Tag: touchdown

WATCH: Derek Carr throws first TD pass to Juwan Johnson in Week 15

WATCH: Derek Carr throws first touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson in Week 15

The New Orleans Saints took on the New York Giants in Week 15 of the NFL season on Sunday afternoon. During the third quarter, Derek Carr connected with Juwan Johnson for a 23-yard touchdown pass. It was the first time Carr found Johnson for a score this season.

There was some hype building around Johnson after he broke out last season, catching seven touchdowns from Andy Dalton and scoring four times the year before, but the consistency just hasn’t been there. The former Penn State and Oregon wide receiver-turned-tight end has only eclipsed 20 yards in three games this season. His first and only other receiving touchdown this season came from Taysom Hill.

As the Saints continued to try to get the offense into a rhythm, a positive step this week, Johnson will need to continue to emerge. The top offenses in the NFL have a reliable tight end and the Saints have been missing that factor.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

WATCH: Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire makes incredible TD catch vs. Patriots

#Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire made an incredible leaping touchdown catch against the #Patriots in Week 15.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense finally got into gear against the New England Patriots in Week 15 when Patrick Mahomes found running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for a touchdown in the third quarter of the hotly-contested matchup.

Edwards-Helaire had to make a spectacular play on the ball to reel in the score, jumping high in the air to secure the catch before falling in the end zone for six points.

Check out his remarkable effort here, and notice the body control he displayed to come down with the ball:

With star running back Isiah Pacheco out for this game, Mahomes and Andy Reid have relied on Edwards-Helaire for some serious production, and the former first-round pick hasn’t let them down.

With a little more than a quarter remaining in the Week 15 tilt, Edwards Helaire should be considered the prohibitive favorite to earn a game ball for his outstanding efforts against New England.

WATCH: Keith Kirkwood ends five-year touchdowns drought vs. Giants

WATCH: Saints wide receiver Keith Kirkwood ends five-year touchdowns drought vs. Giants

Good for Keith Kirkwood. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver caught an early go-ahead touchdown pass against the New York Giants on Sunday, which was good to see on its own — but it also ended a five-year scoring drought for him. Kirkwood’s last touchdown catch came in the 2018 playoffs on Jan. 13, 2019 when Drew Brees threw a 2-yard lob his way against the Philadelphia Eagles. This time Derek Carr found him from 7 yards out.

Kirkwood’s NFL career took a turn from there. He left the Saints for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and hung around on their roster for a few years before returning to the New Orleans practice squad last season. He’s bounced on and off of their 53-man roster ever since.

Now he’s tied for the fourth-most touchdown receptions on the Saints’ entire roster. Chris Olave, who was inactive against the Giants with an injury, leads the team (4) with Rashid Shaheed and Jimmy Graham (3) tied for second-most. Seven other players, including Kirkwood, had caught at least one touchdown pass.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

A former Wisconsin Badger just scored his first NFL touchdown since 2017

A former Wisconsin Badger just scored his first NFL touchdown since 2017

Former Wisconsin wide receiver Alex Erickson is somehow still in the NFL. It’s year eight, and he just scored his first NFL touchdown in six years.

The former Badger was a lone bright spot during the Chargers’ 63-21 loss to the Raiders that resulted in both head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. He caught a 13-yard touchdown from Easton Stick midway through the fourth quarter to cut the Chargers’ deficit to 49. As previously referred to, it was Erickson’s first NFL touchdown since November 19, 2017 — more than six years ago.

Here is Thursday night’s touchdown, followed by his last from 2017:

Erickson is up to 74 yards and one touchdown on 14 receptions in limited work this season. He began the year on the Chargers’ practice squad. Thanks to injuries and poor play, he seems to be firmly on the team’s active roster entering each week.

WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores go-ahead touchdown catch, with special celebration

WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores go-ahead touchdown catch, with special celebration

So it turns out that Jimmy Graham could have been doing this the whole time. The big New Orelans Saints tight end caught his third touchdown pass this season in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, and he brought a special celebration with it.

Graham made to dunk over the goalpost — a move he made famous with the Saints in his youth — but pulled back on the last second for a pump fake. It was a fun nod to his signature celebration without drawing a costly penalty after the NFL outlawed the move as a hazard to equipment (stemming, of course, from that time Graham bent the goalpost in the Atlanta Falcons’ raggedy stadium off-balance).

Still, it’s looking like the coaching staff made a bad decision to bench Graham for a long stretch this season. He’s still got something to offer as a red zone scoring threat. And that’s been the offense’s biggest weakness with Pete Carmichael calling plays and Derek Carr playing quarterback. Maybe they shouldn’t have waited so long to thaw Graham out of the ice. At any rate, we’re happy to have him back now.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

WATCH: Nephi Sewell forces a Panthers fumble and it is returned for a TD

WATCH: Nephi Sewell forces a Panthers special teams fumble and D’Marco Jackson returns it for a big Saints touchdown

With Steve Gleason in the house, the New Orleans Saints come away with a blocked punt against the Carolina Panthers that was brought back for a touchdown.

Nephi Sewell ran through the Panthers special teams virtually unblocked and was able to get to Johnny Hekker in time for a loud block. Fellow young linebacker D’Marco Jackson was there to scoop up the ball and ran it in for the touchdown.

But it’s not going down in the stats sheet as a blocked punt. The NFL office reviewed the play and found that Hekker never actually kicked the ball, so it’s being recorded as a forced fumble, recovery, and return for a special teams touchdown. Either way, the points came as a sigh of relief on a day where neither offense had found consistent success.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

WATCH: Isiah Pacheco scores Chiefs’ first touchdown vs. Packers on ‘Sunday Night Football’

#Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco scored a touchdown against the #Packers on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 13.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense was unable to score a touchdown in the first half of the team’s Week 13 matchup against the Green Bay Packers but didn’t waste any time getting into the end zone on the first drive of the third quarter.

After driving the ball downfield, the unit turned to star running back Isiah Pacheco to rush the ball past the goal line.

Pacheco’s touchdown gave Kansas City a chance to tie the game, but when Andy Reid called his number on an outside run on the Chiefs’ two-point attempt, the second-year back was met by a group of Packers before he could get into the end zone.

Down two points, Kansas City still has plenty of time to get the ball back and take a lead over Green Bay. With a defensive stop and some of Patrick Mahomes’ magic in the passing game, the Chiefs could secure their ninth win of the season in comeback fashion.

Alvin Kamara ties Mark Ingram II’s Saints rushing touchdowns record

Alvin Kamara tied the Saints rushing touchdowns record set by his old friend Mark Ingram II on Sunday against the Lions:

Another week, another record for Alvin Kamara. The star running back tied the New Orleans Saints rushing touchdowns record set by his old friend Mark Ingram II on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

Kamara rumbled into the end zone for his 52nd career touchdown run in a Saints uniform from just 2 yards out, following a great play by Chris Olave. The second-year wide receiver gained 33 yards to get Kamara in scoring position by working back to adjust for an off-target throw from Derek Carr. Call it a team effort.

And Kamara nearly broke the record later on. He initially seemed to fall into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run, but booth review found that his knee hit the turf short of the goal line. Taysom Hill got the next carry and pushed through the pile to cut into the Lions’ lead. Kamara has to wait a little longer to take the record from his former teammate.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores his second touchdown on his second catch in 2023

WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores his second touchdown on his second catch in 2023

The New Orleans Saints’ decision to bench Jimmy Graham for four games during a red zone scoring drought doesn’t look great, but we’re focusing on positives right now. Graham came in off the bench to catch his second pass of the season in Sunday’s game with the Detroit Lions — scoring his second touchdown of the season, too.

Graham’s first score came early this year against the New England Patriots, on an 8-yard strike in the red zone. He followed that up with a 6-yard touchdown catch at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday which cut into the Lions’ lead. Maybe the Saints should start using one of the greatest red zone scoring threats in NFL history more often given their issues ending drives with touchdowns? This could be a catalyst to get them trending in the right direction.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

WATCH: Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco scores second TD vs. Raiders in Week 12

Watch #Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco score his second touchdown against the #Raiders in Week 12

The Kansas City Chiefs offense got off to a fast start in the second half of their Week 12 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Second-year running back Isiah Pacheco capped off the unit’s first drive of the third quarter by rushing for a touchdown on the goal line.

The score was Pacheco’s second of the game and gave Kansas City its first lead of the game after the Chiefs went down by 14 points earlier in the matchup.

Pacheco nearly scored after hauling in a catch on the previous play but was ruled down by contact inside the one-yard line before bullying his way into the end zone with this outstanding effort.

While Pacheco has put together an outstanding performance in this game, Kansas City still has plenty of work to do if the Chiefs intend to win their eighth game of the 2023 season in Sin City.

Expect Andy Reid to continue leaning on Pacheco as Kansas City endeavors to escape Allegiant Stadium with a share of the lead for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.