David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young continued his late-season surge to prove he should be the starter heading into 2025 with a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Adam Thielen late in the first half of Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay.
Bryce Young with a 40-yard dot to Adam Thielen for their second TD connection today!
It was Young’s 12th touchdown pass in 13 games this season. That’s one more than he had in 16 starts a year ago after being the top pick of the 2023 draft.
All 12 have come in the 11 games since he returned after being benched following an 0-2 start.
With the game getting out of hand, the 34-year-old Thielen split double coverage and Young connected with him perfectly for the touchdown to pull Carolina within 27-14 late in the first half. The 40 air yards were the longest completion of any kind in Young’s NFL career.
In a stunning play during the Panthers’ matchup against the Bucs, quarterback Sam Young showed off his arm strength by connecting with wide receiver Adam Thielen for a 40-yard touchdown pass. The Panthers’ offense was firing on all cylinders as they displayed their explosive potential with this impressive play. Stay tuned for more exciting highlights from this exciting game! #Panthers #Bucs #NFL #Touchdown #SamYoung #AdamThielen
TAMPA, Fla. – The Buccaneers beating the Panthers by 34 points was not the biggest story to come out of Sunday’s game. Instead, a viral moment when a duck ran onto the field during action has gone viral.
“I caught a duck on the field. I caught a duck on the field,” said Anchor Brant, a member of the Buccaneers Flag Crew, as he lovingly kissed and petted the fowl Sunday.
Brant went viral on social media and drew cheers from the happy crowd as they watched him charm the duck and take it away as the Bucs dominated the Panthers.
The duck escapade caused a ten-minute delay in the game when it flew into the stadium and apparently strolled onto the field.
However, it was the Buccaneer’s veteran ball boy, Bruce Barter, who thought he’d seen everything in his 24 years with the team, who was first ordered by the referees to get the duck off the field.
“I said I don’t want to get the duck off the field. They said we need you to get the duck off the field. I said I’ll try,” Barter said.
Brandt attempting to shoe the duck off the field.
By day, Barter works as an I.T. professional who says he has never wrangled a duck before. He knew the fowl had become a crowd favorite following its unusual arrival.
“I knew it could be an ugly situation as I was walking towards the duck,” Barter told FOX 13 News. “There’s no NFL training on this.”
As a football guy, Barter knows about kicking or throwing, but he knew neither would be appropriate, especially with the crowd on the duck’s side.
“I knew I was going to be booed as the bad guy,” Barter said.
In his awkward dance with the duck, Barter finally herded and gently nudged it until it waddled to the sideline. Barter says, however, that he understands the humor in the situation.
“I got clowned by a duck on national TV,” Barter chuckled.
Brandt attempting to shoe the duck off the field.
On CBS TV, Ian Eagle (yes, Eagle), the game play-by-play announcer, laughingly described the Tampa Duck Drama to his audience.
The cameras were so fixated on the duck that they missed the first Bucs blocked punt for a touchdown in 12 years.
“It delayed our win by 10 minutes,” said Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles after the game, followed by the laughter of reporters.
It turns out that the duck was such a hit that the team’s PR department mocked up a photograph of the duck wearing a Bucs jersey.
Buccaneers tweet of duck wearing jersey.
“Tampa’s Duck Whisperer,” Anchor Brant gets credit as the hero but gives Barter some credit. He never ordered the duck and resisted any urge to kick the fowl off the field.
“I should be elected to the Pro Bowl or something for at least getting it off the field,” Brant said as he laughed.
The internet was buzzing on Sunday during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game when a strange sight caught the attention of viewers – a duck on the 40-yard line. The unexpected visitor quickly became a viral sensation, with fans and commentators alike speculating on how the bird ended up on the field.
While some initially thought it was a prank or a CGI creation, it was soon revealed that the duck was indeed real and had somehow managed to make its way onto the field during the game. As players and officials tried to shoo the bird away, it seemed unfazed by the commotion and continued to waddle around the field.
The moment provided a much-needed dose of levity during a tense game, with fans taking to social media to share their amusement at the sight of a duck on the football field. Memes and jokes quickly spread online, with many dubbing the bird the unofficial mascot of the game.
While the duck’s presence may have been unexpected, it served as a reminder that sometimes the most memorable moments in sports are the ones that are unplanned and spontaneous. And who knows, maybe the duck brought some good luck to the Buccaneers, as they went on to win the game in a thrilling finish.
So next time you’re watching a game, keep an eye out for any unexpected visitors on the field – you never know when a duck might make an appearance on the 40-yard line.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is having a breakout season, proving himself as more than just another speedster. With 890 receiving yards on the books despite missing two games, Williams is closing in on the coveted 1,000-yard mark with two games left to play. Though reaching this milestone wasn’t his primary focus, it’s become an attainable goal in what’s been a transformative third season. When it comes to pure speed, Williams stands among the NFL’s elite, and he knows it. His confidence shines through when discussing his potential 40-yard dash time, boldly claiming he could clock a time of…
Jameson Williams, the standout wide receiver from the University of Alabama, made headlines recently when he boldly claimed that he could run a 40-yard dash in under 4.3 seconds. Many were skeptical of his claim, but Williams has since stood by his statement, confident in his speed and abilities.
In a recent interview, Williams reiterated his belief that he could achieve such a feat, citing his dedication to training and his natural athleticism as reasons for his confidence. Despite the doubters, Williams remains undeterred and focused on proving his critics wrong.
With the NFL Draft approaching, Williams’ bold claim has only added to the intrigue surrounding his draft stock. Scouts and analysts will surely be keeping a close eye on his performance in the 40-yard dash, eager to see if he can back up his words with actions.
Only time will tell if Williams can indeed run a sub-4.3 second 40-yard dash, but one thing is for certain: he is not lacking in confidence or determination. Stay tuned for updates on Jameson Williams’ quest to prove the doubters wrong and make a statement on the field.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is undeniably one of the fastest players in the NFL. On his 82-yard touchdown catch in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears, Next Gen Stats had him as the fifth-fastest ball carrier in the league for the week (20.9 MPH).
Williams made his long-awaited appearance on teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown’s podcast this week, claiming he would’ve ran the 40-yard dash in 4.1 seconds if he could’ve ran at the NFL Combine when he was entering the draft in 2022. A torn ACL in the national title game playing for Alabama kept that from happening.
“Yeah, I guess if he says so, I don’t know. We’ll have to go measure it sometime,” Goff said. “He’s hard to track down if we want to measure his 40, but he says 4.1, we have to hold him accountable.”
Jameson Williams is not backing down from claim about his 40 time
“I think I can for sure. I probably could run faster,” Williams said. “I seen bro (St. Brown) say he don’t believe in 4.1 — I believe in it. People who know me know I can do that, though.”
Williams noted how he never ran a 40 during his pre-draft process, but yet his immediate speed rating in “Madden” as a rookie stands as a sign of respect for how fast he is.
“I never ran a 40. That’s what I’m saying, like, I never even had to do that and ‘Madden’ respects me enough to (give me) a 98 speed out of the gate,” Williams said. “That’s a 4.1. No 40 and a 98 speed? If I was a 99, it would be like a 3.9 or a 4.0.”
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy set the NFL Combine record this year with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash time. So Williams believes he can best that time by a shade over a tenth of a second.
As for proving his claim, Goff’s idea of having Williams run a combine-style 40-yard dash at an appropriate time sounds pretty good. The Lions’ social media team would surely capture the event too.
In a recent interview, Ohio State wide receiver Jameson Williams made a bold claim about his 40-yard dash time, stating that he believes he can break the 4.3-second mark. Despite skepticism from some critics, Williams is standing firm in his belief and is determined to prove them wrong.
Williams, known for his blazing speed and explosive playmaking ability, has been working tirelessly to improve his speed and agility in preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft. He has been putting in extra hours in the weight room and on the track, pushing himself to the limit in pursuit of his goal.
While some may doubt his ability to run a sub-4.3 40-yard dash, Williams remains confident in his abilities and is willing to put in the work to prove them wrong. With his determination and dedication, there’s no doubt that he has the potential to achieve his goal and make a lasting impression at the next level.
As the NFL Draft approaches, all eyes will be on Jameson Williams as he looks to back up his bold claim and solidify his status as one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class. Stay tuned to see if Williams can indeed break the 4.3-second barrier and prove his doubters wrong.
Jameson Williams missed two games on suspension and had two others with just one catch — for minus-4 yards.
But despite having no meaningful stats to speak of for almost a quarter of the Detroit Lions‘ season — he had 5 yards receiving combined in wins over the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers (in November) and Tennessee Titans — Williams is on pace for the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career and could get there as soon as Monday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I’m aware of it,” Williams said Friday. “I ain’t trying to force it, though. We still got two games ahead of us, that’s the main priority, getting a team win. If it comes, it’s coming. It’s on my mind, of course, but it’s nothing to stress about.”
With two games left, Williams ranks second on the Lions with 890 yards receiving on 47 catches.
He has the highest yards-per-catch average (18.9) among all NFL players with at least 30 receptions this season, and his evolution as a deep threat has helped give the Lions the league’s highest-scoring offense.
Williams is tied for the NFL lead with five catches of 50-plus yards this season, with four going for touchdowns. Last week, he caught a career-long 82-yard touchdown in the Lions’ 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears.
A first-round pick in 2022, Williams had one catch longer than 50 yards in 18 games over his first two seasons, when he and Lions quarterback Jared Goff rarely seemed to be on the same page on deep balls.
After 2½ years together, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said, something finally clicked with the duo in recent weeks.
“We struggled there that first year, when he got healthy, to truly get on the same page,” Johnson said. “As coaches we saw it, we saw the potential, and with Jared, he’s a timing, he’s a rhythm quarterback, he needs reps, just like the great ones do. I mean, he’s no different, and so it was just a matter of time and we knew it was going to click, and when it does click, man, what’s better than a two-play drive?
“That’s the potential that Jameson has to this offense and it’s a beautiful thing to see a post versus single-high like that. I know this, it does our offense wonders going into the end of the season here and into the postseason to put that type of stuff on tape.”
Williams torched the Bears for his long touchdown early in the second quarter of last week’s game, when he beat cornerback Tyrique Stevenson off the line of scrimmage and ran past safety Jonathan Owens.
Williams said Friday the play was designed to give Goff receiving options at three different levels; if Owens ran deep with Williams, it would have left Amon-Ra St. Brown open on a crossing route in the middle of the field. He said he didn’t think Goff was throwing his way “until I looked up and I seen the ball.”
“I probably (knew I was past Owens) when I stuck the vertical and started going towards the post,” Williams said. “I seen him kind of within the 5-yard range within me and I just got to keep running like I said cause if he don’t run with me it’s going to come up. But if he do run with me then it is going underneath. So it was big. I think it was a big play for us. It was early in the game. Set the tone for the offense and stuff like that.”
Williams was clocked at 20.9 mph on his touchdown, and said Friday he believes he can run the 40-yard dash —something he said he’s never done — in 4.1 seconds.
“‘Madden’ respect(s) me enough to (give me) 98 speed out the gate,” Williams said of the EA Sports video game. “That’s a 4.1. No, 40 and 98 speed? If I was a 99 it would be like a 3.9 or a 4.”
Whatever Williams’ speed, Johnson said there’s no limit to what Williams can accomplish on the field.
He could top 1,000 yards on the fewest catches since former Los Angeles Chargers receiver Mike Williams reached the mark on 49 catches in 2019, and with a full season, he and St. Brown could make a case for being the most dangerous receiving duo in the NFL.
“I’m not a perfect player,” Jameson Williams said. “I’m not the best player right now, but I feel like I’m explosive and I’m eye-catching. But I got to work on everything just so I can be the best ’cause at the end of the day that’s all I work for and that’s what I want to do for the name on the back of my jersey, everybody who got the same last name, all my family, I just want to prove to them that I’m the best and just keep working. No matter even if you at the top, if one of the top dogs, you still got to work ’cause there’s people that’s trying to get to your spot and just be where you at. I would say I got to work on everything.”
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.”
The Detroit Lions just added some serious speed to their roster with wide receiver Jameson Williams boasting a lightning-fast 4.1 40-yard dash time. This impressive speedster is sure to be a game-changer on the field and a nightmare for defenders trying to keep up with him. Get ready for some electrifying plays from Williams as he blazes past the competition and leaves them in his dust. Lions fans, get ready to witness greatness in action with Jameson Williams leading the charge down the field. #SpeedKills #DetroitLions #JamesonWilliams
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