First-round pick returns interception for go-ahead TD in victory There are plenty of things Ryan Kerrigan still has to learn. But some things can’t be taught, including the moves the rookie linebacker put on display in making the most dramatic play of the Redskins’ season-opening victory over the Giants.
In the box score, it says the Giants were facing third-and-10 from their own 18-yard line on the first series of the second half when Kerrigan intercepted Eli Manning’s pass and ran it back 9 yards for Washington’s go-ahead touchdown in the 28-14 win.
But the first-round draft pick did much more. In the blink of an eye, the 6-foot-4, 263-pounder skipped by Kareem McKenzie’s lunging attempt to cut him down, got his arms raised and batted Manning’s pass. He kept his eyes on the ball, snagged it out of the air and found pay dirt.
The wide-eyed 23-year-old called it fortunate that the ball found his hands twice, but his Pro Bowl linebacker teammate Brian Orakpo gave him plenty of credit.
“It was an amazing play,” Orakpo said. “He got his hands up and had great reaction looking for the ball. Most guys don’t do that. It’s very difficult because you want to get after the quarterback, and all of a sudden they go low on you.”
Of course, the expectations were heaped upon Kerrigan from the moment the Redskins selected him in the first round of the NFL Draft in April. The same can’t be said for nose tackle Chris Neild, a seventh-rounder who matched Kerrigan’s debut with a pair of crucial sacks in the second half.
Neild’s first came by accident on the series after Kerrigan’s touchdown. The second helped the Redskins keep the Giants pinned deep en route to holding them scoreless after halftime.
“I didn’t hear the blitz change,” Neild said. “Luckily it turned out for the best.”
Both players made it look easy, and Kerrigan said the moment he realized what he had done — becoming the first Washington rookie to run back an interception for a touchdown since Champ Bailey — came after the play was over.
“I just remember not being able to see anything as I was getting mauled by teammates,” Kerrigan said, “just the great feeling that was and one that I’ll always remember.”
