With the Tennessee Titans clinging to a 21-17 advantage and the Washington Commanders on the doorstep of winning the game, linebacker David Long came up with one of the biggest plays of his career.
With 13 seconds remaining, no timeouts, and on the Titans’ one-yard line, the Commanders went to the air to try and win the game, but quarterback Carson Wentz’s pass was picked off by Long, who made an incredible diving catch, sealing the victory for Tennessee.
“We practice that — the red zone — all week,” Long said while holding on to the ball he picked off for the win. “The thing is, we never panic. They made some plays but we know what type of players we have on this side of the ball, so you never panic to make a play.”
TTFU ⚔️
📺: Watch #TENvsWAS on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/VPVmpluulc
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 9, 2022
“It was just a relief because that whole drive they were making plays,” Long added. “We kept everything in front, they got out of bounds, then there was a penalty that got them close to the goal line. The thing is, we got to that point and I’m smiling at them like, ‘this is what we built for, this is what you dream of, don’t panic, somebody make a play.’ And it just ended up being me.”
Along with his huge interception, Long led the Titans in tackles with 11 and continues to have an impressive season overall, which comes at the perfect time with the 2019 sixth-round pick set to hit free agency in 2023.
