Ravens’ 355lb-star Michael Pierce has hilarious revelation after viral interception sends NFL fans wild
Baltimore Ravens star Michael Pierce admitted his first thought was “Oh, s***” when the 355-pound defensive tackle caught his first career interception against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
Pierce has been in the NFL for nine seasons and played a total of eight years of high school and college football as one of the best on his team.
So in the seventeen years he was scouted by opposing offenses, a quarterback never caught him a pass until Baltimore’s regular-season finale.
Pierce started his big play at the line of scrimmage and dropped back into pass coverage after the snap.
After the Browns’ targets were covered downfield, Cleveland quarterback Bailey Zappe tried the check-down option on running back Jacob Kibodi. They weren’t on the same page and threw the ball right into Pierce’s hands.
Pierce returns the ball a few yards before kneeling to end the play and is heckled by his teammates for the rare feat.
Michael Pierce revealed his first thought after catching his first interception on Saturday night
‘I don’t want to swear on TV, but: ‘Oh S-word’. Like, “Oh my God, he really threw this football,” Pierce said of his first thought after getting the interception.
Pierce has recovered a few fumbles in his career, but this was the first time he picked off a pass.
“There’s a long history of turning big-boy interceptions and fumbles and all that stuff into memes, so at the risk of ruining a career like that for myself, it’s time to go home,” Pierce said. “The bus ran out of gas, we’re doing fine.”
The interception came late in the fourth quarter with Baltimore’s victory virtually intact.
The win secured the Ravens the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and a Wild Card home game against the Steelers or Chargers.
“For that to happen, God is a funny, funny guy,” Pierce continued. “So I’m grateful and I’m glad I took it more seriously.”
“I don’t want to end up in a meme on Instagram with my wife and everyone laughing at me. So we did the right thing, we went down and kept it moving.”
The win wasn’t all jubilation for Baltimore, as star wide receiver Zay Flowers left the game with a knee injury and did not return.
Early indications are that the Ravens’ top wide receiver has sprained his knee and his status for a playoff game is uncertain. Knee sprains can take weeks to heal.
Pierce started his career with the Ravens before spending two seasons with the Vikings in 2020 and 2021. He returned to Baltimore in 2022 and has been with the team since.