Baltimore Ravens star Michael Pierce admitted his first thought was 'Oh shit' when the 355-pound defensive tackle caught the first interception of his career against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
Pierce has been in the NFL for nine seasons and played a combined eight years of high school and college football as one of the best on his team.
So in 17 years of being watched by opposing offenses, a quarterback had never thrown him a pass until the end of Baltimore's regular season.
Pierce started his big play at the line of scrimmage and covered the pass again after the snap.
After the Browns' downfield targets were covered, Cleveland quarterback Bailey Zappe tried the check option on running back Jacob Kibodi. They weren't on the same page, throwing the ball directly into Pierce's hands.
Pierce returns the ball a few yards before taking a knee to finish the play and being mobbed by his teammates for the rare accomplishment.
Michael Pierce revealed his first thought after receiving his first interception on Saturday night.
'I don't want to say bad words on TV, but “Oh, shit word.” Like, “Oh my God, he really threw this ball,” Pierce said of his first thought after receiving the interception.
Pierce has recovered a few fumbles in his career, but this was the first time he intercepted a pass.
“There's a long history of turning big-time interceptions, fumbles and all that into memes, so at the risk of ruining a play like that for my career, it's time to go home,” Pierce said. “The bus ran out of gas, we're fine.”
The interception occurred late in the fourth quarter with Baltimore's victory largely intact.
The victory secured the Ravens the third seed in the AFC playoffs and a wild card game at home against either the Steelers or the Chargers.
“For that to happen, God is a very, very funny guy,” Pierce continued. “So I'm grateful and I'm glad I caught it, more importantly.”
'I don't want to end up with a meme on Instagram, my wife and everyone laughing at me. So we did the right thing, we hunkered down and kept moving forward.”
The victory was not entirely jubilant for Baltimore, as star receiver Zay Flowers left the game with a knee injury and did not return.
Early indications are that the Ravens' top receiver sprained his knee and his status for a playoff game is uncertain. Knee sprains can typically take weeks to heal.
Pierce began his career with the Ravens, before a two-season stint with the Vikings in 2020 and 2021. He returned to Baltimore in 2022 and has been with the team ever since.