returns it 34 yards to the house for his 3rd career pick 6 and the first defensive TD of the season for a player with dreads, giving the Chiefs an early 7-0 lead. Mathieu, with his dreads seriously reduced, picked off Jackson again later in the 1st quarter (his 3rd career game with 2 picks), but Jackson got the last laugh, as the Ravens scored 2 TD in the 4th quarter to wipe out a 35-24 deficit and edge the Chiefs 36-35.

7. Out of work until the Panthers picked him up in Week 10, QB Cam Newton, 3 days after signing his contract and on his 1st snap of the season, scores on a 2-yard run, breaking to the outside on a QB draw on 2nd and goal and easily breaking the attempted tackle by LB Isaiah Simmons early in the 1st quarter. It was his 1st TD in a Panthers uniform since 2018. Then on the next possession Newton threw a TD pass to Robby Anderson on his 1st pass attempt of the game to make it 14-0, and the Panthers went on to win easily 34-10.

But the honeymoon ended pretty quickly. Cam scored touchdowns in the next 4 games as well, but the Panthers lost them all and finished the season on a 7-game losing streak.

8. It wasn't until after Thanksgiving that WR T.Y. Hilton scored his 1st TD of the season. Injured for most of the first half of the season, Hilton finally gets one in Week 12, beating CB Pierre Desir on an out route from the slot on 4th and 1 and making the catch for a 4-yard TD, increasing the Colts' lead over the Buccaneers to 24-14 with 18 seconds remaining in the 1st half. T.Y. finished with 4 catches for 28 yards. Tampa Bay roared back in the 2nd half to get the road win 38-31.

9. Signed in Week 9 to replaced the injured Derrick Henry, RB D'Onta Foreman finally gets his 1st TD of the season in Week 14, capping the Titans' game-opening 74-yard drive with a 5-yard run on a line plunge, easily powering through LB Damien Wilson's last-ditch attempt to stop him. Foreman, with his sick dreads most definitely not reduced, accounted for 27 yards on the drive and finished with 62 total yards as the Titans blanked the Jaguars 20-0.

10. Rookie RB Najee Harris is horizontal as he scores the first of what Steelers fans hope will be many touchdowns over the next few seasons. On 3rd and 10 early in the 4th quarter of the Steelers' home opener in Week 2 Harris, after making the catch and eluding a defender near the 20-yard line, races down the sideline and takes his last step at the 3 before flying into the end zone just before S Johnathan Abram can knock him out of bounds. The 25-yard TD cut the Raiders' lead to 16-14. Najee finished with 81 total yards (38 rushing, 43 receiving), but the Raiders held on to win 26-17.

11. Three players with dreads for the Lions scored their first career touchdowns in 2021. FB Jason Cabinda, his dreads too short to be seen with his helmet on, scored in Week 15. And here are the other two, both players with dreads barely coming out from under their helmets. With the Lions down 41-0 at home to the Eagles midway through the 4th quarter in Week 8, rookie RB Jermar Jefferson gives the fans a little something to cheer about, running up the middle for a 9-yard TD (photo above) as LB Davion Taylor makes the tackle too late. Jefferson scored his only other TD, a much more meaningful one, in the Lions' next game at Pittsburgh in Week 10. And also in that game RB Godwin Igwebuike took one to the house for the first time in his career, finishing off his 42-yard run (photo on right) to cap the Lions' 85-yard 2nd half opening drive and give them a 16-10 lead. Igwebuike, who didn't touch the ball at all during his 2018 rookie season and then was out of the league the next two years, had a career high 56 yards on 2 carries; and Jefferson had 41 yards on 3 carries. But the 0-8 Lions couldn't hold the lead and settled for a 16-16 tie with the Steelers.

12. With star RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt out due to injury, Browns 3rd year and 3rd string RB D'Ernest Johnson certainly made the most of the opportunity, showing that he can be a star too in his first career start in Week 7. Johnson went 20 yards on his first carry of the night and then two plays later after breaking a tackle at the 3-yard line, he powers through two more defenders at 1 and barely gets into the end zone for his 1st career TD not even 3 minutes after the opening kickoff. The 4-yard TD was only the start of something big. D'Ernest finished with 146 yards rushing on 22 carries and had 2 catches for 22 yards as the Browns defeated the Broncos 17-14.

13. Rookie RB Rhamondre Stevenson powers through a tackle attempt at the goal line and charges into the end zone standing up for his 1st career TD with 6:23 remaining in the 4th quarter in Week 6. The 1-yard plunge gave the Patriots a 21-20 lead over the Cowboys, setting the stage for a wild finish that saw the Cowboys winning in overtime 35-29.

After fumbling on his 1st career rushing attempt in the season opener, Stevenson, the Patriots' 4th round draft pick, was benched for the next 3 games; but he was a major contributor during the 2nd half of the season.

14. On his 66th career kickoff return and playing for his 4th different team, CB Tremon Smith finally takes one to the house. On the return after a Jaguars FG made the score 7-3 late in the 1st quarter in Week 15 Smith, after breaking into the clear around the Texans' 35-yard line, looks back (photo above) and sees no defenders coming after him as he crosses the Jaguars' 40 then jogs the last 30 yards, escorted into the end zone by S Tavierre Thomas (photo on right) for his 1st career TD. Tremon too casually almost let go of the ball too soon, but it looked like he still had control of it as he crossed the goal line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gOE684NrGA

As the announcer said, it was the Texans' first kickoff return TD in 12 years. They went on to win 30-16, improving to 3-11.

15. One week after having a close-up view of Tremon Smith's TD, Tavierre Thomas gets his 1st career TD, also in the front left corner of the end zone, giving his fans a belated Christmas present. With the Texans leading 34-23 and on the first play after the 2-minute warning in Week 16, Thomas picks off a Justin Herbert pass at the Chargers' 48-yard line and races down the sideline untouched, crossing the goal line with a big smile on his face as Herbert comes over too late to stop him. The Texans won 41-29, picking up their first home win since Week 1 and delivering a serious gut punch to the Chargers' playoff hopes.

Week 18 saw several players with dreads score their 1st career touchdowns ......

16. S Bobby McCain was scoreless during his first 6 NFL seasons - all with the Dolphins. But in the last game of his first season with the Washington Football Team he finally gets a TD. On 2nd and 10 late in the 3rd quarter at MetLife Stadium McCain jumps the route run by TE Evan Engram on 1st and 10, picks off the pass by QB Jake Fromm, and races untouched 30 yards to the house for the 1st TD of the game and a 12-0 WFT lead. The interception was McCain's 3rd of the season, a new career high; and later, on the final play of the game, he got his 4th, as Washington avoided ending the season on a 5-game losing streak, defeating the Giants 22-7.

17. With the Bengals resting their starters after having clinched the AFC North title a week earlier, S Trayvon Henderson was in uniform for only the second time all season. And on this play late in the 2nd quarter, with the ball lying on the ground after a strip sack by DE Wyatt Ray, Henderson scoops it up and races 29 yards untouched to the house for his 1st career score, cutting the Browns' lead to 14-7. Trayvon had previously played only 3 defensive snaps in his first 9 career games (over 3 seasons); but he was on the field for 57 snaps on defense in this one and had 4 tackles (2-2) in addition to his FR. The Bengals lost 21-16, but it was on to bigger and better things for them in the weeks ahead.

18. In a game at Denver they could ill afford to lose the Chiefs go from trailing 21-20 to leading 28-21 on this huge play midway through the 4th quarter, as rookie LB Nick Bolton, after scooping up a fumble by RB Melvin Gordon on 2nd and 2 from the KC 9-yard line, finishes his long, 86-yard run for his 1st career TD. The Chiefs held on to win 28-24 to clinch no worse than the #2 seed for the AFC playoffs.

19. Rookie RB JaQuan Hardy, on his 3rd carry of the game and only his 4th (and last) carry of the season, scores his 1st TD, getting into the end zone on a 22-yard TD in the 4th quarter at Philadelphia as S Jared Mayden makes the tackle too late. The TD was the Cowboys' 3rd TD in a span of less than 6 minutes and increased their lead to 51-20.

Hopefully this won't be Hardy's last house call. But after not being drafted and spending most of the 2021 season on the practice squad, he was released by the Cowboys during the offseason, a couple of weeks before the start of this season's training camp.

FIRST AND ONLY

20. In addition to JaQuan Hardy a couple of other players with dreads scored their first and only touchdowns of the season during the Cowboys-Eagles game. Earlier in the 4th quarter RB Corey Clement begins the Cowboys' 21-0 run with his first TD since he scored for the Eagles midway through the 2020 season, side-stepping into the end zone (photo above) for an 8-yard TD after making the catch uncovered in the left flat. Then after the Cowboys were done scoring, WR Quez Watkins gets the Eagles' final TD of the season, taking a screen pass 36 yards to the house (photo on right) on 3rd and 8 on the first play after the 2-minute warning to make the final score 51-26. Of course, Watkins' dreads are too short to be seen; but if you expand the picture to twice its size you can almost see them.

21. RB JaMycal Hasty's first and only TD of the season came in the 1st half of the 49ers' first game, as he falls forward and gets the ball barely (and I mean just barely) over the goal line as his leg touches the ground. It was so close that it needed to be reviewed by replay (and was not overturned). The 3-yard run was Hasty's 2nd career TD, and it upped the 49ers' lead over the Lions to 21-10 late in the 2nd quarter. The lead ballooned to 38-10 before the Lions roared back; but the 49ers held on to win 41-33.

22. After going the previous two seasons without scoring, WR Andre Roberts is back in the end zone again here in Week 17 in a Chargers uniform, weaving his way through the Broncos' kickoff coverage untouched 101 yards for his 3rd career kickoff return TD and his only TD of the 2021 season. The score, answering a Denver FG early in the 4th quarter, upped the Chargers' lead to 27-6, and they went on to win 34-13. After being released by the Texans in October and immediately being signed by the Chargers, Roberts has now played for 8 different teams - and scored touchdowns for 5 of them - in his 12-year career.

23. With the Cowboys leading 24-0 midway through the 3rd quarter in Week 14, WR Cam Sims gets the Washington comeback underway with a spectacular 43-yard TD catch, outfighting CB Trevon Diggs for the ball and landing inbounds. So unbelievable was the catch that the officials ruled it an incomplete pass at first before the play was reviewed and ruled a touchdown. It was the 1st and only TD for Sims at home in his career. Of course, it's a small sample size. He only has 2 TD on the road. With RB Jonathan Williams contributing his first and only TD of the season (sorry, no photo of that one), the WFT eventually cut their deficit to 27-20 and had the ball with 3 minutes left before a turnover ended the comeback attempt.

24. No doubt it was a very disappointing first season for WR Julio Jones in a Titans uniform. Plagued by a hamstring injury for most of the first 3 months of the season, Jones missed 6 games and didn't get his only TD of the season until the 4th quarter of the last game of the regular season. At least it was a big one. With the Titans' 21-0 halftime lead down to 21-18, Jones, open in the back of the end zone, catches the pass from QB Ryan Tannehill on 2nd and goal for a 3-yard TD and some breathing room at 28-18. And also with the TD, Jones became the Titans' 6th different player with dreads to score during the season. The Titans held on to win 28-25 and clinch the #1 seed for the AFC playoffs (not that it did them any good). Jones finished the season with 31 catches for 434 yards, and 1 TD - all career lows.

SCORE FOUR

25. Packers RB Aaron Jones was the only player with dreads with 4 TD in one game. After the Packers were held without a touchdown in an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Saints in Week 1, the Week 2 home opener went just a bit better. Of course, they were playing the Lions .....

After the Lions took a 7-0 lead on their opening drive, the Packers came right back with a 75-yard drive, with Jones, after catching a jet sweep forward pass on 2nd and goal and speeding around the left end, diving into the end zone for the 4-yard TD to tie the game.

26. With the Lions ahead again 14-7 late in the 2nd quarter, Jones ties it up again, beating S Tracy Walker (dreads too short) to the right flat on 2nd and goal, making the catch at the 1, and scoring as Walker makes the tackle too late. Jones, who had a 236-yard (168 rushing, 68 receiving), 3-TD game when the Packers played the Lions at home in Week 2 of 2020, had to 'settle' for a 115-yard (Monday) night in this 4-TD game.

27. The Packers scored touchdowns on both of their possessions in the 3rd quarter, and Jones finishes the second one with this 11-yard catch and run on 2nd and 10, as LB Jamie Collins is late on his coverage in the left flat and has no choice to stop Jones short of the end zone. That upped the Green Bay lead to 28-17.

28. And less than 3 minutes later, after a Lions turnover, Aaron Jones is in the end zone again early in the 4th quarter for his 4th TD, scoring on a 1-yard run up the middle on 1st and goal to make the score 35-17 and finish the game's scoring.

If you want, here are all 4 of Jones' touchdowns in a video that takes only 38 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_C3bhRJt60

It was the second time Jones scored 4 TD in a game, with the other one coming at Dallas in Week 5 of 2019.

CROWN 'EM

2021 was the 4th season in a row the Packers had more than 20 of their touchdowns scored by players with dreads; so they've obviously been more than the Aaron Jones show. Actually in 3 of those 4 years Jones didn't lead the Packers in touchdowns. He was 2nd, finishing behind none other than ......

29. ...... WR Davante Adams. In 4 out of 5 seasons since he got his dreads started in 2016 Adams ranked in the top 10 in the league in touchdowns scored - both among players with dreads and in the entire league; but never did he rank in the top 1. Until 2021. And oddly enough it was a season in which he barely hit double figures in TD that he took his first individual crown as the league's top scoring player with dreads (actually he shares the crown, which we'll get to shortly). Davante had career highs of 123 receptions and 1,553 receiving yards last season but finished with only 11 TD (a total he has surpassed in three other seasons). But as mentioned at the opening of this post, last season was a bit strange, and 11 touchdowns were good enough for #1.

After scoring only 3 TD in Green Bay's first 10 games, Adams began his run to the title with these 2 TD catches against the Vikings in Week 11. The first (left photo) came on a 10-yard pass from QB Aaron Rodgers on 1st and goal, with Adams getting behind S Xavier Woods in the back of the end zone on a play in which Rodgers had all day to throw. It was Adams' 3rd catch on the 75-yard drive, which cut the Vikings' lead to 23-17 in the 3rd quarter. Then on the Packers' next possession Davante beats CB Mackensie Alexander by 5 yards and is all alone (right photo) as he makes an 18-yard TD catch on 3rd and 6, finishing a 94-yard drive that put the Packers ahead 24-23 with 7:49 remaining in the game. Adams finished with 7 catches for 115 yards, but the Vikings kicked a FG on the last play of the game to win 34-31.

30. Lined up in the slot on 3rd and goal during the 2nd quarter in Week 16, Davante Adams easily beats one-on-one coverage by rookie S Richard LeCounte for a 9-yard TD catch, finishing a 78-yard yard drive and upping the Packers' lead over the Browns to 14-6. It was Davante's 9th TD of the season, and he got his 10th just before halftime.

Born December 24, 1992, Davante celebrated his 29th birthday a day late, finishing with 10 catches for 114 yards as the Packers defeated the Browns on Christmas Day 24-22.

31. One week later Davante Adams makes the last of his 11 TD receptions. With Mackensie Alexander watching him instead of covering him, Adams makes the catch at the 1-yard line on 1st and 10 and tumbles into the end zone. The 11-yard TD increased the Green Bay lead to 20-0 over the Vikings late in the 2nd quarter. Not allowing the game-time temperature of 11 degrees to dissuade him from playing in short sleeves, Davante made the dread stars list before the 1st half was over with 8 catches for 118 yards. He finished with 11 for 136 as the Packers whipped the Vikings 37-10.

Unless something really unusual happens in the future this was the last of the 73 TD (not including his 8 in the playoffs) he scored in a Packers uniform. After earning $62 million in his first 9 NFL seasons, Davante is headed for even greener pastures after being traded to the Raiders during the offseason.

32. After playing on 4 different teams in his first 8 NFL seasons, in 2021 Cordarrelle Patterson finally landed on a team that knew how to use him. One of the best kickoff returners of all time, Patterson had been used scarcely on offense throughout his career until last season, when the Atlanta Falcons switched him from WR to RB. The results were a pleasant surprise, but not totally unexpected. With his inability to consistently get open early in his career and his outstanding ability with the ball in his hands, he should've been switched to RB years ago. Anyway, with the Falcons he touched the ball 205 times on offense (his previous high was 85) and had 1,166 total yards from scrimmage. And after not scoring more than 5 TD in any season since he scored 9 as a rookie in 2012, he scored a career high 11 TD in 2021, tying him with Davante Adams for the most by a player with dreads.

Against Washington in Week 4 Cordarrelle had his first career game with 3 TD. This was the last of the 3, as he reaches above CB Kendall Fuller in the left front corner of the end zone for a 14-yard reception on 3rd and 13 to finish the Falcons' 68-yard 2nd half opening drive and give them a 23-19 lead. You can see the play as well as his other 2 TD in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnhYOQ5iC5Y

I can't remember why, but notice that Patterson didn't touch the ball at all in the 4th quarter. He finished with 34 yards rushing on 6 carries and 5 catches for 82 yards. The Falcons' defense spoiled the day for him, allowing 2 TD in the last 4 minutes of the game as WFT came back to win 34-30.

33. Cordarrelle Patterson's touchdowns in Weeks 8 and 14 were the first 2 of his career against the Carolina Panthers. Early in the 2nd quarter in Week 8 (photo above) Patterson, after catching a short pass on 3rd and 2 and eluding a defender at the 13-yard, easily powers through CB Donte Jackson at the 3 and dives into the end zone, with S Sean Chandler arriving too late to stop him. It gave the Falcons a 10-3 lead but was their only TD of the day in their 19-13 L. Then in Week 14 Cordarrelle again scores the Falcons' 1st TD of the game, on a 5-yard run on 2nd and 4 (right photo) behind excellent blocking to tie the game 7-7 late in the 1st quarter and answer Cam Newton's TD run on the Panthers' opening drive. Patterson tied his career high (set 2 weeks earlier) with 16 carries and had 58 yards rushing, helping the Falcons improve to 6-7 and defeat the Panthers in Charlotte for the 4th year in a row 29-21.

34. After punting on their first two drives against the Lions in Week 16, the Falcons go 54 yards on their third possession, with Cordarrelle Patterson outrunning the pursuit on a sweep left on 4th and inches and getting the ball inside the pylon for a 5-yard TD to finish the drive, although it's not recommended carrying the ball like this. Patterson's 11th (and last) TD of the season gave the Falcons a 7-3 lead early in the 2nd quarter. It was his 5th TD at home and his 1st at home that came in a game the Falcons won. For a change the defense didn't blow the lead late, getting an INT on 1st and goal in the final minute to hang on, as the Falcons defeated the Lions 20-16.

HOUSES OF DREAD

As for the end zones with the most touchdowns by players with dreads in a single game .... there were two of them - one not a bit surprising at all and then another a couple of weeks later that you probably wouldn't have bet on.

35. With the Packers and the Vikings the top two NFC teams in TD by players with dreads, you might have expected one of their games to win the honor. In fact, their first matchup in Week 11 featured 5 TD by players with dreads; but is was Minnesota's game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 that shares the HOD award. The end zones at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis were reached by players with dreads 6 times in the Vikings' 36-28 victory on Thursday night. The first 5 of the game's 8 touchdowns were by players with dreads, and there was one more after that.

After both teams missed field goals on their opening drives, WR Justin Jefferson gets the scoring started, easily beating CB Cameron Sutton on 2nd and 7 and making the 14-yard reception for his 8th TD of the season. But don't expect to see any dreads in these shots. In games when Jefferson had his dreads reduced, they couldn't be seen with his helmet on; and Sutton's 1st year dreads were only barely starting to become visible outside of his helmet.

36. But nobody had any trouble seeing Dalvin Cook's dreads, that's for sure. Cook had his dreads going at full blast for this game, and it turned out to be one of the best games of his career. With the score 9-0 after a FG, Cook finishes the next Vikings' drive with his longest TD run of the season, taking the handoff and immediately cutting outside and sprinting 29 yards untouched, flying the last 3 yards into the end zone. Dalvin's 5th TD of the season upped Minnesota's lead to 16-0 .....

37. ..... And about 8 minutes later Cook's 6th TD of the season made it 23-0, as he goes into the end zone standing up after powering through the attempted tackle of S Minkah Fitzpatrick (#39) at the 1-yard line. Dalvin carried 6 times for 27 yards on the 60-yard drive, including the 7-yard TD run off right tackle on 3rd and 1.

And that was all she wrote for Cook as far as house calls go for the rest of the season. He had no TD in the Vikings' last 4 games (one of which he missed after testing positive for COVID), his longest stretch without scoring since 2018. But this last hurrah against the Steelers was special, as he rushed for 205 yards - 1 yard short of his career high - on 27 carries.

38. After a couple more FGs made it 29-0 midway through the 3rd quarter, the Steelers suddenly decided that they were not going to be embarrassed anymore. Najee Harris gets the comeback started with a 3-yard TD catch, beating LB Anthony Barr on an out route in the left flat, making the catch just short of the goal line and falling backward into the end zone. It the the 3rd TD catch and 8th TD overall of the season for Harris.

39. Less than 3 minutes later Najee Harris takes another one to the house, scoring standing up (for a change) on a 1-yard line plunge on the first play after a PI penalty against the Vikings in the end zone. The TD cashed in a Vikings' turnover, and just like that it was 29-14 with still 14:49 remaining. Although Dalvin Cook was the star of the game, Harris made the dread stars list too, finishing with 104 total yards (94 rushing, 10 receiving).

Najee would score 1 more TD (in Week 17) to finish his rookie season with 10. This was the only game in which he had 2.

40. After another Steelers TD - by a player without dreads - cut the Vikings' lead to 9 less than 3 minutes later, WR K.J. Osborn relieves the tension for Vikings fans a bit on the 3rd play of the ensuing possession, getting behind Cameron Sutton, catching the deep pass at the 15-yard line, and scoring unopposed for the game's 6th TD by a player with dreads. Of course, Sutton will tell you that Osborn pushed him down and should have been called for offensive PI, but no flag was thrown. The 62-yard reception made the score 36-20 and was Osborn's 4th TD of the season. K.J. (which I assume is short for Kendrick, Jr.), who already had his dreads reduced since his college days at Buffalo and then the U, had them reduced even more for this game, all the way down to just 4 locks.

The Steelers weren't done yet, but the Vikings staved off a full-blown collapse, breaking up a pass from the 12-yard line into the end zone on the final play of the game to hold on 36-28.

The Steelers-Vikings game looked like a sure bet to be the sole winner of the HOD award, but then a couple of weeks later and out of the blue came another game with 6 touchdowns by players with dreads. The Week 17 game at Gillette Stadium between the Jaguars and Patriots hardly seemed like a likely candidate, and it seemed even more unlikely after Patriots RB Damien Harris scored the first 2 TD of the day. But then ...... a parade to the end zone by players with dreads, all of them Patriots. Almost.

41. And the parade began with a TD that helped nobody's fantasy team. WR Kristian Wilkerson, who spent almost all of his 2020 rookie season on the practice squad and almost all of the 2021 season inactive, and who had 0 career receptions before this game, makes his 3rd catch of the day and scores his 1st career TD, beating coverage by CBs Tyson Campbell (#32) and Tre Herndon on a crossing route on 2nd and goal and getting both feet down inbounds in the back of the end zone as he catches the pass from QB Mac Jones. The 6-yard reception upped the Patriots' lead to 21-3 with 4:40 remaining until halftime.

42. 4 minutes later the horror show continues for Tre Herndon, as he gets a close-up view of another New England TD after being beaten on an out route from the slot by WR Jakobi Meyers on 1st and goal. The 4-yard reception completed a 43-yard drive following a Jaguars turnover and made the score 28-3. It was the 2nd TD of the season for Meyers, whose dreads are too short to be seen (although you can see a tiny bit of them in the photo on the right).

43. After taking the 2nd half opening kickoff, the Patriots went 77 yards in 6 plays, the 6th play being a 20-yard TD catch by a wide open Kristian Wilkerson. Tyson Campbell thought the Patriots were going to throw a WR screen pass on 2nd and 2 and moved forward after the snap, leaving Wilkerson completely totally uncovered. No wonder the Jaguars couldn't beat anyone. Touchdown #2 for Wilkerson for the day made it 34-3 (the extra point was blocked), and the rout was on.

44. Later in the 3rd quarter...... on the first play after S Kyle Dugger barely missed getting his 1st career TD - he was knocked out of bounds at the 1-yard line on an interception return - Rhamondre Stevenson scores easily on a run up the middle for his 4th TD of the season to make the score 41-3.

45. The Patriots made it 44-3 on their next drive then went 74 yards in 7 plays on the one after that, with Rhamondre Stevenson finishing things again with a 6-yard run around left end on 2nd and 2, beating the pursuit of Tyson Campbell and into the left front corner of the end zone to make it 50-3 midway through the 4th quarter. Rhamondre finished the game with a season high 107 yards rushing on 19 carries to make the dread stars list for the second time. This was 5th and last TD of the season.

46. The Jaguars didn't leave town empty handed, finally getting a TD on their next drive, as RB Dare Ogunbowale makes it 6 TD in a row by players with dreads, easily avoiding S Devin McCourty's last-gasp attempt to stop him at the goal line and scoring on a 28-yard catch and run on a screen pass on 2nd and 10. Ogunbowale has long dreads that are usually easily seen with his helmet on. But for this game he had them stifled so much that you could barely seen any of them. It was Dare's 2nd and last TD of the season. Final score: 50-10.

47. Not only in Weeks 14 and 17, but also for the entire season the end zones at U.S. Bank Stadium and Gillette Stadium had the most touchdowns by players with dreads - 19 each. Including these two. In Week 4 at Minneapolis Kareem Hunt gets a faceful of the leg of Xavier Woods (left photo) as he scores the Browns' only TD of the game on a 1-yard plunge late in the 2nd quarter. A 2-point conversion after the TD put the Browns ahead (to stay) 8-7. Hunt finished with 69 yards rushing on 14 carries in Cleveland's 14-7 win. At New England in Week 7 RB Brandon Bolden gets his 1st TD of the season, tightroping the last 3 yards down the sideline (right photo) as he takes a screen pass 15 yards to the house on 3rd and 7, increasing the Patriots' lead over the Jets to 24-7 in the 2nd quarter. Bolden led the team in receiving with 6 catches for 79 yards as the Patriots rolled over the Jets 54-13.

48. Most touchdowns by the home team's players with dreads were (once again) at U.S. Bank Stadium. Here in Week 16 K.J. Osborn beats press coverage by Rams CB Darious Williams on 2nd and goal and catches the pass from QB Kirk Cousins for a 6-yard TD, cutting the Rams' lead to 27-20 midway through the 4th quarter. Osborn finished with 5 catches for 68 yards, but the Rams held on to win 30-23. The Vikings had 14 TD at home by players with dreads, with K.J. scoring 3 of them. In 2nd place were the 12 TD at Lambeau Field by the Packers' players with dreads and the 12 scored by the Titans' players with dreads at Nissan Stadium.

49. There was a 3-way tie for the end zone with the most TD by the visiting team's players with dreads, with Gillette Stadium being one of the three. In Week 3 1st half touchdown receptions by RB Alvin Kamara and WR Marquez Callaway gave the Saints a 14-0 lead that they did not relinquish. On 3rd and 7 from the 11-yard line the Patriots leave Kamara wide open over the middle and, after catching the pass at the 6, he eases into the end zone (left photo) to begin the game's scoring midway through the 1st quarter. But Callaway didn't have it so easy on his TD. On 3rd and goal from the 7 late in the 2nd quarter QB Jameis Winston, about to be sacked by Kyle Dugger, throws one up for grabs, and Callaway, after making a leaping catch against CB Jonathan Jones, lands with both feet inbounds in the back of the end zone for his 1st career TD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwWhShjcQGc

After the game Winston admitted he was trying to throw the ball away; but it didn't go far enough to go out of bounds, instead winding up in the hands of Callaway. Marquez finished with 4 catches for 41 yards; Kamara had 118 total yards; and the Saints won a road game against the Patriots for the first time in 26 years, 28-13.

These were 2 of the 9 visiting team TD by players with dreads against the Patriots .......

50. There were also 9 at Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins, and Bills RB Zack Moss scored the first 2 in the Dolphins' home opener in Week 2, including this one early in the 4th quarter, as he falls forward into the end zone after breaking 2 tackles at the 3-yard line. I'm sorry that you can only barely see his dreads; but that's the way it is with reduced dreads. The 7-yard run on a sweep left on 2nd and goal was Moss' 1st TD of the season, and it made the score 28-0. And he finished the Bills' next drive with a 1-yard TD run to make the final 35-0 ......

51. And there also were 9 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. Cordarrelle Patterson scored 2 of the 9 here in Week 12 to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead over the Jaguars in the 1st half. After his 11-yard run gave the Falcons 1st and goal, Patterson goes around the left end on the next play on a play similar to the one we saw back in photo #34 and dives inside the pylon (photo above) before his left hand touches out of bounds for a 7-yard TD run late in the 1st quarter. Then midway through the 2nd quarter on the first play after the Falcons kicked a FG but a penalty on the Jaguars gave them a 1st down instead, Patterson goes through a hole right up the middle, bounces off an attempted tackle at the 3-yard line and into the end zone (photo on right) for a 12-yard TD run. Cordarrelle had 84 yards rushing in the 1st half and finished with a career high 108 on 16 carries. The Falcons held on to win 21-14.

WEEK 5

18 players with dreads combined to make a season high 25 house calls during Week 5. Here are a few of those.

52. RB Darrell Henderson is first, falling forward across the goal line after bouncing off of a defender at the 2-yard line on his 5-yard run up the middle on 2nd and 3 midway through the 3rd quarter on Thursday night at Seattle. The TD completed the Rams' 96-yard 2nd half opening drive and put them ahead (to stay) 9-7. Henderson missed making the dread stars list by 1 yard. He finished with 99 (82 rushing, 17 receiving) as the Rams defeated the Seahawks 26-17 to improve to 4-1.

53. RB Derrick Henry did Cordarrelle Patterson one better, making 3 house calls at Jacksonville during the Titans' 37-19 victory over the Jaguars. This was the 2nd of them, as S Rayshawn Jenkins hits him way too late to prevent his 9-yard run on 1st and goal that caps the Titans' 75-yard 2nd half opening drive to make the score 31-13. The other players with dreads in the shot are LB Dakota Allen (#53) and CB Chris Claybrooks (#27). Derrick added his 3rd TD late in the 4th quarter, making this his 2nd of 3 games with 3 touchdowns in 2021.

54. Five players with dreads scored 2 TD in Week 5. Here are the 2 by Kareem Hunt. On 4th and 1 late in the 2nd quarter Hunt scores on a 3-yard run up the middle (photo above) behind good enough blocking, not facing any resistance until he was already over the goal line. Kareem's 4th TD of the season put the Browns ahead of the Chargers 17-13. Then with the score tied at 35, he puts the Browns ahead again with 4:45 remaining in the game, breaking outside on a run off tackle and taking it 8 yards to the house (photo on right). Hunt finished the game a little short of the dread stars list, finishing with 89 total yards (61 rushing on 12 carries, 28 receiving). Unfortunately he couldn't enjoy his productive game. The Chargers came back with touchdowns on their next two drives to defeat the Browns 47-42.

And unfortunately that was all she wrote for Kareem for the season. He was injured in the Browns' next game and ended up playing in only 2 of the Browns' last 11 games after that, touching the ball only 11 times in those games and scoring no more TD.

55. If you thought Marquez Callaway's 1st career TD (back in photo #49) was spectacular ...... well, it was nothing compared to his 2nd. On the last play of the 1st half at FedEx Field at with the game tied at 13, Callaway runs downfield, jumps up, and easily catches the poorly-defender Hail Mary pass from QB Jameis Winston for a 49-yard TD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l848eKfwp_w

...... Not to take anything away from Marquez, but have you ever seen worse defense on a Hail Mary?

No defenders were even in position to knock the ball down. smh. That put the Saints in front 20-13 at the half and ahead to stay .....

56. Callaway wasn't done yet. On 3rd and 7 early in the 4th quarter he once again takes advantage of poor coverage by the WFT secondary, catching the pass for a 12-yard TD with the nearest defender, CB William Jackson, 5 yards away. That upped the Saints' lead to 27-16. Marquez finished the day with 4 catches for a then career high 85 yards. He would set a new career high again in Week 15 .....

57. Before and after Marquez Callaway scored his 2 TD, Alvin Kamara also scored a pair, his 3rd and 4th of the season. After WFT took a 13-6 lead early in the 2nd quarter, Kamara accounted for 35 of the 75 yards on the Saints' ensuing drive on the last 2 plays of the drive, finishing the drive with a 23-yard run up the middle on 1st and 10, jumping across the goal line (photo above) as S Kamren Curl arrives too late to stop him. Then in the 4th quarter after WFT cut the Saints' lead to 27-22, Kamara accounted for the last 32 yards on another 75-yard drive, with the TD coming on a 19-yard catch and run on 2nd and 8 into the front right corner of the end zone (photo on right) with 3:15 to play. The Saints held on to win 33-22. Kamara made the dread stars list for the 3rd week in a row, with 71 yards rushing on 16 carries and 5 catches for 51 yards. He also had an important 13-yard punt return in the closing seconds of the 1st half that allowed the Saints to attempt the Hail Mary pass on the next play. This was his only game of the season with 2 TD.

58. After scoring the league's 1st TD of the season by a player with dreads, CeeDee Lamb didn't get another one until here the 2nd quarter in Week 5, as he beats CB James Bradberry on a go route on 3rd and 8, catches the perfect pass from QB Dak Prescott in stride at the 13-yard line, and cruises into the end zone holding the ball with one hand for the Cowboys' 1st TD of the afternoon and a 10-0 lead. Lamb finished with 4 catches for 84 yards. The Giants kept it close for a while, trailing by only 4 midway through the 3rd quarter before the Cowboys pulled away to a 44-20 victory.

59. WRs Chris Conley and Chase Claypool both scored 2 TD in 2021 and both scored their 1st of the season in Week 5. At Houston early in the 3rd quarter and 2 plays after a Lonnie Johnson INT gave the Texans excellent field position, the Texans run a trick play and Conley gets behind Joejuan Williams, catches the pass in stride at the 8 and tumbles into the end zone (photo above) for a 37-yard TD, increasing Houston's lead to 22-9. Conley finished with 3 catches for a season high 84 yards, but the Texans couldn't hold the lead. The Patriots scored the last 16 points of the game to win 25-22 and drop the Texans to 1-4 (on their way to 1-8). At Heinz Field Claypool made the dread stars list for the only time all season, finishing with 5 catches for a career high 130 yards, including this big 18-yard reception on 3rd and 10 late in the 3rd quarter for the Steelers' last TD of the game, as S Justin Simmons pushes him to the ground - to no avail - after he makes a leaping catch. It upped the Steelers' lead to 24-6, and they survived a comeback by the Broncos, holding on to win 27-19.

60. And finally, Marquise Brown is last, scoring the last of the 25 TD by players with dreads in Week 5 on the last play of Week 5. After a missed FG attempt by the Colts at the end of the 4th quarter sent the game into overtime, the Ravens end it on the first possession of OT, as Brown finds an opening in the Colts' zone defense on 2nd and goal and catches the pass from Lamar Jackson in the front of the end zone, with S George Odum too far away to defend it. The 5-yard reception was Brown's 2nd TD of the game and 5th of the season. Marquise was one of 15 players that made a very crowded Week 5 dread stars list, finishing with 9 catches for 125 yards and helping the Ravens come back from a 22-3 deficit to defeat the Colts 31-25.

WORKIN' OVERTIME

There were 8 games in 2021 that ended on touchdowns in overtime, and Marquise Brown was not the only player with dreads who had one of them. Three other WRs with dreads made overtime house calls, and unlike Brown's TD, all of theirs sent the home fans home unhappy.

61. At Charlotte in Week 6, after the Vikings blew a 28-17 lead in the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter and then missed a FG at the end of the quarter, K.J. Osborn comes to the rescue on the first possession in OT, beating S Sean Chandler on a corner route on 2nd and 13, making the catch at the 2-yard line, and getting the ball inside the pylon for the TD while Chandler desperately tries to push him out of bounds: https://www.vikings.com/video/osborn-hauls-in-27-yard-game-winning-touchdown-from-cousins-in-ot

The 27-yard TD was K.J.'s 2nd TD of the season, and he couldn't get his helmet off fast enough. He finished the afternoon with 6 catches for 78 yards as the Vikings improved to 3-3, defeating the Panthers 34-28.

62. A little more than 3 hours after K.J. Osborn spoiled the day for Panthers fans, CeeDee Lamb did this to Patriots Nation. After the Patriots punted on the first possession of overtime, the Cowboys went 80 yards in 7 plays, with Lamb taunting and tormenting CB Jalen Mills as he strolls into the end zone for the game-winning 35-yard TD reception: https://www.dallascowboys.com/video/dak-prescott-lofts-to-ceedee-lamb-for-walk-off-td ..... After Mills belatedly (and deservedly) shoved him to the ground, CeeDee got up and waived bye-bye to Mills, a gesture that earned him a $10,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dka9Csfvu0k

It was Lamb's 2nd TD of the game against Mills and his 4th of the season. He finished with 9 catches for 149 yards - both career highs - as the Cowboys ended a streak of 6 straight losses to the Patriots, defeating them for the first time in 25 years, 35-29.

63. At Cincinnati in Week 14, with the 49ers trailing the Bengals 23-20 in OT after blowing a 20-6 lead in the 4th quarter, WR Brandon Aiyuk comes to the rescue on the first play after the 2-minute warning, catching a pass in the left flat at the line of scrimmage on 1st and 10, getting past the desperation tackle attempt by S Vonn Bell at the 5 (photo above), and somehow staying inbounds and getting the ball inside the pylon (photo on right) for the game-winning 12-yard TD. Brandon didn't get to celebrate at first because the officials, believing it was impossible for him to have stayed inbounds, ruled him out at the 1-yard line. Only after a review was it confirmed that he was still in when the ball went over the goal line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99uYlqswiNc ....... Aiyuk's 4th TD of the season gave San Francisco a 26-23 win, leaving both teams with 7-6 records before both finished the season strong.

MORE HOUSE CALLS

64. Not to take anything away from Davante Adams and Cordarrelle Patterson, but let's be honest about it. Had he not broken his foot during the Titans' 8th game of the season, Derrick Henry would have been the league's top scoring player with dreads, and it wouldn't have even been close. Even despite missing the last 9 regular season games Henry finished only 1 TD off the lead. With 10 TD in 8 games, Derrick was on pace to go well past his career high of 18 TD set in 2019. But as you might know, injuries happen in football, and his injury kept him from having what was shaping up to be an historic season.

After regaining health, Henry had one of the 3 TD scored by players with dreads in the playoffs, here taking the shotgun snap on 1st and goal and running off left tackle and into the end zone untouched, tying the Titans' game with the Bengals 6-6 midway through the 2nd quarter (Henry was stopped short on the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt). Derrick finished the game with only 62 yards rushing on 20 carries. It was a bitter end to the season for Titans fans. After the Titans finished with the best regular season record in the AFC, they went one-and-done in the playoffs, turning the ball over with 20 seconds to play in the 4th quarter and losing to the Bengals on a last-second FG 19-16.

65. As was listed earlier, there was a 5-way tie for 3rd place in TD scored by players with dreads. Four were RBs. The only WR among the 5? That would be Justin Jefferson of the Vikings, who followed his great 2020 rookie season with an even better 2nd season, finishing with 108 catches for 1,616 yards and 10 TD. His first of the season came in Week 2, as he gets away from the coverage of S Budda Baker on 1st and 10 and goes horizontal to bring in a 14-yard reception (photo above), upping the Vikings' lead to 20-7 over the Cardinals in the 2nd quarter. Justin finished with "only" 65 yards on 6 catches, and the Vikings, missing a 37-yard FG on the last play of the game, lost to the Cardinals 34-33. At Baltimore in Week 9 Jefferson gets the game off to a great start for the Vikings' offense on the 5th play of their opening drive, beating the Ravens' secondary deep by 5 yards on 3rd and 7, making the catch at the 8-yard line and cruising into the end zone (photo on right) for a 50-yard TD a 7-3 lead, his 2nd biggest gain of the year. But Justin was quiet the rest of the game, finishing with 3 catches for 69 yards in the Vikings' 34-31 loss in OT, 1 of 4 times they lost on the last play of the game.

66. Aaron Jones also was part of the tie for 3rd place, going airborne on 2 of the 3 TD he scored against the Bears. At Soldier Field in Week 6 (photo above) Jones barely avoided one of those embarrassing moments that DeSean Jackson is famous for. After catching a pass and eluding a defender behind the line of scrimmage on 1st and 10, Aaron thinks he's by himself and slows down as he gets to 3-yard line, nearly getting caught from behind LB Robert Quinn before lifting off into the end zone. The 12-yard TD capped the Packers' 90-yard 2nd half opening drive and upped their lead to 17-7. Jones made the dread stars list with 110 total yards (76 rushing, 34 receiving) in Green Bay's 24-14 win. Then in the 3rd quarter in Week 14 on the first play after a Bears' turnover, Jones makes it touchdowns on 2 consecutive snaps, launching himself into the end zone (photo on right) after CB Jaylon Johnson tried to knock him out of bounds at the 2-yard line but only knocked him off balance. After finishing the Packers' 2nd half opening drive with a 3-yard TD run, Jones upped Green Bay's lead to 35-27 with this 23-yard catch and run. He finished the game with 65 total yards on only 8 touches as the Packers won 45-30, sweeping the Bears for the 3rd straight season.

67. Other than the house of dread winners (featured in photos #35-46) the only other game that had TD scored by 4 different players with dreads was the Sunday night game in Week 3 between the Packers and 49ers - one in each quarter. And, of course, it was the usual suspects for the Packers. After getting a FG on their opening drive, the Packers went 80 yards in 7 plays on their 2nd drive. After converting a 3rd and 6 with a 14-yard reception to the 1-yard line on the preceding play, Davante Adams gets the 1-yard TD reception (left photo) to make it 10-0, getting open on a pick play, making the catch, and trotting into the end zone for his 1st TD of the season. The lead grew to 17-0 a minute before halftime after Aaron Jones finished an 87-yard drive with this 3-yard run on 2nd and goal (right photo) for his 5th TD of the season, sliding left to avoid traffic and scoring standing up. Jones barely missed making the dread stars list, finishing with 96 total yards (82 rushing, 14 receiving). Adams killed the 49ers in this game with 12 catches for 132 yards - a problem they fixed when the two teams met again in Week 20 ......

68. After the 49ers got on the board with a TD on the final play of the 1st half, the comeback continues on their opening drive of the 2nd half. Brandon Aiyuk finishes the 83-yard drive with his 1st TD of the season, maintaining control of the ball before and after hitting the ground (photo above) despite CB Jaire Alexander's attempt to strip it from him after catching the pass from QB Jimmy Garoppolo on 3rd and goal. The 8-yard reception made it 17-14 midway through the 3rd quarter. Then after the Packers regained a 10-point lead early in the 4th, the 49ers cut it right back to 3 on the 1st NFL TD by rookie RB Trey Sermon, a 1-yard dive on 1st and goal (photo on right), making it 24-21 and finishing an 81-yard drive. It turned out to be Sermon's only TD of the season. He finished with 31 yards rushing on 10 carries. Aiyuk had 4 catches for 37 yards. The 49ers finally took the lead 28-27 with 37 seconds to play; but the Packers, thanks to receptions of 25 and 17 yards by Adams, moved into FG range and made the FG on the last play of the game to win the thriller 30-28.

69. After scoring a total of 14 TD for the Buccaneers in the previous 2 seasons, RB Ronald Jones had only 4 in 2021; and 3 of the 4 were scored just inside the pylon. On Sunday night in Week 4 Jones makes the last of 17 house calls by players with dreads for the week, taking a run off right tackle 8 yards into the end zone (photo above) despite S Devin McCourty's efforts to stop him. It was Jones' 1st TD of the season and put the Bucs ahead of the Patriots 13-7 late in the 3rd quarter. It also was the Bucs' only TD of the night; but thanks to 4 FG they were able to edge the Patriots 19-17. Ronald also scored the last of 17 TD by players with dreads in Week 11 (hey, I'm not making this up - it's true), breaking a 10-10 tie with 5:06 to play until halftime and putting Tampa Bay ahead to stay with this dive inside the left pylon (photo on right) to finish a 6-yard run off left tackle on 1st and goal. The Buccaneers went on to defeat the Giants 30-10.

70. As if it weren't bad enough that DeAndre Hopkins keeps on reducing his dreads further and further, in 2021 he raised my ire even more by making them shorter too. That aside, Hopkins might very well have been the top scoring player with dreads had his season not been cut short. He had 7 TD in the first 7 games before his season was ruined by two injuries. Prior to 2021 DeAndre missed only 2 games in his first 8 NFL seasons; but he was out for 7 games last season, contributing to the Cardinals' late-season slide. Hopkins scored his team's first 2 TD of the season, the 2nd coming here (photo above), as S Kevin Byard makes the tackle too late and CB Jackrabbit Jenkins arrives too late to prevent his 17-yard catch and run on 2nd and 5 that made the score 17-0 early in the 2nd quarter at Nashville. Nuk finished the game with 6 catches for 83 yards as the Cardinals whipped the Titans 38-13. Then in Week 7 ..... well, you just knew DeAndre wasn't going to pass up a chance to take a bite out of the hand that once fed him. In his first career game against the Texans he scores on a 1-yard reception (photo on right) on 3rd and goal, taking advantage of a blown coverage that left him wide open right on the goal line. Hopkins' 7th TD of the year put the Cardinals ahead 7-5, and they went on to win 31-5 and improve to 7-0. Unfortunately this was the game in which his injury troubles began, and he managed just 1 more TD the rest of the season.

71. With his dreads still reduced but looking way better than we saw earlier, Devonta Freeman here scores a pair of his 6 TD - in Weeks 9 and 13. Left uncovered in the right flat on 1st and goal, Freeman catches the pass at the 2 and scores the Ravens' 1st TD of the game in Week 9 (photo above), cutting the Vikings' lead to 17-10 with 19 seconds to go until halftime. Devonta finished with a season high 79 yards rushing on 13 carries as the Ravens improved to 6-2, kicking a FG with :16 remaining in OT to defeat the Vikings 34-31. Then in Week 13 (photo on right) Freeman scores his 1st ever TD against the Steelers, as Minkah Fintzpatrick knocks him down too late and S Terrell Edmunds gets there too late. The 3-yard run finished a 16-play, 99-yard drive and put the Ravens in front 7-0 midway through the 2nd quarter. Devonta came closer to making the dread stars list in this game than any other but still was a bit short, finishing with 97 total yards (52 rushing, 45 receiving) on 19 touches. But the Ravens lost, 20-19, on a failed 2-point conversion with 12 seconds left in the game.

With the 6 TD, Freeman accounted for half of the Ravens' touchdowns by players with dreads. And the other half? .......

72. ..... Well, it's Marquise Brown. Who else? With his dreads barely long enough to be visible outside the back of his helmet, Brown had 3 TD receptions of more than 40 yards in 2021. No other player with dreads had more than 2. He also had a 39-yarder. After the Chiefs scored a TD on their 2nd half opening drive in Week 2 to take a 28-17 lead, so did the Ravens on theirs, as Brown - wide open thanks to a blown coverage - takes it 42 yards to the house (photo above) on 3rd and 4, going untouched after making the catch at the 23-yard line. Marquise made the dread stars list in this game with 6 catches for 113 in the Ravens' come-from-behind 36-35 win over the Chiefs. Then in Week 5, before he scored in overtime (photo #60), Brown gets the Ravens' comeback from a 22-3 deficit underway, burning CB BoPete Keyes on a post-corner route and making the catch in stride at the 2-yard line (photo on right) for a 43-yard TD to make it 22-9 with 56 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter. Marquise's 125 yards receiving in the game were a season high and his most since the 147 he got in his very 1st NFL game in the 2019 season opener.

73. Marquise Brown's longest TD reception of the season came on this play at Denver in Week 4, as he gets way behind both Broncos safeties on 2nd and 10 and makes a sensational leaping/diving catch in the end zone, hanging onto the ball despite colliding hard with the ground:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1wY5mhAdNE

The 49-yard TD broke a 7-7 tie and put the Ravens ahead to stay. Marquise finished with 4 catches for 91 yards as the Ravens picked up win #3 of their 5-game winning streak, defeating the Broncos 23-7 for their 1st regular season win in Denver in 20 years.

74. Another AFC North WR with dreads besides Marquise Brown had long-distance touchdowns in Weeks 4 and 5. At Lambeau Field in Week 4 (photo above) Diontae Johnson gives the Steelers an early 7-0 lead, beating the great Jaire Alexander deep on 3rd and 4 on their opening drive and catching a perfect pass from Ben Roethlisberger in stride at the 7-yard line on his way to the end zone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR5vlCX2Z2s ...... And if there are any Jaire Alexander fans out there, the officials usually don't call offensive PI unless the receiver uses two hands to push off. Unfortunately for Steelers fans the Steelers didn't score another TD until the Packers were ahead 27-10 in the 4th quarter. Despite Johnson's 9 catches for 92 yards, Green Bay won 27-17. Back home the following Sunday Diontae once again takes one to the house down the right sideline on the opening drive, getting behind CB Kyle Fuller for a 50-yard TD (photo on right), the longest reception of his career (his longest career TD came on an 85-yard punt return in 2019). Diontae finished with 2 catches for 72 yards as the Steelers picked up their 1st home win of the season, defeating the Broncos 27-19.

After scoring 6 TD as a rookie in 2019 and 7 in 2020, Johnson finished with 8 TD in 2021. Do I hear 9 for 2022?

75. From the long to the short ......

50 of the 300 touchdowns by players with dreads covered just 1 yard. That's 41 1-yard TD runs and 9 1-yard TD catches. This was the only one by Alvin Kamara. With his dreads reduced against the Buccaneers in Week 8, Kamara trots into the end zone around left end to cap the Saints' 76-yard 2nd half opening drive and avoid disaster. On 4th and goal the pitch to Kamara was high, and he juggled it and he was all the way back to the 10-yard line by the time he got control of the ball; but the play fooled the Bucs' D, and one good block on the edge allowed Alvin to score untouched. It was Kamara's 6th TD of the season and his 1st at the Superdome (before that he had 4 on the road and 1 in the Saints' "home" game in Jacksonville in Week 1), and it upped the New Orleans lead to 23-7. From there the Buccaneers rallied to take a 27-26 lead, only to see the Saints score a FG and a defensive TD 17 seconds apart in the final 2 minutes to win 36-27.

76. After scoring 2 TD in the Rams' road win over the Giants in Week 6, RB Darrell Henderson scored two more in the Rams' next road game in Week 8. On 2nd and goal on the game's opening drive at Houston Henderson, after making the catch in the right flat at the 2, turns and sees nobody near him (photo above) - as LB Christian Kirksey is too late on his coverage (and not in the picture) - and easily scores his 6th TD of the season, a 3-yard reception. Then on the Rams' last drive of the 1st half Darrell scores a 1-yard TD run untouched up the middle on 2nd and goal (photo on right) to make it 17-0 30 seconds before halftime. Henderson finished 90 yards rushing on 14 carries as the Rams built a 38-0 lead before settling for a 38-22 victory over the Texans. Due to a variety of injuries Darrell unfortunately scored only 1 more TD during the second half of the season. And he was on IR during the Rams' playoff run until getting healthy enough to play in the Super Bowl, where he had 50 total yards on 7 touches.

77. CeeDee Lamb followed his 2-TD game against the Patriots in Week 6 with two more in the Cowboys' Week 10 slaughter of the Falcons. On 3rd and 6 on the game's opening drive Lamb, lined up in the slot, beats CB Fabian Moreau on a corner route and makes a leaping catch in the left front corner of the end zone (photo above) for a 13-yard TD and a 7-0 lead. Later with the score 21-3, Lamb scores the Cowboys' 3rd TD of the 2nd quarter, this time burning CB Avery Williams (photo on right) on a corner route from the slot for a 9-yard TD catch on 3rd and 7 to make it 28-3 with 1:10 to play until halftime. Lamb made the 4th of his 5 appearances on the dread stars list, finishing with 106 total yards (12 rushing, 94 receiving) as the Cowboys won 43-3. Rather unbelievably these were the last 2 house calls for CeeDee for the season, as he went the final 8 games of the regular season without scoring again.

78. In his first 3 NFL seasons TE Mo Alie-Cox never had more than 2 touchdowns; but he matched that total in one half last season, scoring both of the Colts' 2nd half TD at Miami in Week 4. On the opening drive of the half, after a 1st and goal at the 1-yard line turned into 3rd and goal from the 3, two DBs cover WR Zach Pascal and leave Alie-Cox all alone on the goal line (photo above) for his 1st TD catch of the season, upping the Colts' lead to 14-3. Then in the 4th quarter, after a 1st and goal at the 6 turned into a 3rd and goal from the 11 Mo comes to the rescue again, with a highlight reel leaping catch in the end zone - barely above the arm of S Eric Rowe (photo on right) - to make the score 27-10. The Colts held on to win 27-17. Alie-Cox also had TD in Weeks 6 and 7 to finish with a career high 4. That tied him for the most TD by a TE with dreads ......

79 ....... with David Njoku, whose 4 tied his career high. In Week 5 against the Chargers (photo above) several defenders try - but none succeeds - catching Njoku as he races the last 56 yards untouched after making the catch and bouncing off a defender at the Browns' 44-yard line on 2nd and 3 early in the 4th quarter. There were no photos of him crossing the goal line, so here is the video of it instead: https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/video/can-t-miss-play-david-njoku-s-broken-tackle-yields-71-yard-td

The 71-yard TD not only gave the Browns a 35-28 lead, it was the longest TD reception by anyone with dreads all season; and it also put David on the dread stars list for the first time in his career. He finished with 7 catches for a career high 149 yards. Njoku's TD was long forgotten by the end of the game though, as there were 4 more TD after his in the Chargers' wild 47-42 win. Then in the Browns' next road game in Week 9 Njoku puts the icing on the cake of the 41-16 win over the Bengals, beating the coverage by CB Mike Hilton on 3rd and goal and hanging on as he goes to the ground (photo on right) after making the catch in the front of the end zone for an 18-yard TD. All 4 of David's touchdowns came on the road, and the one at Cincinnati was the only one that came in a Browns victory.

80. T.Y. Hilton, the man least likely to score on this play in Week 17, gets the 45-yard TD catch to cap the Colts' 75-yard 2nd half opening drive. On 1st and 10 QB Carson Wentz throws one up for grabs deep; WR Ashton Dulin, S Trevon Moehrig, and CB Casey Hayward all go up and converge on the ball and none of them makes the catch, only deflecting it into the air; and as they all tumble to the ground Hilton, waiting in the end zone behind them, stays down and says thank you very much: https://www.colts.com/video/highlight-t-y-hilton-catches-tipped-45-yard-touchdown

T.Y.'s 3rd TD of the season gave the Colts a 17-13 lead; but the Raiders won a thriller 23-20 on a last-second FG. It very possibly was Hilton's final TD in a Colts uniform. After scoring 54 TD for the Colts in 10 seasons, he was not re-signed to a new contract during the offseason.

81. At Cincinnati in Week 13 Chargers CB Tevaughn Campbell is already celebrating 20 yards away from the end zone - as is S Derwin James behind him - as he scores a defensive TD for the 2nd year in a row, scooping up a fumble by RB Joe Mixon 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage on 2nd and 2 and returning it 61 yards to the house early in the 4th quarter. The TD was the turning point of the game, as it made the score 31-22, putting the brakes on a huge comeback by the Bengals, who had pulled to within 24-22 after trailing 24-0. The Chargers went on to win 41-22.

LASTS

82. On 2nd and 1 late in the 4th quarter on Monday night in Week 6 Derrick Henry does more than just pick up the 1st down, he takes it 13 yards to the house, as LB Tremaine Edmunds, blocked out of the way, can't recover in time to stop him and CB Levi Wallace, blocked by WR Marcus Johnson (#88), can't do anything either. The TD, Henry's 3rd of the game, gave the Titans a 34-31 lead over the Bills with 3:05 to play; and they held on to win, stopping the Bills on 4th down inside the 5-yard line in the final 30 seconds. Since it was on Monday, Henry's TD was the last of the 24 TD by players with dreads in Week 6. And it also was Derrick's 10th and last TD of the regular season. He also scored 3 TD in the Titans' victories in Weeks 2 and 5, and there's no telling how many more he would have gotten had he not been injured.

About 25 hours or so earlier ......

83. With the Steelers leading 14-0 on Sunday night, RB Alex Collins gets the Seahawks' comeback started, taking the handoff and going up the middle on 2nd and goal, then beginning his dive at the 2-yard line and landing right on the goal line with his dreads touching the ball. Collins carried 8 times for 58 yards on the 10-play, 75-yard 2nd half opening drive that made the score 14-7. Alex finished with a season high 101 yards rushing on 20 carries, but the Seahawks fell to the Steelers 23-20 in overtime.

This was the last of only 2 TD scored by Collins, as he was unable to find the end zone on any of his 46 carries during the next 4 games before missing 5 of the 6 last games due to injury.

84. After going scoreless for 10 straight games following his only TD in Week 5 (photo #59), Chase Claypool gets his last TD of the season in Week 18; and it was a big one. With the Ravens leading 10-6, Claypool catches the pass on a slant at the 3-yard line and scores standing up between 4 defenders (only two of whom are seen in these shots). The 6-yard reception was the Steelers' only TD of the game and put them ahead 13-10 with 2:54 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Ravens kicked a FG to send the game into OT, but the Steelers kicked a FG in OT to win. And when the Chargers lost in OT to the Raiders later in the day, the Steelers were playoff bound.

Despite finishing with almost the exact same numbers of receptions and yards that he had during his 2020 rookie season, Claypool's 2 TD in 2021 were way down from the 11 he scored as a rookie.

85. For the first time ever in 2021 there were two QBs with dreads who made house calls in the same season. After Cam Newton broke the ice, becoming the first NFL QB with dreads and scoring 13 TD in 2020, Teddy Bridgewater joined him in the end zone in his 1st season with dreads in 2021. This was the last of his 2 TD, coming in Week 12 and coming after he scrambled out of the pocket on 2nd and goal but still couldn't find anyone open. With defenders holding their coverage, Bridgewater finds just enough room down the sideline, begins his dive at the 2-yard line and touches the pylon in front of CB Tevaughn Campbell. The 11-yard TD run with 4:31 remaining in the 1st quarter broke a 0-0 tie and put the Broncos ahead to stay. Teddy made the dread stars list only once in 14 games played - and this game wasn't it. He passed for only 129 yards, but the Broncos still defeated the Chargers 28-13.

86. In his 4th NFL season - and his 1st with dreads - WR Calvin Ridley scored 2 TD for the Falcons before his career suddenly and drastically veered off course. This was the last of the 2, giving the Falcons a 10-7 lead over the Dolphins in the 2nd quarter in Week 7. On 3rd and 3 Ridley, after beginning his crossing route behind the line of scrimmage, goes unnoticed as he turns upfield and is wide open in the end zone as he catches QB Matt Ryan's pass for a 5-yard TD. Calvin finished the game with 4 catches for 26 yards. The Falcons blew a 27-14 lead in the 4th quarter but came back to win 30-28 on a last-second FG.

And that was all she wrote for Ridley for the season. Before the next game it was announced he was taking some time off due to mental health issues and he ended up taking off the rest of the season. Then during the offseason it was announced he would be suspended for the entire 2022 season, as he was busted for gambling on NFL games during late November. Let's hope this will be rock bottom for Ridley and that he doesn't sink any further and that he comes back next year. Dreads or not I hate to see someone flush his career down the toilet. There aren't many jobs out there that pay like the NFL.

87. Brandon Aiyuk scores the last TD of the night and his last TD of the season in the first game of Week 16 on Thursday night. A blown coverage by the Titans' secondary leaves Aiyuk all alone on 2nd and goal as he catches the pass from QB Jimmy Garoppolo in the back of the end zone. The 2-yard TD completed a 95-yard drive that tied the game at 17 with 2:20 remaining in the 4th quarter. Aiyuk finished with 4 catches for 40 yards; but the 49ers lost, as the Titans kicked a FG with 4 seconds left to win it 20-17. A trivial oddity: Of the 5 TD Brandon had, 3 of them came during 49er road wins against AFC teams, as he also scored at Jacksonville and Cincinnati.

88. Signed by the Titans the day after Derrick Henry went on IR, RB D'Onta Foreman did his best impression of Henry over the last 2 months of the season - except that, unlike Henry, he had his long dreads flowing at full blast. The 235-pound Foreman didn't exactly fill Henry's shoes, but he did have his share of shining moments, making the dread stars list twice and scoring 3 TD. Here is the last of the 3, as he scores standing up on a 21-yard run on 2nd and 10 thanks to excellent blocking, upping the Titans' lead over the Dolphins to 17-3 late in the 2nd quarter at Nashville in Week 17. D'Onta had a career high 26 carries for a career high 132 yards rushing as the Titans routed the Dolphins 34-3, emphatically ending Miami's 7-game winning streak.

89. WR Robby Anderson scores the last of his 5 TD - and the Panthers' last TD of the season - as he makes a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch against pretty good coverage by CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, juggling it at first before gaining control and getting both feet inbounds, on 4th and 4 to cut the Buccaneers' lead to 24-17 early in the 4th quarter in Week 18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBuF8W5h2fc ..... But it was all Bucs after that, as they won going away 41-17. 2021 was a season Anderson probably was glad to put in the rear view mirror. Not only did the Panthers drop their last 7 games to finish 5-12, Robby, despite playing all 17 games, had a career low 519 yards receiving (on 53 catches) for the season.

90. At Minneapolis in Week 18 K.J. Osborn scores the last of his 7 TD - and the last of the Vikings' 27 TD by players with dreads - making a diving 21-yard reception in the end zone midway through the 4th quarter, hanging on after colliding with the ground as a couple of disinterested Bears DBs look on. The TD gave the Vikings a 24-17 lead and completed their comeback from a 14-0 deficit. And it capped a 6-play, 87-yard drive in which players with dreads accounted for all of the yards. Dalvin Cook had 35 yards on the drive, Justin Jefferson 26, and Alexander Mattison 5 before Osborn covered the last 21. A little later a pick six by CB Patrick Peterson made the final score 31-17.

91. Brandon Bolden scores his last 2 TD of the season, including TD #300 by players with dreads, and what likely will be his last 2 TD ever in a Patriots uniform in Week 18. With the Dolphins leading 17-0 midway through the 2nd quarter, Bolden gets New England on the board with a 15-yard TD run (photo above), taking the handoff on 3rd and 1 and making a couple of defenders miss en route to the end zone for his first TD since Week 7 and his 2nd of the season. Then with the score 27-10 midway through the 4th quarter, Brandon cuts the deficit to 10 again, catching a pass wide open in the left flat on 3rd and 15 and surviving CB Byron Jones' attempt to push him out of bounds at the 3-yard line as he steps inside the pylon (photo on right), with S Jevon Holland arriving too late. The 18-yard TD on his last touch of the game gave Bolden 66 total yards on 9 touches for the game, and it was the final TD of the regular season by a player with dreads; but the Patriots lost 33-24, as the Dolphins swept them for the first time in 21 years.

This was the 2nd career game for Bolden with 2 TD, and ironically the only other one came on the same field in 2018, when he scored them for the Dolphins against the Patriots in Week 14. After playing 8 seasons with the Patriots (2012-17, 2019, 2021)(he opted out in 2020) and one for the Dolphins (2018), Brandon is in the AFC West in 2022, where he scored the Raiders' 1st TD of the season.

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INTERCEPTIONS

Similar to Cordarrelle Patterson in touchdowns, there was a big surprise for the leading player with dreads in interceptions. Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs had 3 INT during his rookie season in 2020, so it was reasonable to think he might increase that total in 2021; but not in anybody's wildest dreams (not even his) did anyone think he would rise as high as he did. Diggs (photo on right, celebrating after his INT against the Saints in Week 13) became the 7th player with dreads to lead the entire league in interceptions, but it was his total number of picks that was so shocking.

Diggs' 11 INT were the most by anyone in 40 years, when another Cowboys CB, Everson Walls, had 11 in 1981. Diggs had interceptions in the first 6 games, including 2 in Week 4, and had 4 more in the 2nd half of the season. Giants S Xavier McKinney, picked by my crystal ball to be the player with dreads with the most INT, came in a distant 2nd with 5. 4 other Cowboys with dreads had 1 INT each for a team-leading total of 15. That was one more than the Texans, whose 14 were caught by 8 different players with dreads.

Here now are the lists of the 64 players with dreads who combined for 118 interceptions in 2021, breaking the previous record of 113 set in 2019 - first by player and then by team/division.

Trevon Diggs (DAL)

Xavier McKinney (NYG)

Kyle Dugger (NE)

Bobby McCain (WASH)
Jalen Ramsey (LAR)

Anthony Averett (BAL)

C.J. Gardner-Johnson (NO)

John Johnson (CLEV)

Lonnie Johnson (HOU)

Desmond King (HOU)

Tyrann Mathieu (KC) (photo below, getting his 3rd and last INT of the season in Week 14, juggled right into his hands by Raiders TE Foster Moreau)

Chidobe Awuzie (CIN)

Bashaud Breeland (MINN)

Deon Bush (CHI)

De'Vondre Campbell (GB)

Tae Crowder (NYG)

Terrell Edmunds (PIT)

Kristian Fulton (TENN)

Stephon Gilmore (CAR)

Mike Hilton (CIN)

Donte Jackson (CAR)

Derwin James (LAC)

Justin Reid (HOU)

Asante Samuel Jr. (LAC)

Darnell Savage (GB)

L'Jarius Sneed (KC)

Cameron Sutton (PIT)

Tavierre Thomas (HOU)

Shaq Thompson (CAR)

Jordan Whitehead (TB)

Kwon Alexander (NO)

Jerome Baker (MIA)

Henry Black (GB)

Jeremy Chinn (CAR)

Michael Davis (LAC)

Tremaine Edmunds (BUF)

Randy Gregory (DAL)

Vernon Hargreaves (HOU)

Anthony Harris (PHIL)

Marcell Harris (SF)

Ronnie Harrison (CLEV)

Malik Hooker (DAL)

Jaycee Horn (CAR)

Travin Howard (LAR)

Jackrabbit Jenkins (TENN)

Kevin King (GB) (photo above of his big INT in the end zone in Week 10, preserving Packers' 3-0 lead over Seattle in the 3rd quarter)

Christian Kirksey (HOU)

DeMarcus Lawrence (DAL)

Nevin Lawson (JAC)

Avonte Maddox (PHIL) (photo below of his big INT in the red zone at the 5-yard line in Week 7, a deflection off the hand of RB Jalen Richard, keeping the Eagles ahead of the Raiders 7-0 in the 1st quarter)

Steve McLendon (TB)

Tre'von Moehrig (LV)

Terrance Mitchell (HOU)

Eric Murray (HOU)

Josh Norman (SF)

AJ Parker (DET)

James Pierre (PIT)

Elandon Roberts (MIA)

Bradley Roby (NO)

Richard Sherman (TB)

Buster Skrine (TENN)

Eric Stokes (GB)

Tracy Walker (DET)

Carlos Watkins (DAL)

AFC EAST (7)

BUF (1) - LB Tremaine Edmunds 1

MIA (2) - LB Jerome Baker 1, LB Elandon Roberts 1

NE (4) - S Kyle Dugger 4

NYJ (0)

AFC NORTH (16)

BAL (3) - CB Anthony Averett 3

CIN (4) - CB Chidobe Awuzie 2, CB Mike Hilton 2

CLEV (4) - S John Johnson 3, S Ronnie Harrison 1

PIT (5) - S Terrell Edmunds 2, CB Cameron Sutton 2, CB James Pierre 1

AFC SOUTH (19)

HOU (14) - S Lonnie Johnson 3, S Desmond King 3, S Justin Reid 2, CB Tavierre Thomas 2, CB Vernon Hargreaves 1, LB Christian Kirksey 1, CB Terrance Mitchell 1, S Eric Murray 1

IND (0)

JAC (1) - CB Nevin Lawson 1

TENN (4) - CB Kristian Fulton 2, CB Jackrabbit Jenkins 1, CB Buster Skrine 1

AFC WEST (11)

DEN (0)

KC (5) - S Tyrann Mathieu 3, CB L'Jarius Sneed 2

LV (1) - S Tre'von Moehrig 1

LAC (5) - S Derwin James 2, CB Asante Samuel Jr. 2, CB Michael Davis 1

Tavierre Thomas catches his 2nd INT of the season, the one he returned 48 yards to the house against the Chargers in Week 16 (see DG photo #15). For this play along with his 8 tackles (6-2) Thomas was named AFC defensive player of the week. When he got his 1st INT 4 weeks earlier in Week 12, he became the 8th player with dreads on the Texans to intercept a pass in 2021. I'm too lazy to check it for sure, but I know that's now the record for the most different players with dreads on the same team with interceptions in the same season.

NFC EAST (28)

DAL (15) - CB Trevon Diggs 11, DE Randy Gregory 1, S Malik Hooker 1, DE DeMarcus Lawrence 1, DT Carlos Watkins 1

NYG (7) - S Xavier McKinney 5, LB Tae Crowder 2

PHIL (2) - S Anthony Harris 1, CB Avonte Maddox 1

WASH (4) - S Bobby McCain 4

NFC NORTH (13)

CHI (2) - S Deon Bush 2

DET (2) - CB AJ Parker 1, S Tracy Walker 1

GB (7) - LB De'Vondre Campbell 2, S Darnell Savage 2, S Henry Black 1, CB Kevin King 1, CB Eric Stokes 1

MINN (2) - CB Bashaud Breeland 2

NFC SOUTH (17)

ATL (0)

CAR (8) - CB Stephon Gilmore 2, CB Donte Jackson 2, LB Shaq Thompson 2, S Jeremy Chinn 1, CB Jaycee Horn 1

NO (5) - S C.J. Gardner-Johnson 3, LB Kwon Alexander 1, CB Bradley Roby 1

TB (4) - S Jordan Whitehead 2, DT Steve McLendon 1, CB Richard Sherman 1

NFC WEST (7)

ARIZ (0)

LAR (5) - CB Jalen Ramsey 4, LB Travin Howard 1

SF (2) - LB Marcell Harris 1, CB Josh Norman 1

SEA (0)

PLAYOFF INT (4) - Chidobe Awuzie 1, Mike Hilton 1, Travin Howard 1, L'Jarius Sneed 1

Interceptions are for the most part unexpected and usually are much harder to photograph than touchdowns; so kudos to the picture takers who captured the moments that these players with dreads got their picks.

92. We began this section with a shot of Trevon Diggs with a big smile on his face. Here's the play responsible for it, as he picks off a pass 20 yards downfield at the Dallas 41-yard line intended for WR Deonte Harris (who has since changed his name to Deonte Harty) on 1st and 10, thwarting the Saints' attempt to cut into the Cowboys' 20-10 lead with 4:42 to play in the 4th quarter in Week 13. This was INT #9 for Trevon, and it helped the Cowboys improve to 8-4 with a 27-17 road win over the Saints .....

93. And here's #11, the one that put him in the Cowboys' record book. On the night after Christmas in Week 16 the WFT goes one-and-out on their opening drive as Diggs has WR Terry McLaurin blanketed on a go route and rather easily picks off the pass from QB Taylor Heinicke 40 yards downfield, giving the ball right back to the Cowboys, who punted 2 plays earlier. The Cowboys cashed in the INT with a TD 9 plays later and scored 5 more TD before halftime, building a 42-7 lead and going on to crush WFT 56-14.

94. Only once during the season did Trevon Diggs have 2 INT in the same game, and that was against Carolina in Week 4. Late in the 3rd quarter QB Sam Darnold tries to hit Robby Anderson on 3rd and 5 but finds Diggs instead (photo above), and he returns it 23 yards to the Carolina 37. Three plays later the Cowboys scored a TD to increase their lead to 33-14. Trevon then got his 5th INT of the season on the 3rd play of the Panthers' next drive. The two picks earned him NFC defensive player of the weeks honors as well as his only appearance of the season on the dread stars list. The Cowboys won 36-28. Then in Week 6 Diggs had his biggest INT of the season. With the Patriots up 1 late and the Cowboys using their timeouts to save time, Diggs gets his team out of trouble, making an excellent catch of a ball that deflects off the hand of WR Kendrick Bourne just barely in front of him on 2nd and 15 (photo on right). Not settling for just the INT, Trevon goes 42 yards to the house on the return to give Dallas a 26-21 lead with 2:27 remaining. Of course, it turned out the game was far from over. On the very next play from scrimmage Bourne burned Diggs on an out-and-up route that went (thanks also to a poor play by another Cowboys DB) for a 75-yard TD. The game wound up going into OT and ended on the CeeDee Lamb TD seen in photo #62.

That's all, folks, for photos of Diggs' interceptions; but if you want to take 5 minutes ..... here's a video of all 11 that he picked off in 2021:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEw8ihdiNFs .......

95. But that's not all for photos of interceptions by Cowboys players with dreads. Here are a couple more, made by D-linemen no less. Playing in his 46th career game and back in action after missing 4 weeks due to injury, DE Randy Gregory gets his 1st career INT (photo above) - 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. 3 plays after an INT by WFT in the 1st quarter in Week 14 Gregory gets the ball right back for the Cowboys, deflecting a screen pass intended for WR DeAndre Carter (#1) into the air on 3rd and 10 and then catching it himself at the Cowboys' 47-yard line. Gregory went 12 yards on the return before being tackled from behind by Carter. 5 plays later the Cowboys scored a TD to go up 11-0 and eventually led 24-0 before hanging on for the 27-20 victory. Then in the rematch with WFT 2 weeks later it was DE DeMarcus Lawrence with a play similar to Gregory's, tipping the pass intended for RB Jonathan Williams to himself 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage (photo on right) on 3rd and 7 and - even better than Gregory - taking the return 40 yards to the house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jig74eLEVX0 ..... Lawrence's 2nd career INT and 1st career TD upped the Cowboys' lead to 21-0, and the rout was already on with 2:17 remaining in the 1st quarter. The Cowboys went on to win 56-14.

96. 3 days after Trevon Diggs got the 1st INT of the season by a player with dreads in the Thursday night opener, the Houston Texans became the first team with multiple interceptions by players with dreads in the same game, getting 3 to spoil the debut of #1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence. With the Texans already ahead 17-7 in the 2nd quarter, S Justin Reid keeps the party going, picking off a pass (photo above) that Lawrence threw too high for intended WR Devin Smith on 2nd and 13 and returning it 21 yards to the Jaguars' 48-yard line as CB Tremon Smith looks on and WR Laviska Shenault tries to make the tackle (photo on right). The Texans' offense didn't do anything with the turnover though, going three-and-out and punting. But .....

97. ...... On the 2nd play after the punt the Texans get the ball right back, as Lawrence throws into the teeth of the zone defense, and CB Vernon Hargreaves drops back in front of intended WR DJ Chark on 2nd and 9 and easily gets the INT at the Jaguars' 25 (photo above). Hargreaves goes sideline to sideline trying to take the return to the house - and is pursued by Shenault (photo on right) as he gets to the 10 - but eventually is tackled at the 7 for an 18-yard return. The Texans settled for a FG on the ensuing possession to up their lead to 20-7. This was Hargreaves' only INT of the season. After being released by the Texans halfway through the season, Vernon was picked up by the Bengals; but he hardly played at all for them and was not in uniform for the Super Bowl ......

98. Then with the score 37-14 in the 4th quarter, LB Christian Kirksey makes it a trio of interceptions by players with dreads for the Texans. The game play-by-play says this pass on 2nd and 1 was intended for Shenault; but it was hard to tell because the ball was far away from him and thrown instead right directly to Kirksey at the Texans' 23-yard line. He didn't bother to return it. I decided to include Christian on the Week 1 dread stars list, as he also had 6 tackles (5-1), including 2 TFL, and 1 PBU in the game, which the Texans won 37-21.
Only one other time did a team have 3 INT by players with dreads in the same game; and it was the Texans again, during their Week 11 upset of the Titans.

99. Of the career high 5 INT that S Xavier McKinney had in 2021, this one was the most impactful. On 3rd and 7 on the 3rd play of the Raiders' 2nd half opening drive in Week 9 McKinney breaks perfectly on the out route by WR Hunter Renfrow and intercepts the pass (left photo) right at the 1st down marker then has the deuces out already at the 15-yard line (right photo) as he takes the return down the sideline 41 yards to the house for his 1st career TD. Xavier's 3rd INT of the season turned a 13-10 Raiders lead into a 17-13 Giants lead, and the Giants never trailed after it. Later, with the score 20-16, McKinney got his 4th INT of the season, helping him earn NFC defensive player of the week honors. The Giants won 23-16 to improve to 3-6.

100. With Trevon Diggs and Xavier McKinney going 1-2 in INT by players with dreads, the NFC East was the easy winner for the division with the most INT by players with dreads. Their total of 28 was 9 more than the 19 for the runner-up AFC South. McKinney's 5th and last INT came here in Week 12. 2 plays after the Giants scored a TD on their 2nd half opening drive to go up 10-0, things get even worse for the Eagles, as QB Jalen Hurts throws into the double coverage of McKinney and CB Aaron Robinson trying to hit WR Jalen Reagor deep, and Xavier easily gets the interception at the NYG 46-yard line with no return. It was another good game for McKinney but not quite good enough to make the dread stars list. He led the Giants in tackles with 8 (4-4) and had 1 PBU along with his INT as the Giants, a 3-point underdog at home, upset the Eagles 13-7. But at 4-7, this was the high water mark for the Giants. They lost the next 6 to finish 4-13, while the Eagles (5-7 after this loss) won their next 4 and made the playoffs.

101. After getting no interceptions during his 2020 rookie season for the Patriots, S Kyle Dugger finished in a 3-way tie for 3rd place in INT by players with dreads in 2021. These here are the first and last of his 4 picks. With the Patriots leading the Cowboys 14-7 early in the 2nd quarter in Week 6, a pass into the end zone on 3rd and 9 from the 16-yard line intended for WR Cedrick Wilson should have been picked off by CB Justin Bethel (hidden behind Wilson in photo above); but after the ball ricochets off his hands, Dugger is there to catch it and end the Dallas scoring chance. Kyle tried to take the return 104 yards but only made it to the New England 25-yard line. Dugger also had 8 tackles (8-0) in the game, but the Patriots dropped a wild one to the Cowboys 35-29 in OT. Then late in the 3rd quarter in Week 17 Dugger cuts in front of WR Marvin Jones and picks off the pass by Trevor Lawrence (photo on right) on 3rd and 14 at the Jaguars' 21-yard line. Kyle had a great chance to take this return to the house; but a Jaguars O-lineman, with the game already out of hand at 34-3, had the nerve to run over to the sideline and knock him out of bounds at the 1. Bad for Kyle. But good for Rhamondre Stevenson, who scored on the next play to make it 41-3 (see photo #44). As was mentioned earlier, the Patriots crushed the Jaguars 50-10.

102. Here in these shots a couple of AFC West rookies get the 1st INT of their careers. In the Chargers' home opener in Week 2, 2 plays after a Trevon Diggs INT ended the Chargers' opening drive, CB Asante Samuel Jr. gets the ball right back for LA. Samuel was covering WR Amari Cooper on 2nd and 2, but when the pass intended for WR CeeDee Lamb goes way over his head, Asante is in the right place at the right time as the ball comes right to him. He took the return 26 yards to the Dallas 45, and 5 plays later a FG cut the Cowboys' lead to 7-3. The Cowboys went on to win 20-17 on a last-second FG. Samuel had another INT the next week against the Chiefs but then none after that, leaving him 49 career INT behind his father (who had 51 in 11 seasons).

Midway through the 4th quarter at Denver in Week 6, S Tre'von Moehrig gets his only INT of the season (right photo), catching a Teddy Bridgewater deep pass on 3rd and 10 that was way too far for intended WR Courtland Sutton. Moehrig brought the return back 35 yards to the Denver 45, keeping the Las Vegas lead at 34-17. Tre'von also had 3 tackles (2-1) and 1 PBU in the game, which the Raiders won 34-24.

103. It did not take long for CB Stephon Gilmore to get his 1st INT in a Panthers uniform. One day after being activated from the PUP list (which kept him out of action until Week 8) Gilmore is on the field and has TE Kyle Pitts blanketed (left photo) on 1st and 10 on the first play after the 2nd half 2-minute warning; but QB Matt Ryan throws to Pitts anyway, and Stephon easily picks it off Carolina 15-yard line, keeping the score at 19-10. It was the 26th INT of his career. The Falcons got the ball back and kicked a FG in the closing seconds, but the Panthers recovered the onside kickoff and held on to win 19-13, improving to 4-4 and ending their 4-game losing streak. One week later Gilmore gets what no doubt is one of the more satisfying interceptions of his career. In his 1st game against the Patriots after being traded from the Patriots 4 weeks earlier, Stephon beats WR Jakobi Meyers to the spot where the short pass is thrown on 2nd and 7 midway through the 2nd quarter and easily picks it off and returns it 13 yards to the New England 34. 6 plays later the Panthers kicked a FG to pull within 7-6. The Patriots went on to win 24-6. These were Gilmore's only 2 INT of the season - and probably his only 2 ever for Carolina. The Rock Hill, SC native decided not to stay at home for his 11th NFL season and instead is now with the Colts in 2022.

104. Playing in his 4th season and his 52nd career game, LB Marcell Harris finally gets his 1st career INT for the 49ers in Week 17 - and then promptly messes it up. Luckily for him he was bailed out by a bad call by the officials. On 3rd and 3 on the 6th play of the Texans' 2nd half opening drive QB Davis Mills somehow doesn't see Harris standing in front of intended WR Chris Conley 5 yards downfield and throws the pass right into Harris' hands (photo above) at the SF 40-yard line. But as Marcell tries to break a tackle on the return, Conley strips the ball from him (photo on right) and the Texans recover the fumble. However, the fumble technically never happened because the officials ruled his forward progress was stopped before he lost the ball and while he was trying to break the tackle - a very questionable call. It was the turning point of the game. Instead of the Texans keeping the ball, the 49ers got it and scored a TD 5 plays later to take a 10-7 lead. In addition to his INT Marcell finished with a career high 10 tackles (6-4) in the 49ers' 23-7 home win over Houston.

105. There were 4 interceptions by players with dreads in the postseason. This was the only one where you could actually see the player's dreads - and even in this only one you can barely see LB Travin Howard's dreads. Howard gave Rams fans one of their sweetest moments of the season late in the 4th quarter of the NFC Championship game. With the Rams up by 3 and the 49ers facing a 3rd and 13, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, under pressure and about to be sacked, flips a desperation pass to RB JaMycal Hasty 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage; but it's too high and deflects off his hands and - much to his horror - lands in the hands of Howard 3 yards behind the line at the SF 19, ending the 49ers' possession and sealing the win for the Rams with 1:09 remaining. The 49ers had only 1 timeout left, so the Rams were able to run out the clock. Trailing 17-7 starting the 4th quarter, the Rams came back for a 20-17 win over the hated 49ers and were on their way to the Super Bowl.

106. When the ball was snapped on this play - and even after it was snapped and he wasn't getting any pressure on the QB - the last thing DT Steve McLendon expected was that he would get his 1st career INT; but that's what happened on Monday night in Week 11. On 2nd and 8 midway through the 3rd quarter Giants QB Daniel Jones, under pressure, just gets rid of the ball trying to avoid the sack - and throws it straight to McLendon 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage at the NY 37. Steve had a chance to pick up a few yards on the return; but apparently he was so shocked to find the ball in his hands that he just fell down: https://www.buccaneers.com/video/steve-mclendon-pick-bucs-giants-week-11-big-play ...... 6 plays later the Buccaneers settled for a FG to increase their lead to 27-10, on their way to a 30-10 victory. 35 years old and in his 12th NFL season, McLendon became the second oldest player in league history to get his 1st career interception. And for another interesting tidbit ...... since the Giants' only TD in the game came on a 2-yard catch by O-lineman Andrew Thomas, this became the 1st time in NFL history players weighing 300+ pounds had a TD and an INT in the same game.

107. With time starting to run out on the season in Week 12, S Ronnie Harrison makes sure he gets at least 1 INT for the 4th straight year. There were 5 turnovers in the last 4 minutes of the 1st half of the Browns-Ravens game on Sunday night, and this was the last of them. Due to a miscommunication between QB Lamar Jackson and TE Mark Andrews (#89) the pass is not close to Andrews, and Harrison lunges and makes the catch and then hangs on as he collides with the ground at the Cleveland 33-yard line with :21 on the clock, keeping the Ravens' lead at 6-3. Harrison played 74 snaps on defense and led the Browns with 14 tackles (12-2); but despite 4 interceptions thrown by Jackson the Browns still couldn't win, losing to the Ravens 16-10.

It was a good thing for Harrison he got his INT in this game - because he didn't play another, missing the last 5 games of the season due to an injured ankle.

108. It was kind of a mixed bag for bragging rights in 2021 for brothers Tremaine Edmunds of the Bills and Terrell Edmunds of the Steelers. Terrell's Steelers won their head-to-head matchup with a Week 1 upset of the Bills, but then Tremaine's Bills went on to have a more successful season than the Steelers. Terrell had a slight edge in interceptions. The first of his 2 INT came in Week 3, and it ended the Bengals' 2nd drive of the day at Heinz Field. On 2nd and 4 QB Joe Burrow's pass sails over the head of intended WR Tyler Boyd and then deflects off the hands of S Minkah Fitzpatrick trying for the INT at the Steelers' 38-yard line and ends up in the hands of Edmunds (photo above) at the 29-yard line. Terrell went 15 yards on the return, but the Steelers turned the ball back over to the Bengals 3 plays later. The Steelers lost 24-10, their 1st home loss to the Bengals in 6 years. One week later the Texans' 3rd drive of the day at Highmark Stadium comes to an end on Tremaine's only INT of the season. On 3rd and 10 Davis Mills tries tries to hit WR Anthony Miller (#3) for the 1st down, but Tremaine drops back in front of him and easily picks off the pass (photo on right) at the Buffalo 27-yard line and returns it 4 yards, keeping the game scoreless. The Bills scored a TD on the ensuing possession and went on to smash the Texans 40-0.

Terrell and Tremaine remained tied at 1 in interceptions all the way until the last game of the regular season, when Terrell got one in the Steelers' huge road win over the Ravens. That one also gave him a 5-4 lead over Tremaine in career interceptions after their first 4 NFL seasons.

109. When it rains it pours ...... already trailing 14-0 midway through the 1st quarter in Week 10 on touchdowns by Cam Newton (photo #7) and Robby Anderson, things get even worse for the Cardinals as QB Colt McCoy's ill-advised pass on 1st and 10 is overthrown and intercepted by CB Donte Jackson, who stumbles and goes down as he makes the catch but maintains control. Jackson got up and went 21 yards on the return to the Carolina 34-yard line. 9 plays later the Panthers added a FG to make it 17-0 and went on to win 34-10. For Donte it was his 2nd (and last) INT of the season, a new career low; but he also had a career low in games played with 12, missing the last 5 games of the season due to a groin injury. Had he played the whole year no doubt he would have gotten at least 3.

110. Hopefully this will not be the last INT in the career of Jackrabbit Jenkins (formerly known as Janoris Jenkins), but it might be. On Thursday night in Week 16 the 49ers scored a TD on their opening drive and were on their way to another on their 2nd drive until Jenkins ended the threat on 2nd and goal at the 8-yard line. Jenkins has great coverage on TE George Kittle, but Jimmy Garoppolo tries to hit him anyway, and Jackrabbit picks it off in the end zone for a touchback, eventually getting a handle on the ball before going down. It was a huge play in a game the Titans came back to win 20-17. After getting 26 interceptions in his first 9 NFL seasons, Jenkins got only this one with the Titans in 2021. And it may be his last, as he remains unsigned so far in 2022.

111. And finally, in Week 14 we saw what undoubtedly will be the final interceptions in the careers of CBs Buster Skrine and Richard Sherman. Playing his 2nd game in a Titans uniform Skrine gets his 1st INT since 2017, picking off a Trevor Lawrence pass (photo above) thrown into double coverage on 2nd and 16 late in the 4th quarter at Nashville. Buster went 17 yards on the return to the Jacksonville 14, setting up a FG for the final points of the game in the Titans' 20-0 shutout of the Jaguars. A couple of hours or so later Sherman, playing for the first time since missing the previous 6 games due to two separate injuries, gets his only INT of the season. On 1st and 5 late in the 2nd quarter at Tampa QB Josh Allen, trying to avoid a sack, throws off balance and Sherman makes the diving catch in front of TE Dawson Knox (photo on right) on the right sideline at the Bills' 45-yard line, keeping the Buccaneers ahead 24-3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYp7LJtyx2ps ...... By the end of the game Sherman's pick was long forgotten, as the Bills came from way behind to send the game into overtime only to see the Buccaneers win 33-27.

Skrine, officially retired, played for 5 teams in 11 seasons and finished with 10 career INT. Sherman, taken 17 picks after Skrine in the 5th round of the 2011 Draft, finished with 37 interceptions in his Hall of Fame career. He has not officially retired yet, but for real, at 34 years old, he's not coming back. In fact he has already moved on to a new career with a microphone in front of him. He'd also make a pretty good coach if he wants to do that.

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SACKS

The sack celebration of LB Matthew Judon (photo on right) was kind of a common event at Patriots games in 2021. Not re-signed by the Ravens after totaling only 6 sacks in 2020, Judon starred during his first season in a New England uniform. His 12.5 sacks in 2021 were a career high as well as the most by any player with dreads in the league. The total of 12.5 tied him for 7th place among all players.

Coming in 2nd place in sacks for players with dreads - and reaching double figures for the 3rd time in his 7 NFL seasons - was LB Markus Golden, back with the Cardinals for the first time since 2018. Barely missing double figures was Packers LB Rashan Gary. Finally playing up to his potential, Gary, who was drafted 12th overall in 2019, more than doubled the 7 sacks he had combined in his first 2 seasons, finishing with 9.5.

Even not counting the 16 sacks by DE Myles Garrett, who once again didn't have his hair in dreads for the whole season, the Browns still were the team with the most sacks by players with dreads. Their total of 17 was 2.5 ahead of the 2nd place Titans (14.5).

I am going to list only the top 20 of the 79 players with dreads who had sacks during the 2021 season. At the end of that list you can click on the two scans below it - listed by players and teams - if you want to see all 79.

12.5

Matthew Judon (NE)

Markus Golden (ARIZ)

9.5

Rashan Gary (GB)

Denico Autry (TENN)
Jadeveon Clowney (CLEV)

Mario Addison (BUF) (photo below, getting the first of his 2 sacks of Zach Wilson in Week 18 - Wilson

Trevis Gipson (CHI) recovered his own fumble)

Larry Ogunjobi (CIN)

Randy Gregory (DAL)

5.5

Jerome Baker (MIA)

Kemoko Turay (IND)

Armani Watts (MINN)

4.5

Dante Fowler (ATL)

Tanoh Kpassagnon (NO)

3.5

Kwon Alexander (NO)

Michael Danna (KC)

Demario Davis (NO)

Bud Dupree (TENN)

DeMarcus Lawrence (DAL)

Malik McDowell (CLEV)

Derrick Nnadi (KC) (photo above, dropping Derek Carr for a 5-yard loss in the 4th quarter in Week 10)

Michael Pierce (MINN)

Taylor Stallworth (IND)

112. After the Texans scored touchdowns on their first 2 drives of the game in Week 5, Matthew Judon takes matters into his own hands to make sure they don't make it 3 for 3. On 1st and goal Davis Mills fakes to the RB and rolls out to the right, but Judon is not fooled and quickly drags him down at the 9-yard line (photo above) for a loss of 2. Two plays later Judon sacked Mills again - for a 9-yard loss - and the Texans settled for a FG and a 15-6 lead. The Patriots trailed for most of the game before outscoring the Texans 10-0 in the 4th quarter to pull out a 25-22 road win. The 2 sacks gave Judon 6.5 in New England's first 5 games. Then in Week 12 Judon gets the game off to a good start for the Patriots' D, sacking Ryan Tannehill for an 8-yard loss (photo on right) on 3rd and 3 and making it a three-and-out opening drive for the Titans. The Titans gained 355 total yards on the day, but the Patriots' +4 turnover margin made it an easy 36-13 home win for New England.

113. I don't know if Matthew Judon considered this sack his most satisfying of the season, but I bet it was for Patriots Nation. Midway through the 2nd quarter on Sunday night in Week 4 Judon goes right through the attempted blocks of both G Alex Cappa (#65) and RB Ronald Jones on 1st and 10 to tackle Tom Brady for an 8-yard loss and make it hurt. The Buccaneers punted 3 plays later, keeping the New England lead at 7-3. Sadly for Patriots Nation this was the only time all night Brady was sacked. And Brady ended up getting the last laugh too. In his first game back at Gillette Stadium since leaving the Patriots at the end of the 2019 season he drove the Bucs to a game-winning FG with 2 minutes to play in the game in their 19-17 win.

As for Judon, he could have had even more than the 12.5 sacks he finished the season with. But he went the last 4 games without one, and the Patriots went 1-3 in those games to fall to the #6 seed for the AFC playoffs.

114. With his career high 12.5 sacks back in 2016, LB Markus Golden ranked #1 among players with dreads. Last season he settled for 2nd best with 11, including these two strip sacks. On the first play of the 4th quarter in the Cardinals' home opener in Week 2 QB Kirk Cousins steps up in the pocket on 3rd and 4 trying to buy some time but is hit by Golden and loses the ball (photo above) at the 36-yard line. It was Markus' 1st sack of the season. Luckily for Cousins the ball bounced right back up to him, and the Vikings were able to get a FG on the next play for a 33-31 lead. The Cardinals ended up winning 34-33, as the Vikings missed a 37-yard FG attempt on the last play of the game. At Cleveland in Week 6, 2 plays after a DeAndre Hopkins TD made the score 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter, the Cardinals get the ball right back as Golden wallops Baker Mayfield on 2nd and 8 and separates him from the ball (photo on right), with DE Michael Dogbe getting the FR at the Cleveland 18-yard line. The Cardinals settled for a FG 4 plays later to make it 17-0. This was the first of 2 sacks for Golden in the game, which Arizona won 37-14. Markus had 2 other games with at least 2 sacks. But just the same as with Matthew Judon, his sacks stopped coming late in the season, coinciding with his team slumping. He had 10 sacks in the Cardinals' first 11 games but then just 1 in the last 6 as the Cardinals went 2-4 down the stretch to finish behind the Rams in the NFC West.

115. In the same game that Kevin King got his only INT of the season, LB Rashan Gary contributed this key sack of Russell Wilson (photo above) to the Packers' shutout. More of a coverage sack but it still counts, Gary tackles Wilson for a 7-yard loss at the GB 48 on 3rd and 5, keeping the Seahawks from moving into FG range midway through the 2nd quarter. The Seahawks punted on the next play, keeping the score 3-0. The Packers went on to win 17-0. Then in Week 16 Gary gets the first of his 2 big red zone sacks (photo on right), wrestling Baker Mayfield down at the 24-yard line for a 9-yard loss on 1st and 10 late in the 1st quarter. 2 plays later the drive ended with an INT on 3rd and 19. Rashan's sack at the 19-yard line on 3rd down in the 3rd quarter forced the Browns to settle for a FG. The Packers ended up winning 24-22. After a slow start to his career, Gary has become a nightmare for opposing QBs. In his 3 seasons his sack total has increased from 2 to 5 to 9.5. And he's on pace for another career high so far in 2022.

116. For the 3rd time in his career in 2021 DE Jadeveon Clowney put in a bid to finish a season in double figures in sacks ... only to come up short. He had 9.5 and 9 in his final two seasons with the Texans (2017-18) and ended up with 9 in his 1st season in a Browns uniform. After finishing with a career low 0 sacks in his injury-shortened 2020 season with the Titans, Clowney opens his account with the Browns with these 2 sacks of Bears QB Justin Fields in Week 3. On the first play after the Bears sacked Baker Mayfield on 4th and 1, Jadeveon, with his dreads flowing at full blast, gets the Browns' 1st sack of the game (photo above), as he tries to wrap up Fields at the Bears' 21-yard line. Fields got away from Clowney's grasp but couldn't keep his balance and went down for a 10-yard loss with 4:14 remaining in the 1st quarter. The Bears punted 3 plays later. 7 sacks later .... Clowney, now with his dreads banded together, gets the Browns' 9th and last sack of the day (photo on right) as Fields, after breaking a tackle by DE Myles Garrett (#95, which would have been his 5th and a half sack of the game) on 4th and 10, tries to scramble away but turns right into the waiting arms of Clowney, who drags him down for a 14-yard loss with 2:56 remaining in the game. Mercifully for Fields, this was the last snap of the day for the Bears' offense, which was held to 6 first downs and 47 total yards in 42 snaps in the Browns' 26-6 home win.

While Clowney had the lion's share, 5 other players with dreads contributed to the Browns' team-leading total of 17 sacks by players with dreads ......

117. DT Malik McDowell, who was drafted in 2017 but - due to off-the-field issues - didn't play his 1st game until 2021, gets his 1st career sack (left photo), as he wraps up Justin Herbert at the 7-yard line for a 10-yard loss on 3rd and 10, getting to Herbert just before Myles Garrett does, midway through the 2nd quarter in Week 5. The Chargers punted on the next play, keeping the LA lead at 13-10. By the end of the game probably nobody but McDowell remembered this play. After the Browns and Chargers combined to score 6 touchdowns in the 4th quarter, the Browns ended up on the wrong end of the 47-42 final score. 4 weeks later DT Sheldon Day, with his familiar awesome dreads, gets the 1st of his 2 half sacks on the season, teaming with Myles Garrett to stop Joe Burrow for a 1-yard loss (right photo) at the Browns' 17-yard line at Cincinnati late in the 2nd quarter. The other dreads in the photo are on the head of C Trey Hopkins, who did a good job of blocking Day until Burrow decided to scramble up the middle. The Bengals settled for a FG 3 plays later to cut the Cleveland lead to 24-10 at halftime. The Browns went on to win 41-16.

Neither McDowell, who finished the year with 3 sacks, nor Day have played so far in 2022. Another off-field issue has put McDowell's career in serious jeopardy if not ended it altogether; while Day, who has been in the league since 2016, remains unsigned.

118. After his 2 sacks in Week 3, Jadeveon Clowney didn't get another one until Week 6 against the Cardinals. With Arizona threatening to add to their 17-0 lead in the 2nd quarter, Clowney makes sure they have to settle for a FG as he gets his hands on Kyler Murray trying to escape the pocket (photo above) on 3rd and 2 and drags him down at the 33-yard line for a 13-yard loss. It was one of only a few happy moments for Browns fans during the Cardinals' 37-14 victory. Then in Week 14 it's Lamar Jackson's turn to try to escape the pocket (photo on right), but Jadeveon again ain't having it. Actually though Jackson might have gotten away had he not first been grabbed by the foot and slowed down by blitzing S John Johnson (#43). Jackson got back to the line of scrimmage; but with no yards gained it counts as a sack - one half each for Clowney and Johnson (whose dreads are too short to be seen in this shot). It came on 2nd and 5 on the Ravens' 3rd play of their opening drive. The Ravens punted two plays later. For Johnson it was the first sack of his career, as he had none while with the Rams from 2017-2020.

119. After getting a half sack a week earlier in the sack fest against the Bears, DE Takk McKinley gets his 1st solo sack in a Browns uniform in the 3rd quarter in Week 4, as Kirk Cousins tries to escape the pocket on 3rd and 3 only to have McKinley catch him from behind and make the tackle (photo above) for a 9-yard loss. The Vikings punted on the next play, ending their 2nd half opening drive and keeping the Cleveland lead at 11-7. It was Takk's only tackle of the day in the Browns' 14-7 road win. McKinley's only other sack after that came in Week 14, and it was a big one - again bringing to an end the opponent's 2nd half opening drive. After Tyler Huntley - in for the injured Lamar Jackson - scrambles out of the pocket on 2nd and 6 and avoids a tackle by CB Greedy Williams (#26), McKinley tackles him from behind and forces him to fumble (photo on right). Fellow DE and dreadhead Ifeadi Odenigbo got the FR one yard behind the line of scrimmage at the Browns' 13-yard line, keeping the Ravens from cutting into the Browns' 24-6 lead.

Unfortunately that was all she wrote for McKinley for 2021. A week later his season came to an end with an injury to his Achilles tendon. His 2.5 sacks were an improvement over the 1 he had during his disastrous 2020 season but still were the second fewest of his career.

120. After his half sack earlier in the game (photo #118), Jadeveon Clowney comes up with a much bigger one later. With the Browns now clinging to a 24-22 lead, Jadeveon crushes Tyler Huntley at the Ravens' 31-yard line for a 10-yard loss on 2nd and 10 with 1:07 remaining in the game. The Browns clinched the victory with a stop on 4th and 6 two plays later.

7-6 after the win over the Ravens, the Browns lost their next 3 to fall out of the playoff picture; but at least it was a profitable finish to the season for Clowney. With his 2 sacks in Week 17, increasing his total for the season to 7, he earned a $250,000 bonus. And with 2 more in Week 18, his 9 sacks for the season earned him another quarter million dollars. Just a drop in the bucket in his big picture; but hey, every dollar counts. Through his first 8 NFL seasons Jadeveon has earned - according to Spotrac - $70.8 million.

121. After he opted out of the 2020 season, it did not take DT Michael Pierce long to get his 1st sack in a Vikings uniform in 2021. In the 3rd quarter of the season opener at Cincinnati Pierce, after easily getting past the attempted block of C Trey Hopkins on 1st and 10, comes in and drops Joe Burrow for an 8-yard loss at the 13-yard line. The Bengals punted 3 plays later. Pierce got his 2nd sack of the season later in the game on 3rd down to end the Bengals' first drive in overtime. He finished the game with 7 tackles (3-4), tying his career high. But the Vikings lost 27-24.

122. After playing his first 4 seasons with the Raiders and then the next 3 with the Colts, DE Denico Autry opens his sack account with the Titans early in the 2nd quarter of Week 2, dragging down Russell Wilson before he can get out of the pocket at the Tennessee 45-yard line (left photo) for a 4-yard loss on 1st and 10. The Seahawks punted 3 plays later after Autry and DT Jeffery Simmons shared a sack for a 7-yard loss on 3rd and 14. The Seahawks then scored touchdowns on their next 3 drives to take a 24-6 halftime lead; but the Titans came back to win 33-30 in OT. Then in the 2nd quarter in Week 16 the 49ers try to block Denico with a TE on 3rd and 10; but after getting past George Kittle, he comes in and drops Jimmy Garoppolo (right photo) for a 7-yard loss. The 49ers punted on the next play. It was Autry's 8th sack of the season .

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123. It took LB Bud Dupree a bit longer than Denico Autry to open his sack account with the Titans. After playing his first 6 NFL seasons with the Steelers, Dupree didn't get his 1st sack in a Titans uniform until here in Week 7 (photo above), and it's a strip sack of Patrick Mahomes on the 7th play of the Chiefs' opening drive. On 3rd and 7 from midfield Dupree curls around Pro Bowl OT Orlando Brown and catches Mahomes from behind and knocks the ball loose at the 43-yard line. The Chiefs recovered but punted on the next play. It was the first of 4 sacks by the Titans in their 27-3 thrashing of the Chiefs. In Week 16 after the Titans had just taken the lead on an A.J. Brown TD early in the 4th quarter, Dupree gets their 2nd sack of the night, getting a hold of Jimmy Garoppolo before LB Harold Landry can on 1st and 20 (photo on right) and dropping him for a 9-yard loss at the SF 37-yard line. The 49ers punted 3 plays later. It was the 3rd - and last - sack of the season for Dupree, the lowest total of his career (although he played only 11 games, missing 6 due to injury).

124. For the 5th time in his career (which began in 2014) CB Bradley Roby finished a season with exactly 1 sack. His 2021 edition sack was his 1st in a Saints uniform, coming in Week 2, as he comes in on a corner blitz on 3rd and 9, bounces off a block by RB Royce Freeman, and drops QB Sam Darnold for a 7-yard loss (photo above) on the 9th play of the Panthers' 2nd half opening drive. On the next play the Saints blocked a FG attempt, keeping the Carolina lead at 17-0. The Panthers went on to win 26-7. Another DB - Seahawks S Ryan Neal - got the 1st sack of his career in Week 8. On the 9th play of the Jaguars' opening drive at Seattle Trevor Lawrence scrambles out of the pocket but can't find anybody open, and Neal hits him near the sideline (photo on right) and is able to knock him off of his feet at the 49-yard line for an 11-yard loss that took the Jaguars out of FG range. They punted on the next play. The Seahawks went on to win easily 31-7.

125. Not only did Terrell Edmunds finish ahead of his younger brother in interceptions, he did in sacks too. 7 of Tremaine's 108 tackles for the Bills in 2021 were TFL, but none were sacks. Here in Week 10 Terrell gets his 1st and only sack of the season - and the 3rd of his career - on the last play before the 2-minute warning in overtime at Heinz Field, coming in unblocked on a safety blitz on 1st and 10 and bringing down Jared Goff for a big 13-yard loss at the Detroit 32-yard line. 3 plays later the Lions punted on 4th and 23. But on the ensuing possession the Steelers, just about in FG range, fumbled the ball away in the closing seconds, and the game ended in 16-16 tie, the NFL's only tie game of the season.

126. In these shots a couple of D-lineman with dreads with the Mc in their names are featured in games played late in the season at Denver. Not a good enough player to be in uniform every game, DT McTelvin Agim was good enough on this play to get his 1st career solo sack (photo above), tackling Justin Herbert for a 7-yard loss on 3rd and 6 on the 10th play of the Chargers' 2nd half opening drive in Week 12. The Chargers missed a FG on the next play, keeping the Denver lead at 14-7. Agim tied his career high with 2 tackles (1-1) in the Broncos' 28-13 win. Then in the 2nd quarter in Week 14 Teddy Bridgewater holds the ball too long on 1st and 10, and Lions rookie DT Alim NcNeill wraps him up for a 5-yard loss (photo on right) for his 1st career sack. 3 plays later the Broncos punted on 4th and 8, keeping the score at 14-10. McNeill finished with 4 tackles (1-3), but the Lions dropped to 1-11-1 with the 38-10 loss to the Broncos.

Several of the NFL's defensive players with dreads celebrated the final season in the career of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger ..... by sacking him ......

127. With the Packers leading 27-10 early in the 4th quarter in Week 4, Rashan Gary doesn't let the fact that he's being held by OT Dan Moore (left photo) stop him from getting his 1st solo sack of the season, as he takes down Roethlisberger for a 6-yard loss on 1st and 10. No flag was thrown, btw. The drive ended with a stop on 4th and 5 three plays later. Gary finished with 6 tackles (4-2), which at that point of the season tied his career high - he surpassed that with 7 tackles 3 weeks later - in the Packers' 27-17 home win over the Steelers.

128. With the Steelers in the red zone in the 2nd quarter at Cleveland in Week 8, Malik McDowell gets double-teamed by the Steelers O-line on 2nd and 10, but Big Ben can't find anybody open and McDowell breaks free and drives him into the turf for a 4-yard loss. The Steelers settled for a FG 2 plays later to tie the game at 3. Coming back from a 10-3 deficit, the Steelers won 15-10. This was the 2nd of the 3 sacks McDowell had on the season. And unless some team is willing to give him another chance, they'll be the only the 3 sacks of his career.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10024442-malik-mcdowells-hs-coach-says-browns-dl-doesnt-remember-altercation-with-police

129. In addition to being one of the games with the most TD scored by players with dreads, the Week 14 battle between the Steelers and Vikings was also the game in which 3 Viking D-linemen with dreads sacked Ben Roethlisberger. There was one in each of the first 3 quarters, before the Steelers began their big comeback. Here midway through the 1st quarter and on the 9th play of the Steelers' opening drive Roethlisberger decides not to throw the pass and instead tries to tuck the ball on 2nd and 12, but DT Michael Pierce grabs his arm and forces him to fumble. Big Ben recovered it himself at the 37-yard line for a loss of 6. It was the 1st sack for Pierce since the 2 he had on opening day. The Steelers challenged the play, wanting it to be an incomplete pass instead of a sack; but with the tuck rule no longer being a rule, the play remained a sack. 2 plays later the Steelers missed a 49-yard FG attempt, and the game remained scoreless.

130. Early in the 2nd quarter and on the first play after the Vikings kicked a FG to up their lead to 9-0, Roethlisberger finds nobody open, and DT Armon Watts works his way through a double-team block and grabs a hold of him (photo above) and drops him for a 9-yard loss, increasing his career high sack total to 5 for the season (his previous career high was 1.5 during his 2019 rookie season). 3 plays later the Steelers punted on 4th and 16. Then in the 3rd quarter the Steelers go three-and-out on their 2nd half opening drive as confusion on the O-line allows DT Sheldon Richardson to come in completely unblocked on 3rd and 6, and he sacks Roethlisberger (photo on right) for an 8-yard loss, upping his total for the season to 2.5. The Steelers punted on the next play, keeping the score at 23-0. For each Richardson, Watts, and Pierce these were their final sacks of the season.

131. After being sacked 5 times by the Vikings, Big Ben fared a little better the following week against the Titans, going down for a loss only 3 times. Of Bud Dupree's 3 sacks on the season this one (left photo) probably was his most satisfying. Playing his 1st career game against the Steelers (after they decided not to re-sign him during the offseason), Dupree goes through two would-be blockers (one of them RB Najee Harris) on the 1st play of Pittsburgh's 2nd half opening drive and wraps up Roethlisberger at the 14-yard line for a 9-yard loss. The Steelers punted 3 plays later, keeping the Titans' lead at 13-3. Then midway through the 4th quarter Denico Autry makes sure the Steelers have to settle for a FG after an interception gave them the ball at the Titans' 31-yard line. Actually Autry was blocked well on 3rd and 5; but as Big Ben steps forward in the pocket, he steps right into Denico's arms (right photo) and is tackled for a 1-yard loss. It was the 7th of 9 sacks for Autry on the season, with the 9 tying his career high. The Steelers kicked a FG on the next play to lead 16-13 and then another one after another Titans turnover on their next possession and went on to win 19-13.

132. A couple of D-lineman with dreads for the Jaguars get their 1st sacks of the season against AFC South division rivals. After giving up a FG and TD on the Colts' first 2 drives (and a special teams TD too) in Week 10, the Jaguars' D forces a three-and-out possession, helped in large part by DT DaVon Hamilton's sack of Carson Wentz (photo on left) at the 3-yard line late in the 1st quarter. After beating the block by C Ryan Kelly on 1st and 15, Hamilton tackles Wentz for a 12-yard loss for his 2nd career sack, keeping the score at 17-6. The Jaguars allowed no more touchdowns the rest of the afternoon but still lost to the Colts 23-17. After playing 4 seasons with the Patriots and then 2 with the Saints, DT Malcom Brown finally gets his 1st sack in a Jaguars uniform (photo on right) early in the 2nd quarter in Week 15. After taking a short dropback on 1st and 15, Davis Mills holds the ball too long (you'll have to take my word for it that he has the ball), and Brown gets past his blocker and drops him at the 17-yard line for a 3-yard loss. The Texans punted 3 plays later, keeping their lead at 14-10. The Jaguars lost 30-16, loss #6 of an 8-game losing streak.

This was Hamilton's only sack of the season. Brown had one more in Week 18 to finish with 2.

133. A couple of AFC East LBs with dreads take their turns sacking Trevor Lawrence on the Jaguars' back-to-back northern road trips late in the season. Midway through the 3rd quarter in Week 16 Lawrence tries to escape the Jets' pass rush out the back door but just makes things worse, being tackled and stripped of the ball by C.J. Mosley (photo above) 19 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Jets got the FR and returned it to the 13-yard line but failed to cash in the turnover, as the Jaguars stopped their fake FG attempt 4 plays later on 4th and 5. The Jets won anyway 26-21. It was Mosley's 2nd - and last - sack of the season as well as his last sack with his dreads dyed red. A week later the game was still close (tied 0-0, that is) when Dont'a Hightower got his 1st solo sack of the season. Coming on a blitz on the game's 2nd play from scrimmage, Hightower is undetected by the Jaguars O-line and wraps up Lawrence for a 9-yard loss (photo on right) on 2nd and 3. The Jaguars punted 2 plays later and things got worse from there in their 50-10 loss to the Patriots. This might have been the final sack of Hightower's career. After playing 9 NFL seasons - all with the Patriots - he remains an unsigned free agent so far in 2022.

134. Having played his first 9 seasons with the Chargers, DE Melvin Ingram certainly has been no stranger to Derek Carr, sacking him 8 times. And in 2021, although no longer with the Chargers, Ingram continued to introduce himself to the Raiders QB - as a member of two different teams. Midway through the 3rd quarter in Week 2 Ingram gets his 1st sack in a Steelers uniform (photo above), using a spin move to easily get past TE Foster Moreau and come in and drop Carr at the Raiders' 37-yard line for an 8-yard loss on 2nd and 1. As you can see the sack should not have counted, but Melvin's hand went on and off Carr's facemask so quickly that the officials missed it and didn't call a penalty. Carr got the last laugh though. The Raiders picked up the 1st down on the next play and scored a TD 3 plays after that to up their lead to 16-7 and went on to defeat the Steelers 26-17. Then in Week 14 Ingram, playing his 3rd game of the season against the Raiders (after being traded to the Chiefs in Week 9) sacks Carr again - sharing it with DE Chris Jones - for a 7-yard loss on 1st and 10 early in the 1st quarter (photo on right). The Raiders punted 3 plays later. The Chiefs won 48-9. Melvin finished the season with only 2 sacks in 15 games. He added 2 more in the Chiefs' 3 playoff games.

135. With the Bengals resting their starters at Cleveland in Week 18, LB Wyatt Ray made his only start of the season and played a career high 50 defensive snaps, including this one that he'll never forget. Initially fooled on a bootleg by QB Case Keenum on 1st and 10, Ray runs him down and gets a hold of him 11 yards behind the line of scrimmage at the Browns' 23-yard line (photo above). But Keenum gets away; but only for a second and as he tries to throw Ray catches him again and grabs his arm, causing a fumble (photo on right). It was Wyatt's 1st sack of the season (2nd of career) and 1st career FF. Better yet, this was the fumble that was recovered by Trayvon Henderson and taken to the house that we saw in photo #17. The TD got the Bengals on the board for the first time, making the score 14-7 late in the 2nd quarter, but the Browns held on to win 21-16.

And finally .......

136. The Ravens' 14-play opening drive in Week 15 ends with no points as LB De'Vondre Campbell gets his 2nd - and last - sack of the season. On 4th and goal from the 3-yard line the Ravens eschew the FG attempt; and Tyler Huntley, after having his path blocked on a QB draw, scrambles to the right sideline but finds nobody open and is driven into the turf by Campbell at the 7 for a turnover on downs. It was Campbell's 6th tackle of the drive. He finished the game leading the Packers with 10 (5-5). In a very exciting game the Packers defeated the Ravens 31-30. After playing 4 seasons for the Falcons and then 1 for the Cardinals, De'Vondre was sensational in his 1st season in a Packers uniform. He had a career high 146 tackles (in 16 games), 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 PBU, 2 INT, 2 FF, and 1 FR as he earned 1st team AP All-Pro honors.

House of Dread

Thursday, November 24, 2022

2021 NFL House Calls

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