The Monday Night Football matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles was marred by a heated altercation late in the second quarter. In a display of frustration, Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III retaliated against Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson's aggressive play.
Falcons' Ray-Ray McCloud Penalized After Heated Altercation with Eagles' Gardner-Johnson
It was only fitting that one of Week 2's closest Monday Night Football contests featured a Week 2 penalty for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud as a confrontation with Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson late in the second quarter resulted in a penalty.
Also Read: Overreactions After NFL Week 2: A Closer Look
The fight happened after McCloud, having picked up 18 yards on the catch that moved the Falcons into Eagles' territory, reacted to Gardner-Johnson pulling out his mouthpiece by jabbing the Eagles defender in the face. Unfortunately for McCloud, his retaliation occurred right in front of an official, leaving him a 15-yarder for unnecessary roughness.
That was a rare burst of energy in a rather subdued first half, where the level of excitement of offense had been low and only one touchdown had been scored. It had been action-time at the end of the second quarter as tensions flared into much-needed action. With two minutes remaining in the clock, McCloud's anger finally got the best of him when Gardner-Johnson pulled out his mouthguard, which resulted in the punch and the penalty.
The exchange remained sizzling, but things never really got completely out of hand as the teams separated soon afterwards. McCloud's penalty moved the Falcons back, but they cashed in on the drive and settled for a field goal.
McCloud is playing his seventh year in the NFL and has spent the second of his two games with the Falcons. Both a receiver and return specialist, he has made lots of contributions. In his two years with the San Francisco 49ers, he did not play much at all, managing only a few games with 26 catches for 378 yards and one score. But on punt returns, he stood out quite a bit with 1,383 combined kick and punt return yards. He even led the league in punt return yardage back in 2021 when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Also Read: Taylor Swift Turns NFL Game Day into a Fashion Fiesta with $5,700 Louis Vuitton Bag!
Falcons' Ray-Ray McCloud Penalized After Heated Altercation with Eagles' Gardner-Johnson
It was only fitting that one of Week 2's closest Monday Night Football contests featured a Week 2 penalty for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud as a confrontation with Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson late in the second quarter resulted in a penalty.
Also Read: Overreactions After NFL Week 2: A Closer Look
The fight happened after McCloud, having picked up 18 yards on the catch that moved the Falcons into Eagles' territory, reacted to Gardner-Johnson pulling out his mouthpiece by jabbing the Eagles defender in the face. Unfortunately for McCloud, his retaliation occurred right in front of an official, leaving him a 15-yarder for unnecessary roughness.
McCloud throws a punch right in front of the refs and gets a flag #ATLvsPHI pic.twitter.com/AenyHiVq1B
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) September 17, 2024
That was a rare burst of energy in a rather subdued first half, where the level of excitement of offense had been low and only one touchdown had been scored. It had been action-time at the end of the second quarter as tensions flared into much-needed action. With two minutes remaining in the clock, McCloud's anger finally got the best of him when Gardner-Johnson pulled out his mouthguard, which resulted in the punch and the penalty.
The exchange remained sizzling, but things never really got completely out of hand as the teams separated soon afterwards. McCloud's penalty moved the Falcons back, but they cashed in on the drive and settled for a field goal.
McCloud is playing his seventh year in the NFL and has spent the second of his two games with the Falcons. Both a receiver and return specialist, he has made lots of contributions. In his two years with the San Francisco 49ers, he did not play much at all, managing only a few games with 26 catches for 378 yards and one score. But on punt returns, he stood out quite a bit with 1,383 combined kick and punt return yards. He even led the league in punt return yardage back in 2021 when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Also Read: Taylor Swift Turns NFL Game Day into a Fashion Fiesta with $5,700 Louis Vuitton Bag!
