Patterson sets NFL record for kickoff-return TDs

ATLANTA -- Falcons footwear returner Cordarrelle Patterson has consistently been vocal astir his emotion for peculiar teams, astir however returning kicks has made his NFL career.

On Sunday, Patterson became the NFL's all-time person successful footwear returns for a touchdown with nine.

He acceptable the grounds successful the 2nd 4th against the Chicago Bears -- 1 of his erstwhile teams -- with a 103-yard instrumentality close up the mediate of the Bears' kick-coverage formation.

Patterson had missed 4 games earlier this play due to the fact that of wounded and had been worked backmost into the discourtesy and to his kick-return role, which helium reinherited from Avery Williams past week against the Carolina Panthers.

Patterson took this instrumentality from the "A" successful Atlanta's extremity zone, took it retired of the extremity portion and up the mediate of the tract and got a cardinal artifact from Troy Andersen arsenic helium ran done Chicago's coverage. He divided betwixt Bears kicker Cairo Santos and antiaircraft backmost Elijah Hicks astatine the Falcons' 45-yard line, past sprinted the remainder of the way. Hicks astir tackled him from down astatine the Chicago 5-yard line, but his diving effort conscionable missed Patterson.

It was Patterson's archetypal footwear instrumentality for a touchdown since 2020, erstwhile helium led the league successful footwear returns (35), instrumentality yardage (1,017), longest instrumentality (104 yards) and touchdowns (one).

When Patterson reached the extremity zone, helium was mobbed by his teammates arsenic helium broke a necktie helium had shared with Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington, who each had 8 footwear returns for touchdowns successful their careers. It was the seventh play of Patterson's vocation successful which helium had a footwear instrumentality for a touchdown, 2 much than immoderate different subordinate successful NFL history. Before the 2022 play and coming disconnected a career-best violative twelvemonth for him, Patterson was adamant that helium remained connected footwear returns due to the fact that helium knew determination was past to make.

"I've got a grounds to break, man," Patterson said successful July. "I request 1 much earlier I tin bent it up being backmost there, man. If I get 1 more, I'll halt doing it."

It's not wide whether that volition really beryllium the lawsuit for Patterson, who led the NFL successful kick-return yards successful 2019 and 2020 and 3 times led the league successful mean yards per footwear return. Entering Sunday, Patterson had 4 footwear returns this play for 112 yards, arsenic opponents had not been letting him instrumentality arsenic galore kicks arsenic he'd had successful the past.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Patterson, who was taken successful the archetypal circular of the 2013 draught by the Minnesota Vikings, has made the Pro Bowl 4 times and been a four-time first-team All-Pro arsenic a returner.