A dislocated finger that required five stitches didn't keep Denzel Ward from delivering one of the Cleveland Browns' biggest defensive plays Sunday.
Ward grabbed his second interception of the season during Cleveland's 27-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans, helping turn around a game that threatened to get away from the Browns early. Afterward, he explained why coming away with the ball surprised even him.
"I wasn't expecting to get an interception this week. I dislocated my finger and had to get five stitches before the game," Ward said. "I don't even want to explain. It came out of the glove and had to get it stitched back up."
Ward's availability had been a concern heading into the matchup. He was limited in Friday's practice and carried a questionable designation because of the hand injury.
Ward ultimately suited up with the hand protected and gave Cleveland more than just his presence in the secondary.
The Browns were trailing 14-7 in the second quarter when Ward stepped in front of a pass from Titans quarterback Cam Ward. Tennessee had just recovered a Cleveland fumble, giving the Titans another opportunity to extend their lead. Instead, Denzel Ward took the ball back on the first play of the possession .
Cleveland turned that takeaway into points. Quinshon Judkins scored his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon to tie the game, and Andre Szmyt added a field goal before halftime to send the Browns into the locker room up 17-14.
The interception was also the 20th of Ward's career , adding a milestone to an afternoon that began with questions about whether he would play.
His first interception this season came against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4.
Tennessee scored touchdowns on its first two possessions to build a 14-0 lead. The Titans threatened to score again but Cleveland delivered a goal-line stand, stopping Tony Pollard on fourth down to keep the deficit at seven.
"It was a huge stop for the defense and for the team. It gave us an opportunity to win the game at the end," Ward said. "Holding them to no points and putting our offense back out there on the field."
The Browns defense bounced back, keeping the Titans off the board in the second and third quarters, giving Cleveland time to recover from its early mistakes.
"That's the NFL . They did things well early on and got some plays off," Ward said. "But you have to play a full game and we were able to do that and finish it off to get the win."
Cleveland still needed one more answer after Tennessee tied the game late. Deshaun Watson found Harold Fannin Jr. for a 36-yard gain on the final possession, setting up Szmyt's winning 32-yard field goal as time expired. The Browns improved to 5-2 with their fifth victory in six games.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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