During the Indianapolis Colts' 30-23 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 7, Darius Leonard came up with a crucial interception to ensure a victory.
With 26 seconds remaining in the game, the Texans had the ball on their own 48 yard-line facing a seven-point deficit. Deshaun Watson tried to connect with his top-receiving threat, DeAndre Hopkins, on a deep ball but Leonard managed to make an incredible play on the ball for the interception.
that's one hell of an INT, Darius Leonard pic.twitter.com/llewR0slUs
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 20, 2019
In Leonard's opinion, the credit for the victory-clinching interception belongs to Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. The team had a strong belief that the Texans were going to try to put the ball in Hopkins' hands and it almost worked until the ball was bobbled on his way down to the ground.
“We knew they were going to their best player in that spot,” Leonard said, via Mike Florio of NBC Sports.
The game against the Texans marked Leonard's return from a concussion injury that he suffered against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. The reigning First-Team All-Pro provided a needed presence for the Colts' defense that they had lacked while he was sidelined due to injury.
The interception from Leonard marks just the latest big play of many that he has made throughout his young NFL career. Between tomahawking the ball out of the hands of ball carriers and coming up with timely interceptions, it's easy to see why he is such a key element to the Colts' defense, particularly in big moments.
The win over the Texans now puts the Colts at a 4-2 record and atop the AFC South. That was a feat that not many believed would be accomplished following the shocking retirement of former franchise-quarterback Andrew Luck.
Leonard will have a chance to build off his performance in Week 8 when the Colts host the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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