Atlanta Falcons receiver Ray-Ray McCloud was cautioned late in the second quarter of Week 2’s Monday Night Football game for hitting Philadelphia Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson.
After making an 18-yard catch deep in Eagles territory for a first down, McCloud punched Gardner-Johnson’s facemask in retaliation for the 26-year-old ripping off his mouthguard. The punch occurred in front of a referee, who assessed McCloud a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.
Luckily, the Falcons were able to overcome the penalty against McCloud. Atlanta continued to push toward the end zone and finally had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo just before halftime. Koo’s field goal capped a 15-play, 82-yard run that lasted 5:09 minutes.
The Falcons went into the locker room trailing 7-6.
Ray-Ray McCloud joins the Falcons as a receiver/return specialist
McCloud, a seventh-year wideout and return specialist, is playing in just his second game with the Falcons. He spent the last two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, where he caught 26 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown. McCloud was far more effective in the return game, totaling 1,383 yards on kick and punt returns. In 2021, he led the league with 367 punt return yards with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
McCloud will be used more on offense in Atlanta and is expected to play a key role in the passing game alongside Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Darnell Mooney.
