It’s rare to see a 100-yard touchdown in the NFL. Two on the same day, even more so.
But the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks did just that Sunday afternoon with a pair of 100-plus yard defensive scores within a matter of minutes.
The Broncos scored theirs at home early in a game against the rival Las Vegas Raiders. Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew ran a play-action pass on first-and-goal from the five-yard line with Las Vegas holding an early 10-3 lead. He rolled out and looked to the end zone for rookie tight end Brock Bowers.
Instead, he found Broncos safety Patrick Surtain II. Surtain picked off the pass at the goal line, then ran untouched down the right sideline.
A would-be Raiders scoring drive instead ended with seven points for the Broncos, resulting in a 10-10 tie. The play was logged in the book as an interception and 100-yard return for Surtain.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, the Seahawks came up with a game-shifting defensive score of their own. The New York Giants threatened to put the first points on the board on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the first quarter.
Running back Eric Gray took the handoff from Daniel Jones and tried to leap over the goal line in a run up the middle. Instead, he lost the football. Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins scooped it up in the end zone, then sprinted down the right sideline. Would be Giants tacklers stood no chance.
Like Surtain, Jenkins ran untouched down the sideline then skipped untouched into the end zone. He was credited with a 102-yard fumble return and touchdown. The Seahawks took a 7-0 lead.
And just like that, the tide of two NFL games shifted dramatically.
