J.J. Watt said it best: "dream sack scenario."
The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who primarily played defensive end in his 12 years in the NFL, took to X (formerly Twitter) Sunday night after watching Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart make a play that every lineman dreams of.
Stewart, after running over Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury who was tasked with blocking him, ran through Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, hooking his arm around him and stripping the football from Darnold's arms while forcing him to the ground.
As the ball rolled and bounced away, cornerback Kenny Moore II scooped it up and made the 38-yard return for a touchdown. Stewart made the run as well, trailing about five yards behind Moore with his right arm raised up in celebration.
"He's got one speed and it's 'Go,'" defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said of Stewart. "He's just getting vertical and baptized the center and then finished it up with a great play with the strip sack. And then Kenny comes in and scoops it up, yeah, that's just a great play."
Moore said he didn't see the full play until he watched the clip postgame. But even if he didn't see what Stewart did in the moment, Moore still saw the football on the turf in front of him and knew there was only one thing to do.
"I just wanted to make a good play great," Moore said.
Moore's touchdown marked his first fumble recovery for a touchdown of his career, and Stewart's sack was one of two he would tally Sunday night for the first multi-sack game of his career.
"He was awesome," head coach Shane Steichen said about Stewart. "The whole defense, the defensive line was awesome, the back end was awesome, the linebackers. The defense had a hell of a game."
The Colts defense was responsible for the only Colts' touchdown of their Sunday night game against the Vikings, as the Colts lost 21-13 in the primetime matchup. But despite the loss, Stewart, Moore and the rest of the defense showed their skill and versatility.
Stewart tallied four tackles and two quarterback hits alongside his two sacks, and Moore recorded six solo tackles. Linebacker Zaire Franklin and safety Nick Cross each had one interception -- for Franklin, the second of his career – and the Colts defense allowed just 133 rushing yards. The defense combined for four sacks, seven quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss. Buckner led the team with three quarterback hits, had one sack and had six tackles (four solo).
But even though the defense held strong, Stewart proved just how destructive he could be and Moore was able to show off another side of his game, the Colts were still unable to get the win. And so, everyone will go back to the drawing board and continue working to get better for each other.
"It's a team sport," Moore said. "We've just got to put a complete game together and we've just been unable to do that all year."
