Miami Dolphins on the brink of another disappointing finish to the season after third straight loss
The Miami Dolphins came out like gangbusters in the first year under head coach Mike McDaniel, taking the league by storm with receiver Tyreek Hill and a confident Tua Tagovailoa who showed flashes of what made him a coveted draft pick coming out of Alabama prior to injuries cutting his season short. The Dolphins took a step back last season, failing to make the playoffs but seemed to be back on track with a 10-2 record and atop the AFC standings.
Since then, the Dolphins have lost three straight games to slide into the wild card spot and at risk of missing the playoffs once more. Miami finishes the season on the road against Indianapolis and New England with the Colts trying to secure a first round bye while New England will look to play spoiler against their rivals.
In the three game skid, the Dolphins offense has averaged just 12 points per game, losing to Arizona, the Jets and Buffalo. In the 21-7 loss to the Bills, Tagovailoa completed just eleven of his eighteen passes for 94 yards and was sacked three times. Tyreek Hill was limited to just three receptions for 27 yards.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 16 NFL Results 21 - 35---------24 - 10 ---------34 - 20 --------- 17 - 38 07 - 21--------- 24 - 38---------20 - 14 ---------16 - 10 17 - 21---------27 - 24 --------- 10 - 31---------26 - 00 38 - 34 --------- 14 - 22---------17 - 10 --------- 21 - 24--------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Playoff Picture AFC
1. Baltimore, 12-3 y
2. Buffalo, 11-4 x
3. Kansas City, 11-4 y
4. Indianapolis, 11-4 y
5. Miami, 10-5
6. Pittsburgh, 9-6
7. NY Jets, 8-7
-- Denver, 8-7
-- Cincinnati, 6-9
-- Las Vegas, 6-9
-- LA Chargers, 6-9
NFC
1. Philadelphia, 13-2 y
2. San Francisco, 11-4 y
3. Detroit, 9-6
4. Carolina, 8-7
5. Chicago, 9-6
6. NY Giants, 8-7
7. Arizona, 8-7
-- Washington, 7-8
-- Tampa, 7-8
-- Atlanta, 7-8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Race For The No. 1 Pick
32. Houston, 3-12
31. Cleveland, 3-12
30. Jacksonville, 5-10
29. Tennessee, 5-10
28. Green Bay, 5-10
27. New Orleans, 5-10
26. New England, 5-10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Network Draft Big Board
1. CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
2. QB Drew Allar, Penn State
3. DL Bear Alexander, USC
4. LB Harold Perkins, LSU
5. QB Carson Beck, Georgia
6. CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
7. LT Will Campbell, LSU
8. DL Mykel Williams, Georgia
9. WR Luther Burden, Missouri
10. S Malaki Starks, Georgia
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week QB Jalen Hurts: 23 of 28, 258 yards, 2 touchdowns CB Kool-Aid McKinstry: 10 tackles, interception QB Joe Burrow: 26 of 31, 359 yards, 3 touchdowns LB Patrick Queen: 12 tackles, sack, interception
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award Race DE Greg Rousseau: 68 tackles, 11 TFL, 15 sacks DE Aidan Hutchinson: 60 tackles, 14 TFL, 16.5 sacks OLB T.J. Watt: 83 tackles, 18 TFL, 16 sacks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Injuries WR D.J. Moore: 3 weeks (arm) DT Michael Hall Jr: 6 weeks (back) OLB Jaelan Phillips: Season (elbow) S Adrian Amos: Season (back) T Taylor Lewan: Season (leg) WR Cooper Kupp: Season (collarbone) HB Will Shipley: Season (foot) QB Will Levis: Season (ankle)
Week 17 Preview: at Cincinnati Bengals
Record: 6-9, 3rd AFC North
Head Coach: Zac Taylor
Offensive Coordinator: Eric Bienemy (Multiple Zone Run)
Defensive Coordinator: Lou Anarumo (Base 4-3)
Team Leaders
Passing: Joe Burrow (72 cmp%, 4132 yards, 34 TD, 10 INT, 118.0 passer rating)
Rushing: Joe Mixon (864 yards, 4.2 ypc, 6 TD)
Receiving: Tee Higgins (90 receptions, 1250 yards, 17 TD)
Blocking: 19 sacks allowed
Defense: DE Trey Henderson (49 tackles, 16 TFL, 4.5 sacks)
Injury Report C Cesar Ruiz (IR - groin) WR Mario Williams (IR - labrum) WR Bo Melton (IR - elbow) IDL Byron Young (IR - abdomen) CB Mike Hilton (IR - finger) WR Charlie Jones (IR - knee)
Raiders defense collapses once more as Burrow, Bengals complete comeback to remain in playoff chase
Another fourth quarter double-digit lead, another squandered opportunity to cut into the playoff picture. This one might be the costly of them all as the Raiders choked away a seventeen-point fourth quarter lead to the Cincinnati Bengals to loss in overtime 30-27 on Sunday and kiss all chances of making the playoffs away.
While Burrow threw for a career high 477 passing yards, it was running back Joe Mixon that ignited the comeback with a 19-yard run and a twelve-yard reception to place the ball on the goal line where Burrow would connect with Tee Higgins for his eighteen touchdown of the year.
Both teams would swap punts before Burrow and the Bengals passing offense once again got going with completions of 12, 19 and 31 yards to Chase and Higgins before Burrow kept it himself for the touchdown with 3:04 remaining to make it a three-point game.
The Raiders went for the kill shot on the ensuing possession on a deep pass to Tory Horton on 3rd and 9 that fell incomplete, giving Cincinnati the ball back with 1:46 remaining. The Raiders defense would force an early 4th and 10 but Burrow would complete a 19-yard pass to Tyler Boyd to keep the drive alive. Faced with another 4th and 2, Burrow found an unlikely target in third string tight end Cal Adomitis for a 25-yard pickup with 8 seconds remaining to force overtime with a field goal.
In overtime, Burrow found another unlikely target in backup tight end Kylen Granson for a 26-yard gain to get the ball in Vegas territory where Maxx Crosby appeared to have made a game changing play, stripping Mixon of the ball which was returned 59 yards by defensive end Tyree Wilson. However, the play was reviewed and overturned, leading to a McPherson field goal.
Fields would be stopped on 4th and 2 due to a missed block by tight end Michael Mayer.
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1 Michael Mayer 12 Yd pass from Justin Fields (11:15) Evan McPherson, 21 Yd FG (6:23)
Quarter 2 Daniel Carlson, 45 Yd FG (12:58) Ja'marr Chase 6 Yd pass from Joe Burrow (6:51) Daniel Carlson, 41 Yd FG (0:48)
Quarter 3 Damien Harris 7 Yd run (7:27) Miyan Williams 1 Yd run (1:27)
Quarter 4 Tee Higgins 1 Yd pass from Joe Burrow (12:57) Joe Burow, 2 Yd run (2:58) Evan McPherson, 37 Yd FG (0:04)
Overtime Evan McPherson, 29 Yd FG (5:02)
QB Justin Fields: 16 of 31, 175 yards, touchdown, 16 carries, 147 yards, fumble (lost - end of regulation)
HB Damien Harris: 14 carries, 71 yards, touchdown
HB Laviska Shenault Jr: 5 carries, 27 yards, 6 receptions, 29 yards (left game with injury)
HB Miyan Williams: 6 carries, 14 yards, touchdown
TE Michael Mayer: 3 receptions, 37 yards, touchdown
WR Tre Tucker: 2 receptions, 43 yards
WR Tory Horton: 2 receptions, 38 yards
LT Miller: 96.1 PFF grade | LG Jackson: 80.5 PFF grade | C Gaillard: 94.9 PFF grade | RG Runyan: 92 PFF grade | RT Alt: 91.3 PFF grade
LB Curtis Jacobs: 13 tackles, 4 tackles for loss (86.5 PFF grade)
S Decorian Patterson: 9 tackles (80.1 PFF grade)
CB Michael Davis: 8 tackles (82.6 PFF grade)
CB Jeff Okudah: 8 tackles, tackle for loss (85.9 PFF grade)
EDGE Maxx Crosby: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks (88.1 PFF grade)
S Marcus Epps: 6 tackles, tackle for loss (52.3 PFF grade)
QB Joe Burrow: 39 of 66, 477 yards, 2 touchdowns, sacked twice, 5 carries, 35 yards, touchdown, fumble (recovered)
HB Joe Mixon: 20 carries, 79 yards
WR Tee Higgins: 10 receptions, 118 yards, touchdown
WR Ja'marr Chase: 9 receptions, 115 yards, touchdown
TE Ja'Tavion Sanders: 9 receptions, 101 yards
WR Tyler Boyd: 4 receptions, 51 yards
LB Germaine Pratt: 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss
S Alohi Gilman: 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
CB Cam Taylor-Britt: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
Grading out the Raiders 2024 draft class with the season (mostly) in the rearview mirror
With fourth round pick and rookie linebacker Eric Gentry being activated from the practice squad for the first time this season in favor of quarterback/receiver Malik Cunningham, all eight members of the 2024 Raiders draft class have now played this season with seven of the eight draft picks starting at least one game.
While there's one game left in the season against the Atlanta Falcons in a now meaningless game and ultimately the success of the draft class will be judged on multiple seasons, now is as good of a time as any to head out early grades following their rookie seasons.
Round 1, Pick 18 ‣ OT Joe Alt Draft Night Grade: A+ Comparable Selection: Cowboys OT Kingsley Suamataia (24th overall), 49ers OT Amarius Mims (31st overall) Projected Role: Day One Starter Draft Night Analysis: The Raiders couldn't have done much better, drafting what many considered to be the second best offensive tackle in the draft behind Olu Fashanu who went seventh overall. The Raiders not only got their guy at a position of need, they did it without needing to move up in what was a no-brainer of a pick. He'll likely compete with Thayer Munford Jr. for that starting right tackle spot but it'll be Alt's job to lose from the get go. Rookie Season Stats: 15 starts, 0 sacks allowed, 1142 snaps played (most on team), 84.7 PFF grade (highest Raiders OL) Season In Review: Alt won the starting right tackle job in camp, as expected, and never looked back. He even started a few games at left tackle in the place of the injured Kolton Miller and performed just as well, grading out as the team's highest rated offensive linemen with Miller coming in second. It was a safe pick at the time and it turned out to be the right pick as the Raiders now have two of the best offensive tackles in football.
Suamataia ended up starting for the Cowboys as well but surrendered 12 sacks while Mims surrendered nine for the 49ers.
Round 2, Pick 31 ‣ DT Tyleik Williams Draft Night Grade: C+ Comparable Selection: Bears RB Treveyon Henderson (45th overall), Chargers DT Tyler Davis (54th overall), Ravens DT T'Vondre Sweat (60th overall) Draft Night Projeced Role: Rotational Player Draft Night Analysis: Williams might turn out to be a solid pick but passing on two proven commodities in Tyler Davis and T'Vondre Sweat by trading out of the 44th pick might come back to bite the Raiders as defensive tackle is an instant need for the Raiders and it's hard to see Williams being a more impact player than Davis or Sweat would have been. To add insult to injury, Davis goes to a division rival while Sweat ends up with Baltimore, who always seem to luck out in the draft. Williams figures to be part of the rotation at defensive tackle and could potentially even start over Nesta Jade Silvera at nose tackle if he has a strong summer. Rookie Season Stats: 14 games played, 638 snaps played, 27 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 84.7 PFF grade (highest Raiders IDL) Season In Review: Which idiot graded this draft selection a C+? Oh, awkward. Williams, when healthy, was one of the best young defensive tackles in football and an absolute menace to quarterbacks, recording 8 sacks in just fourteen games. He was the team's highest graded interior defensive linemen by a wide margin and should continue to blossom into a complete player as he gets better against the run which was his forte coming out of college.
Treveyon Henderson led the Bears in rushing (49.3 yards per game) and Tyler Davis (11 TFL, 2 sacks) and T'vondre Sweat (8 TFL, 1.5 sacks) were solid players for their respective teams but the Raiders would rather have Williams over any of them and potentially any combination of them in a hypothetical trade.
Round 3, Pick 18 ‣ RB Miyan Williams Draft Night Grade: B- Comparable Selection: Texans RB Isaiah Davis (99th overall) Draft Night Projeced Role: Short Yardage Back Draft Night Analysis: The Raiders reached a little bit to land Williams but it was at a position of need and with the top running backs off the board, it was the right call. They missed out on the run of running backs in the second round and grab a pretty good one in the third round who should provide some special teams value as a blocker with his size and also situationally on short yardage downs. Rookie Season Stats: 13 games played, 326 snaps played, 94 carries, 412 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 fumbles, 13 receptions, 34 yards, touchdown Season In Review: After whiffing on the analysis of Tyleik Williams, this ended up being pretty spot on as Miyan Williams established himself in preseason as the superior option to Zamir White and took over for White as a short yardage option behind Damien Harris. If he doesn't get hurt, maybe he even challenges Damien Harris for the lead back role because from a talent standpoint, there's not much separating them which projects well for Williams beyond this season.
Isaiah Davis had a solid season for the Texans, rushing for 458 yards and four touchdowns but averaged a full yard less than Williams per carry.
Round 3, Pick 31 ‣ LB Curtis Jacobs Draft Night Grade: D Comparable Selection: Cardinals LB Cedric Gray (100th overall), Jets CB Nate Wiggins (101st overall) Draft Night Projeced Role: Special Teams Draft Night Analysis: Most draft analyst had a day three pick on Jacobs so its understandable while the Raiders didn't want to risk wait until the fourth round to select Jacobs but with a more accomplished linebacker in Cedric Gray still available and a corner in Nate Wiggins who has the traits to be a potential top corner, it's hard to justify taking Jacobs who best case scenario is a situational player. He'll get a chance to carve out a role as a passing down linebacker but those top 100 picks are so coveted that taking a chance on Jacobs this early seems like a poor decision in retrospect. Rookie Season Stats: 16 games played, 783 snaps played, 135 tackles (leads team), 28 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, interception, 6 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles, fumble recovery, 81.2 PFF grade (highest among LB) Season In Review: To be fair, the entire draft industry got it wrong but, alas, mea culpa. There was a weird stretch where Jacob's role diminished (less than 40 snaps in seven of the eight games between week 8 and week 16) but against Cincinnati, Jacobs took over play calling duties for the defense and played all 86 snaps. In the seven games where he's played more than 50 snaps, he's averaging 12 tackles with a total of 12 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and an interception. He should have an even bigger role next season and seems to play really well next to the recently acquired Kenneth Murray Jr.
Cedric Gray ended up being a key contributor for the Cardinals with 65 tackles while Nate Wiggins was stuck behind some talented corners on the Jets. Either way, even with the inconsistent snaps at time, Jacobs is still the runaway favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Round 4, Pick 7 ‣ WR Tory Horton Draft Night Grade: B+ Comparable Selection: Eagles WR Keon Coleman (114th overall) Draft Night Projeced Role: Preseason Darling/2025 Sleeper Draft Night Analysis: Horton is the type of player that will show a ton of flashes throughout training camp, especially in shorts and shells, and capture the imagination of fans in the preseason only to disappear and be mostly inactive throughout the season. This isn't a knock on Horton's talent as he has plenty of it -- making this a really good pick -- but it's just hard to see him getting on the field this season behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers as the top two outside receivers followed by backups K.J. Hamlin and Laviska Shenault Jr. who will get most of the backup snaps once the season turns around. Don't expect much this season but in 2025, he'll be a name to watch. Rookie Season Stats: 16 games played, 816 snaps, 50 receptions, 829 yards (leads team), 7 touchdowns (leads team) Season In Review: If not for a preseason injury, Horton probably finishes the season with over 1,000 yards. Still, he needs just 71 yards in the last games to give the Raiders back-to-back seasons where a rookie had over 900 yards, joining Tre Tucker from last season. At this point in his development, similar to Tucker, he's a bit limited as a receiver but with a full and hopefully healthy offseason under his belt, Horton has the potential to blossom into a true number one receiver.
Keon Coleman played just 115 snaps for the Eagles, catching two passes.
Round 4, Pick 31 ‣ LB Eric Gentry Draft Night Grade: D+ Comparable Selection: Dolphins QB Joe Milton (136th overall) Draft Night Projeced Role: Special Teams Draft Night Analysis: Similar to Jacobs, the Raiders are trying to fill a need at linebacker, specifically ones that can cover. Gentry's production saw a dip in 2023 and he looked a bit stiff at the Combine and in his Pro Day so it's hard to anticipate that he'll be the answer to the problem at linebacker when it comes to covering quicker tight ends and running backs. Rookie Season Stats: 1 game played, 22 snaps, 2 tackles, 65.6 PFF grade Season In Review: It's an incomplete grade for Gentry who was inactive for the first sixteen weeks of the season and on the practice squad. He played well enough against Cincinnati to create intrigue for a bigger role next season but he'll need to earn it in the offseason, especially with the play of Jacobs and the addition of Murray Jr.
As expected, Joe Milton was the backup to Tua in Miami.
Round 5, Pick 18 ‣ WR Mario Williams Draft Night Grade: A- Comparable Selection: Jaguars OLB Jaylen Harrell (148th overall) Draft Night Projeced Role: Return Specialist Draft Night Analysis: It's still unclear why Williams, who seems like the modern slot receiver, fell to the fifth round so until something comes out -- whether medically related or off the field -- this is a great selection by the Raiders as they continue to stockpile a receiver room that has quality depth and variety. He might be this year's Tre Tucker if he's able to get on the field and if he can't get snaps on offense, he'll provide some impact on special teams. The only caveat and why this isn't an A+ is because there were bigger needs at other positions, including EDGE, and the last notable EDGE player was selected a few picks later in Jaylen Harrell. Rookie Season Stats: 5 games played, 243 snaps, 17 receptions, 183 yards, 10 kick returns, 233 yards, 3 punt returns, 15 yards Season In Review: Arguably the team's best player in preseason, injuries really derailed what could have been a really exciting rookie season for Williams. If you extrapolate his stats over a full season, he would have finished with 588 yards receiving and nearly 500 return yards. Of his 183 receiving yards, 109 of them came after the catch which shows his ability to make shit happen on his own. He figures to have a very prominent role in the Raiders offense next season, if healthy.
While outside linebacker remains a need for the team, Jaylen Harrell had just four tackles with the Jaguars as a rookie.
Round 5, Pick 31 ‣ DB Decorian Patterson Draft Night Grade: B- Comparable Selection: Chiefs QB Tyler Van Dyke (183rd overall) Draft Night Projeced Role: Special Teams Draft Night Analysis: We'll see what position Patterson ultimately ends up playing in the NFL as he played corner at UCF and Middle Tennessee State but projects to be more of a safety in the NFL with his lack of top end speed. Either way, he'll primarily be a special teams guy in his first season which will test his physicality and serve as a good measure to see if he has what it takes to move to the more physical position of safety. The Raiders could have spent this pick on a developmental quarterback such as Tyler Van Dyke or Kyle McCord, who ended up going to the Broncos. Rookie Season Stats: 16 games played, 939 snaps, 97 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, pass deflection, fumble recovery, 71.5 PFF grade Season In Review: It's been an up and down season for Patterson but he's ending it strong, earning the start at safety coming out of the bye week and replacing Marcus Epps who he has outplayed this season, even with his rookie struggles. The team will need to decide if he's going to stay at safety or potentially move back to corner/nickel but for now, he projects to be the team's starting safety next season unless they manage to land a big time free agent.
Tyler Van Dyke was QB3 in Kansas City behind Patrick Mahomes and Mitchell Trubisky.
It's shaping out to be a wild finish in the NFC with the playoff picture coming into shape
With just one game left in the NFL regular season, six of the seven play spots have been clinched but a staggering EIGHT teams remaining in play to make the playoffs as the final wild card in Arizona, LA Rams, Minnesota, Seattle, Dallas, Washington, Tampa and Atlanta.
The Cardinals are in pole position with a 8-8 record while the rest of the teams are 7-9, leaving Arizona in control of their own destiny. However, they travel to play San Francisco this week with the 12-4 Niners having a chance at clinching the top seed in the NFC and securing a first round bye.
With an Arizona loss, the other seven 7 win teams are now liable to make the playoffs with Washington playing the New York Giants at home, the Falcons hosting the Raiders, the Rams and Tampa playing each other with the loser eliminated from contention, Dallas heading into New Orleans, Minnesota playing the Jaguars on the road and the Seahawks traveling to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.
In the AFC, seedings are also up for grabs but Baltimore, Buffalo, Kansas City, Miami, and Indianapolis have all clinched the playoffs. Denver, Pittsburgh and the Jets are vying for the final two spots with Denver and Pittsburgh clinching a playoff spot with wins over Carolina and Seattle respectively. The Jets need to beat the Ravens -- a tall task in of it self -- and needs at least one of Denver and/or Pittsburgh to lose their game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 17 NFL Results 28 - 07 ---------35 - 27 --------- 14 - 35---------24 - 17 24 - 10 --------- 27 - 30--------- 17 - 31---------23 - 17 03 - 24---------35 - 07 --------- 10 - 21--------- 23 - 28 14 - 21---------17 - 14 ---------24 - 23 --------- 14 - 28--------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Playoff Picture AFC
1. Baltimore, 13-3 y
2. Buffalo, 12-4 x
3. Kansas City, 11-5 y
4. Indianapolis, 11-5 y
5. Miami, 11-5 x
6. Denver, 9-7
7. Pittsburgh, 9-7
-- NY Jets, 8-8
NFC
1. Philadelphia, 13-3 y
2. San Francisco, 12-4 y
3. Detroit, 10-6 x
4. Carolina, 9-7 x
5. NY Giants, 9-7 x
6. Chicago, 9-7 x
7. Arizona, 8-8
-- LA Rams, 7-9
-- Minnesota, 7-9
-- Seattle, 7-9
-- Dallas, 7-9
-- Washington, 7-9
-- Tampa, 7-9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Race For The No. 1 Pick
32. Houston, 3-13
31. Cleveland, 3-13
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Network Draft Big Board
1. CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
2. QB Drew Allar, Penn State
3. DL Bear Alexander, USC
4. LB Harold Perkins, LSU
5. QB Carson Beck, Georgia
6. CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
7. LT Will Campbell, LSU
8. DL Mykel Williams, Georgia
9. WR Luther Burden, Missouri
10. S Malaki Starks, Georgia
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week QB Jalen Hurts: 29 of 39, 285 yards, 2 touchdowns, 67 rushing yards, touchdown LB Tremaine Edmunds: 10 tackles, interception QB Joe Burrow: 39 of 66, 477 yards, 2 touchdowns DE Greg Rousseau: 5 tackles, 3 sacks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Rookie of the Year Award Race QB Michael Penix Jr: 3723 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 204 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns OLB Dallas Turner: 89 tackles, 13 TFL, 9.5 sacks WR Malik Nabers: 57 receptions, 788 yards, 14 touchdowns QB Drake Maye: 3475 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 274 rushing yards DE Jack Sawyer: 61 tackles, 16 TFL, 6.5 sacks LB Curtis Jacobs: 135 tackles, 28 TFL, 7 sacks, INT QB Shedeur Sanders: 3498 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 284 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns LB Smael Mondon Jr: 137 tackles, 9 TFL, INT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Injuries DT Michael Hall Jr: 5 weeks (back) OLB Jaelan Phillips: Season (elbow) S Adrian Amos: Season (back) T Taylor Lewan: Season (leg) WR Cooper Kupp: Season (collarbone) HB Will Shipley: Season (foot) QB Will Levis: Season (ankle)
Week 18 Preview: at Atlanta Falcons
Record: 3rd NFC South
Head Coach: Arthur Smith
Offensive Coordinator: Dave Ragone (West Coast Zone Run)
Defensive Coordinator: Ryan Nielsen (Disguise 3-4)
Injury Report C Cesar Ruiz (IR - groin) WR Mario Williams (IR - labrum) WR Bo Melton (IR - elbow) IDL Byron Young (IR - abdomen) HB Laviska Shenault (out - abdomen) HB Bijan Robinson (IR - elbow)
Falcons avoid near disaster against Raiders as QB Desmond Ridder runs out of own endzone for safety
In a game between two teams whose seasons are over, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder did the one thing that would make it noteworthy, running out of his own endzone for a safety in the fourth quarter to make it a one-point game with 3:23 remaining.
The Falcons defense would force a three-and-out and Ridder would complete a 19-yard pass to Quez Watkins on 3rd and 10 to exhaust all of Las Vegas' timeout and beat the Raiders 20-19 on Sunday to wrap up the NFL regular season.
Ridder accounted for two touchdowns in the third quarter -- a 26-yard completion to Kyle Pitts and a seven-yard touchdown run -- to overcome a slow first half that saw the Falcons fail to get on the scoreboard until the final second of the half, scoring on a Younghoe Koe field goal as time expired.
Ridder finished the game 20 of 26 for 286 yards and a touchdown, outdueling Georgia native Justin Fields who completed just 55 percent of his passes for 166 yards with a touchdown and interception apiece.
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
No scores
Quarter 2 Nick Bawden, 4 Yd run (9:32) Daniel Carlson, 21 Yd FG (0:35) Younghoe Koo, 25 Yd FG (0:00)
Quarter 3 Kyle Pitts 26 Yd pass from Desmond Ridder (7:52) Desmond Ridder, 7 Yd run (1:42)
Quarter 4 Tre Tucker 5 Yd pass from Jusitn Fields (11:40) Younghoe Koo, 33 Yd FG (7:40) Team Safety (3:23)
QB Justin Fields: 16 of 29, 166 yards, touchdown, interception, sacked once, 6 carries, 68 yards
HB Damien Harris: 15 carries, 48 yards
HB Miyan Williams: 11 carries, 68 yards
WR Tory Horton: 6 receptions, 46 yards
TE Michael Mayer: 3 receptions, 38 yards
WR Tre Tucker: 2 receptions, 60 yards, touchdown
LT Miller: 91.5 PFF grade | LG Jackson: 87.8 PFF grade | C Gaillard: 38.0 PFF grade | RG Runyan: 79.2 PFF grade | RT Alt: 85.6 PFF grade
LB Curtis Jacobs: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (77.1 PFF grade)
CB Jeff Okudah: 8 tackles, tackle for loss (84.6 PFF grade)
S Decorian Patterson: 8 tackles, tackle for loss (86.9 PFF grade)
CB Jakorian Bennett: 7 tackles (77.3 PFF grade)
LB Kenneth Murray Jr: 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss (100 PFF grade)
EDGE Maxx Crosby: 6 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, sack (100 PFF grade)
DT Tyleik Williams: 2 tackles, sack (80.2 PFF grade)
QB Desmond Ridder: 20 of 26, 286 yards, touchdown, sacked 3 times, 7 carries, 37 yards, touchdown
HB James Robinson: 22 carries, 106 yards
TE Kyle Pitts: 6 receptions, 60 yards, touchdown
WR Quez Watkins: 4 receptions, 134 yards
WR Drake London: 4 receptions, 46 yards
LB Deion Jones: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
S Kam Kinchens: 7 tackles, interception
21 - 35 
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24 - 10 
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34 - 20 
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17 - 38 
07 - 21 
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24 - 38 
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20 - 14 
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16 - 10 
17 - 21 
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27 - 24 
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10 - 31 
26 - 00 
38 - 34 
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14 - 22 
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17 - 10 
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21 - 24 
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C Cesar Ruiz (IR - groin)
CB Mike Hilton (IR - finger)
OT Joe Alt
DT Tyleik Williams
LB Curtis Jacobs
WR Tory Horton
LB Eric Gentry
DB Decorian Patterson
HB Bijan Robinson (IR - elbow)