The consensus inside the home locker room at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, with everyone wearing hats and T-shirts repping an AFC North division title and the distinct smell of victory cigars filling the musty air, was confusion.
Maybe even downright bewilderment. But joy, nonetheless.
“I saw someone catch it, I was like, ‘Wait, that’s a big guy,’” offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley said, recalling his view from the near sideline. Cornerback Brandon Stephens was in the play, too, but a few yards back. “I just saw he had the ball,” Stephens started to laugh. “He was running — or whatever he was doing.”
When the nimble 6-foot, 355-pound Michael Pierce dropped back into shallow coverage, Cleveland Browns third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe tossed him a layup. The defensive tackle corralled his first career interception, took one peek upfield, and awkwardly dropped to the grass.
The big man’s interception sealed a game that was by all means already in hand, a 35-10 win over the Browns that crowned Baltimore division champs for the second straight year and guaranteed the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. But the moment that coach John Harbaugh called “the most crazy, amazing play in NFL history” left anyone watching stunned. A perfect what-just-happened way to end the regular season.
“That was probably the last thing we all thought was gonna happen on that play,” Stephens said.
Linebacker Roquan Smith asked Pierce why he didn’t chug for 20 more yards. “Nah, not today,” Pierce told him. It’s only Jan. 4 but Smith said it’s easily the funniest thing he’s seen in 2025.
“There’s a long history of turning big guy interceptions into memes,” Pierce said. “So at the risk of ruining a career play like that for myself, it was time to go home. The bus was out of gas.”
This is a defense that has had its feet to the fire for much of the season. They were last in the league in pass defense. Working out kinks under a first-year coordinator. And they were the primary issue in losses that should have been wins.
A few personnel changes and an integral team meeting shifted the narrative. Since Week 11, they’ve been one of the best defenses in the NFL. In the meeting, cornerback Marlon Humphrey encouraged his team to celebrate collectively with each momentum-tilting highlight.
It was a full-team effort when Pierce intercepted Zappe.
Everyone on the sideline was doing the defense’s signature celebration: jumping up and down, waving their hands. A few coaches sprinted up the field out of pure uncertainty. Kyle Van Noy said his knees hurt from watching Pierce try to go down but wasn’t surprised to see the whole bench clear for the “grab-your-lunch-pail” type of guy who spent six weeks on the injured reserve with a calf injury.
With 30 seconds left in the regular season, the Jumbotron found Humphrey. He flashed a toothy grin and waved politely looking directly into the camera. Then it panned to Pierce, the late-game hero. The fans still weathering sub-freezing conditions shouted as loudly as they had all evening. Pierce gave a pretty smile and wave while his teammates jumped around laughing like kids at the park.
“I was cold,” Odafe Oweh said. “I was bundled up! I took all that off and jumped on the field to congratulate him. I was scared I was gonna get a penalty. But at that point, I don’t think anyone really cared. It was just elation for Mike.”
Pierce was the latter of a game bookended by interceptions. First career interceptions, at that.
Midway through the first quarter, Zappe tried lofting a ball to his right. That one was turned around by rookie first-round draft pick Nate Wiggins.
Both Van Noy and Ar’Darius Washington pointed upfield like they knew immediately. Wiggins must’ve been licking his lips.
“He’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Harbaugh said. “He’s established himself as a starter. He’s been playing great ball. He had a couple other ones in his hands that he was frustrated with earlier in the season so we’ve been on him a little bit. Everyone talking about getting that first pick. To get it and take it back to the house, that’s a nice way to start.”
His teammates don’t know the satisfaction of a pick-six so early in their careers.
Marlon Humphrey’s first house call came earlier this season, his eighth year in the NFL. Marcus Williams took three years. Tre’Davious White, in his seventh year, is still seeking his first. Brandon Stephens doesn’t have one through four seasons. Arthur Maulet and Ar’Darius Washington haven’t gotten to the end zone, either.
By that logic, Wiggins is well ahead of schedule.
Saturday’s interception-turned-touchdown still felt past due for the season he’s had: 13 pass deflections, which leads all rookies, and 32 combined tackles. He’s now one of four rookie defensive backs with a pick-six. Week 3 vs. Dallas, he ripped the ball loose from CeeDee Lamb’s grasp in the red zone. Conversely, he left a pair of takeaways on the table and is credited with two dropped interceptions this season.
Wiggins’ impressive rookie campaign is proof of why, back in July, Humphrey bestowed the nickname “Nasty Nate.”
“I guess I play nasty defense,” a bashful Wiggins said at the time. He wanted it on the record that was not a self-proclaimed nickname. And he was adamant the compliment wasn’t yet official, then still months from his NFL debut. “It might get official. We don’t know yet.”
Flash forward six months, now on the tail end of his first professional season, and he can now say he’s earned that nickname.
“I feel like I’ve done my part so yeah,” Wiggins said. “He threw it right to me and I just had to show off my speed. It felt like everything released. Took [18] weeks so it’s been a long time but it felt good.”
It was a feel-good day for the defense.
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