The Patriots’ defense came up huge in their comeback win against the AFC East rival Dolphins on Sunday. That included a miraculous show of athleticism and concentration by two members of the secondary.
Devin McCourty has quietly been one of the Patriots’ best playmakers all season, and he showed it once again in a key moment on Sunday. Early in the fourth quarter and trailing 20-17, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill unloaded a bomb deep down the sideline intended for receiver Mike Wallace. McCourty was roaming free over the top of the defense on the play, and he dropped down in coverage to help cornerback Marquice Cole with the speedy Wallace.
McCourty saw that the ball was slightly underthrown and made a break on it, slashing down toward the sideline and leaping in front of Wallace to divert the completion. As he was falling out of bounds, McCourty was able to tip the pass back to Cole, who was waiting with open arms and made sure to get two feet down to complete the interception.
It took incredible efforts on both of their parts to complete the play, and the turnover loomed large in the win as it led to the game-clinching touchdown for the Patriots.
Check out the acrobatic play below.
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GIF via BuzzFeed Sports
