Ray-Ray McCloud punches CJ Gardner Johnson in front of official, immediately flagged
Atlanta Falcons receiver Ray-Ray McCloud was flagged for punching Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson late in the second quarter of the Week 2 Monday Night Football matchup.
After coming down with an 18-yard catch to pick up a first down deep in Eagles’ territory, McCloud took a swing at Gardner-Johnson’s facemask in retaliation of the 26-year-old pulling off his mouthpiece. The punch took place in front of an official, who issued a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on McCloud.
The Falcons were fortunately able to overcome the penalty on McCloud. Atlanta continued to push towards the end zone, eventually settling for a Younghoe Koo 22-yard field goal just before half. Koo’s field goal capped off a 15-play, 82-yard drive which took 5:09 off the clock.
The Falcons went into the locker room trailing 7-6.
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Ray-Ray McCloud joins Falcons as receiver/return specialist
McCloud, the seventh-year wideout and return specialist, is playing in just his second game with the Falcons. He spent the previous two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, hauling in 26 receptions for 378 yards and a score. McCloud was far more impactful in the return game, tallying a combined 1,383 yards on kick and punt returns. In 2021, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he led the league with 367 punt return yards.
McCloud is seeing more work on offense in Atlanta, which is counting on him to be a key member of the passing game alongside Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Darnell Mooney.