Tag: Touchdowns

Tony Jones Jr. picked the perfect time to score his first two NFL touchdowns

Tony Jones Jr. picked the perfect time to score his first two NFL touchdowns. The veteran backup stepped up when the Saints needed him most:

Tony Jones Jr. probably didn’t wake up Monday morning expecting to play his best game in the NFL. Or maybe he did. The fourth-year pro certainly picked the perfect time to score his first touchdown in the NFL, hammering in a scoring run from the goal line against the Carolina Panthers.

Then he did it again, helping the New Orleans Saints knock off the Carolina Panthers in a 20-17 win that wasn’t as close as that final tally might lead you to believe. Either way, for Jones, the timing couldn’t have been better.

Jones reflected on his big day after the game, noting that he grabbed the best birthday present for his wife with that first scoring run: “I don’t care what I got to do, I’m scoring this one. Four years in the league, man. It takes a while, but it’s here. I scored on my wife’s birthday tomorrow! That ball was for her.”

So it’s fortunate that he happened to score again, meaning Jones and his wife will have a matching set of game balls: “But that second one, that’s mine.”

Jones first signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame back in the 2020 season. He hung around for a while, only to be claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. The Denver Broncos signed him as a free agent this offseason, but he wasn’t brought back after roster cuts, and the Saints re-signed him to their own practice squad to open the 2023 season.

He’s been activated for each of their first two games, but he didn’t figure to see a heavy workload after totaling 9 snaps on offense in Week 1. But between an in-game injury to Jamaal Williams, Alvin Kamara’s ongoing suspension, rookie draft pick Kendre Miller being held out with his own injury, and the odd decision to deactivate Kirk Merritt, Jones suddenly found himself in the starting lineup midway through the second quarter.

And he responded by making the most of what his line blocked for him and, ultimately, punching in a pair of tough touchdown runs against a challenging Panthers defensive front. Jones deserves a ton of credit for stepping up in this situation. Players on the fringe of a roster like him don’t get many opportunities like this, and he seized it with both hands. Good for him.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Watch: NFL counts down Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s longest career touchdown passes

Justin Herbert’s howitzer right arm was on full display when the NFL counted down his longest touchdown passes.

The NFL is dependent on its newest crop of young quarterback talent to keep fans interested in the game, and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is among the most exciting passers among its ranks.

After a breakout 2021 campaign, Herbert continued producing at an impressive clip in 2022, and expectations are at an all-time high for him heading into the 2023 season.

With just a month remaining until training camp opens in late July, the NFL counted down all of Herbert’s longest career touchdown passes in a video posted to its social media channels over the weekend.

The arm talent needed to make these throws is unimaginable for mere mortals, but Herbert makes all of them look easy. His right arm is something like a howitzer. finding receivers deep down the field in-stride to keep the Chargers’ scoring machine humming.

His 72-yard heave to receiver Jalen Guyton against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stood alone at the top of the list.

With more time to add to his already-impressive highlight reel, Herbert may be able to out-do himself next season with more deep passes in Kellen Moore’s new-look Los Angeles offense.

Abram Smith, one-time Saints fan-favorite RB, runs for 200-plus yards in XFL game

Abram Smith, one-time Saints fan-favorite running back, runs for 200-plus yards and scores 3 critical touchdowns in XFL road win:

Here’s a cool story: Abram Smith endeared himself to a lot of New Orleans Saints fans last summer, but ball security concerns in training camp and preseason led to him unfortunately being let go during roster cuts. But the former Baylor Bear has landed on his feet with the XFL’s D.C. Defenders — and used that opportunity as a sprinter’s block to put himself on everyone’s radar.

Smith ran for 217 yards and scored 3 touchdown runs in Saturday night’s big win over the St. Louis Battlehawks, leaving an XFL-record crowd of 35,868 fans stunned at the The Dome at America’s Center. It was the Defenders’ fifth consecutive win to open the season, and every one of Smith’s carries counted in the too-close 28-20 road win.

Good for him. Smith ran well for New Orleans, but some untimely fumbles and drops caused his coaches’ faith in him to waver. Hopefully he can continue to produce in the upstart spring league so he can earn more opportunities at the game’s highest level in the fall. The Saints could look to be adding another running back behind Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams. Maybe Smith can work his way back into their good graces.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[stnvideo key=”KwW5ObpEgJ-2619169-7618″ type=”float”]

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler named ‘NFL Slimetime NVP of NVPs’ by Nickelodeon

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler won Nickelodeon’s NVP of NVPs award.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler was named Nickelodeon’s NVP of NVPs on Wednesday. The award represents the highest honor that the children’s network bestows upon NFL players and was won by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow last season.

Ekeler became eligible for the award by winning the NVP vote in Week 4 for his electric three-touchdown performance against the Houston Texans. His efforts in 2022 helped lift the Chargers to their first playoff appearance since 2018, and despite falling short in their Wild Card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ekeler was a key part of the team’s success all season.

Despite a lackluster running game as a whole this past season, Ekeler provided plenty of value to the offense with his versatile skill set this season.

Ekeler finished the 2022 regular season as the franchise’s single-season reception leader (107), surpassing Keenan Allen’s previous record of 106. He topped the 900-yard mark on the ground for the second consecutive campaign.

Hopes are high that Ekeler and the Chargers will be able to make good on this prestigious award by showing even more of a spark next season.

Chargers’ 2022 season-in-review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ quarterbacks

The Chargers are in great shape at the quarterback position.

The quarterback position has never been as important as it is now across the NFL, and the Chargers have secured themselves a true franchise signal-caller in Justin Herbert.

His expert play in his third season as a professional football player helped Los Angeles achieve their first playoff berth since 2018 this season, though the outcome of their Wild Card matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars left something to be desired.

For his part, though, Herbert’s performance was exceptional. Throughout the regular season, he threw for over 4,700 yards and 25 touchdowns while only being intercepted ten times. He was also the team’s third-leading rusher by yardage but could not find the end zone on the ground.

While he might not have lit up the stat sheet as he did in his first two seasons, Herbert still put the team in a position to win weekly, despite dealing with fractured rib cartilage for most of the season, missing multiple starters throughout the year, and being hamstrung by an offensive scheme that did not tailor to his strengths. Nevertheless, Herbert did take a massive leap as a leader of the team and solidified himself as the face of the franchise.

Behind Herbert on Los Angeles’ depth chart is journeyman backup Chase Daniel, who has carved out quite a career since 2010. Daniel did not make a start this season but made four appearances, throwing for 52 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts, mostly in garbage time.

This output from their quarterbacks should enable the Chargers to focus on other areas of their roster in the offseason as they look to assemble a team that can be a legitimate contender in next year’s playoffs.

They will need to extend Herbert at some point shortly to ensure his place in Los Angeles for the long term. Still, outside of that piece of housekeeping, the Chargers are set at the most crucial offensive position except for his backup, which will need to be addressed, given Daniel and Easton Stick are set to be free agents.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler achieves outstanding feat

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler was a scoring machine this season.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler became just the seventh non-quarterback in NFL history to combine for 20 touchdowns between the regular and post-season.

Ekeler had 18 entering the playoffs, but his two rushing touchdowns in the playoff game against the Jaguars put him at 20. He led all non-quarterbacks in total touchdowns.

Despite a lackluster running game as a whole, Ekeler provided plenty of value to the offense with his versatile skill set this season.

Ekeler finished the 2022 regular season as the franchise’s single-season reception leader (107), surpassing Keenan Allen’s previous record of 106. He topped the 900-yard mark on the ground for the second consecutive campaign.

As the Chargers look to the future and figure out what they can do to find playoff success for the first time in decades, Ekeler will be a key part of their plans.

For now, though, this statistical accomplishment will only serve to soften the painful blow of Los Angeles’ season-ending loss in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.

The Bolts will need to enter the 2023 season with a different approach to keep from squandering yet another year of Ekeler’s outstanding efforts in their offense.

Seahawks WR DK Metcalf’s best catches from Wild Card Weekend

Take a look at the best catches from Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf’s 2-TD game during the 2022 Super Wild Card Weekend.

Take a look at the best catches from Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf’s 2-TD game during the 2022 Super Wild Card Weekend.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”nKBQSn5OxX-2483003-7498″]

[listicle id=99582]

Just how productive has Bryce Young been among FBS passers?

Bryce Young’s trophy case is one thing, but let’s respect his stats too!

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has announced his intentions to forego his senior season and enter the 2023 NFL draft pool.

Young spent his true freshman season on the bench behind Mac Jones, but ultimately won a national championship. He was the team’s undisputed starting quarterback in 2021 in 2022. In that time, he managed to win a Heisman Trophy, win two New Year’s Six Bowl Games and make a national championship appearance.

Young’s accolades are certainly worthy of attention. However, his production over the last two years as the starting quarterback is also worth marveling over.

As Patrick Conn, Regional Editor of the College Wires, examined, Young was the second-most productive quarterback in the nation over the last two years. Only Ohio State‘s C.J. Stroud was more productive.

Overall, he threw for 79 touchdowns and 8,200 yards.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9sn82f9zvdv6j1p2 playlist_id=01eqbz6mkdd99nyvkm player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9sn82f9zvdv6j1p2/01gm9sn82f9zvdv6j1p2-4732a9e7cfc0610a87b94c19f7c52888.jpg]

[listicle id=61672]

[listicle id=61703]

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

WATCH: Seahawks vs. Panthers highlights from Week 14

Catch all the highlights from the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Carolina Panthers at Lumen Field in Week 14 of the 2022 NFL regular season.

The Seattle Seahawks fell to the Carolina Panthers at Lumen Field in Week 14 of the 2022 NFL regular season to land at 7-6 on the year.

Catch all the highlights from the matchup below.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”bOusu6ejZO-2417194-7498″]

[listicle id=97870]

WATCH: Highlights from Seattle Seahawks win over Los Angeles Rams in Week 13

Catch all of the highlights from the Seattle Seahawks’ win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 at SoFi Stadium.

The Seattle Seahawks’ playoff hopes remain alive after beating the division-rival Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 to advance to 7-5 on the season.

If you missed any of the action, you can catch all of the highlights below.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”MPLFdm8Asz-2403023-7498″]

[listicle id=97515]