CLEVELAND — Listen to Jimmy's call in the player above!
Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward showed a penchant for making plays on the ball and creating turnovers during his rookie season in 2018, so much so that he earned a Pro Bowl spot, but there was one thing missing: converting those takeaways into points.
That drought, however, came to an end in the first edition of “The Battle of Ohio” in 2019, as Ward took back a first-quarter interception of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton all the way to the house for the “Pick Six.
Ward’s defensive touchdown, and the ensuing extra point from Austin Seibert, gave the Browns a 7-3 lead over the Bengals with 5:36 to play in the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
On third-and-23 from the Cincinnati 48-yard line, Dalton took the snap in the shotgun formation, looked right and overthrew wide receiver Tyler Boyd on a deep slant route.
Boyd could not reach back and make the catch, and Ward was there to catch his first interception (and second takeaway) of the season, and the Northeast Ohio native hustled down the Cincinnati sideline untouched on the way to the end zone.
During the first quarter against the Bengals, Ward registered one tackle, a solo effort, with two passes defended and the interception return for a touchdown.
On the season, which was marred by a hamstring injury that cost him four games early in the year, Ward has registered 28 total tackles, including 23 solo stops and five assists with nine passes defended, one forced fumble and an interception.
The Browns went on to win 27-19.
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