A week after his collision with Lions cornerback Morice Norris suspended play in a preseason opener, Atlanta Falcons running back Nathan Carter found the end zone with peace of mind Friday night against the Tennessee Titans.
Carter took a third-quarter handoff out of shotgun just past midfield, navigated traffic up the gut and emerged cleanly from the scrum before flipping on his accelerator. He reached a top speed of 20.7 mph, per NFL Next Gen Stats, while racing 43 yards for the first touchdown of his pro career.
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Carter finished with a team-high 63 rushing yards on nine carries in a 23-20 loss to the Titans. But his head-turning speed and fierce running could help the former UConn and Michigan State back make the Falcons’ 53-man roster this season.
Carter’s breakout performance followed a difficult preseason debut, in which his third carry resulted in one of the scarier injuries in recent league history.
While attempting a hurdle, Carter’s knee hit the helmet of second-year Lions cornerback Morice Norris, who was diving to make the fourth-quarter tackle in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Norris’ head appeared to snap back. He went down and stayed there for about 20 minutes while receiving medical attention before an ambulance drove onto the field evacuated him to a local hospital.
Fortunately, Norris posted and reposted encouraging updates on his Instagram account the following morning, and he returned to the Lions’ facility just two days after he was hospitalized, albeit while in concussion protocol.
Carter said he Instagram DM’d Norris this week to check in and send his best wishes, according to ESPN.
“He’s doing well, and that gives me a lot of encouragement,” Carter said Friday night after the game, per ESPN. “I think the biggest thing was that the fact that he was alright and that he was doing good, and also just being able to understand that it was a football play and that, at the end of the day, my performance relies not on me trying to perform for others but me doing it for the Lord.
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“So I was really honing in on my faith and helping that be my peace today.”