Jason McCourty waited a long time to see the Super Bowl, and he certainly made the most of it.
The Patriots cornerback made his first playoff appearance in his 10th NFL season and played a crucial role for helping New England capture its sixth Lombardi Trophy over the Los Angeles Rams back in February.
The Patriots were up 3-0 in the third with 3:42 left in the quarter when the Rams had a first-and-10. Brandin Cooks found himself alone in the end zone when Jared Goff threw the ball his way. It looked as if Los Angeles was going to take its first lead of the night, but McCourty came out of nowhere to break up the play and keep New England’s lead intact.
In a preview for NFL Network’s “America’s Game,” McCourty talked about what was going through his mind when he saw a wide-open Cooks.
“As I saw the play developing, I went to take off getting backwards and kind of just peeked over and just saw Cooks wide open,” he said. “And in that moment, I just put my head down and just ran forward. Never looked back for the ball.”
Who knows how the game would have concluded had McCourty not made that play. And he’ll likely be hungry for a second playoff run as he enters his second season with the Patriots.
