NFL Week 10: Twitter reacts to Ronald Jones II's 98-yard touchdown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones II burst through the Carolina Panthers' defensive line and opened the floodgates for the Bucs in this NFC South matchup.
Jones ran the length of the field to score, becoming just the fourth player in NFL history to rush for a gain of at least 98 yards, according to Field Yates.
Ahead by three points in the third quarter, Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady handed the ball off to Jones. The USC product cut left, finding a hole between Bucs' center A.Q. Shipley and left guard Ryan Jensen (who normally starts at center). Already at the second level of Panthers defenders, Jones had just safety Tre Boston to beat, who he shook off and found daylight. Linebacker Jeremy Chinn tried to chase the Buccaneer running back down, and even gained some ground, but Jones staved him off and cashed the full-length touchdown.
According to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, Ronald Jones II reached a top speed 21.19 miles per hour on the run, and turned an expected gain of four yards into a 98-yard touchdown. The "Yards Over Expected" (94) was the most in the NFL this season, NextGenStats tweeted.
NFL Week 10: Ronald Jones II redeems himself for early fumble
Ronald Jones II's touchdown redeemed himself from a gaffe in the first quarter, a fumble that brought criticism from Twitter.
The turnover was Jones' second of the year and fifth since 2019. Jones has been splitting time in the backfield with format Jacksonville Jaguars star Leonard Fournette; Ronald Jones II has been the primary runner while Fournette is used primarily in the passing game.
Coming into Sunday's game, Ronald Jones II had rushed for 538 yards on 120 carries. Jones has now five touchdowns in comparison to his two fumbles in 2020, and has caught 25 passes for 117 yards. With six minutes remaining in the Buccaneers-Panthers game (with Tampa up big), Jones had registered 18 rushes for 167 yards and a single touchdown, while Fournette had yet to top rushing 20 yards.
Jones' long touchdown run helped fantasy owners who happen to start him but he likely found himself on most teams' bench. Heading into the matchup, FantasyPros wrote that "Jones can be plugged in as a mid-range RB3 in the event that Arians does end up splitting the touches. It's a plus matchup against the Panthers run defense, but we can't trust either of these options right now."