Makai Lemon — Week 2: One Catch, One Carry, One Tackle
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 21
Lemon's one target was a 14-yard catch on third and eight with 14 seconds left in the first quarter, on the drive that tied the game at 7. His one carry lost 5 yards in the fourth quarter, and he made the tackle at the Philadelphia 10 on Amani Hooker's 92-yard interception return. He had four targets in Week 1, in a 24–20 win over the Titans.
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Nothing to seven, Titans, 14 seconds left in the first quarter, third and eight at the Tennessee 38. Jalen Hurts threw short middle to Makai Lemon for 14 yards to the 24. +2.5 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 6.8 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. Four plays later Tank Bigsby scored from the two and the game was tied. In Week 1 Lemon's three catches went three yards, −5 and −3, with no first downs. This one was 13 yards in the air and moved the chains.
It was also his only target. The line: one target, one catch, 14 yards, one first down; one carry, −5 yards. The carry came with six 53 left in the fourth quarter, tied at 17, second and seven at the Tennessee 39: around left end, tackled by Marcus Harris back at the 44. −1.3 expected points and −11.6 points of win probability, and on the third and 12 it created, Hurts threw his second interception. Lemon's third appearance in the play-by-play is a tackle. On Amani Hooker's 92-yard interception return in the first quarter, Lemon is the player credited with bringing him down at the Philadelphia 10. Tennessee scored four plays later, on fourth down.
Hurts threw 37 times: 13 to DeVonta Smith, six to Dontayvion Wicks, three each to Darius Cooper and Johnny Mundt, two each to four others, one to Lemon, and three that carry no receiver. Cooper's three included the winning touchdown.
Back in June the preview would not make a call on Lemon — the twentieth pick in the draft, a trade up to get him, a slot job with the starters in spring, priced at pick 92 — and it asked whether that job would be his alone or a split with Wicks once the games counted. Week 1 read four targets and four. Sunday read six for Wicks and one for Lemon, with Cooper ahead of him as well. Target counts are not snap counts, and two games is a small sample for a rookie, but the direction from the first week to the second was down. Philadelphia is at the Bears on Monday the 20-eighth.
_Data via nflverse._
When Makai Lemon's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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