The Cleveland Browns picked up another win on Sunday, defeating the Tennessee Titans, and they are now 5-2 on the year. Leading a competitive AFC North division, the Browns are benefiting from another good defensive unit, and veteran cornerback Denzel Ward is a big part of that.
Ward, a five-time Pro Bowler, is putting together another elite season, leading a very good Browns secondary. He has been a true shutdown corner, like he has all of his career, and he’s committed to taking his game to another level.
The veteran corner hasn’t been shy about sharing his goal to get more interceptions this season. He took a step towards accomplishing that goal on Sunday when he picked off Cam Ward in the second quarter.
What made that interception so special is the fact that Ward just got five stitches in his right hand after sustaining a dislocated finger in Friday’s practice.
After the game on Sunday, the corner admitted that he was most upset about the injury because he was wondering how he would catch the ball. Ward went on to explain that his personal goal this season has been to intercept the ball, so he was thankful that he was able to pull one in after the finger injury.
Denzel Ward remains committed to more interceptions despite finger injury
With the interception on Sunday, Ward now has two on the season after just seven games. Last season, playing in 15 games, the corner only had one, which was a career low. In the seven seasons prior to that, Ward had three years with three interceptions and four seasons with just two interceptions. That means he’s on pace to surpass his 2.8-interceptions-per-season average, injury and all.
Hopefully Ward will be able to do that, because turnovers can flip games, and both of Ward’s interceptions this season have been complete game-changers. In Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh was having its way, and on the verge of going up 14-0 when Ward thwarted their momentum with an interception.
Similarly, the Titans were up 14-7 on Sunday and had just gotten a short field off a Browns turnover. However, Ward prevented any momentum that Tennessee thought about building, intercepting a pass on the first play of the series.
That goes to show how valuable interceptions are and why it’s great that Denzel Ward is committed to bringing more in. His pursuit could be affected by him not being targeted that much, which is normal for an elite corner. On the season, he’s credited with being thrown at 33 times, which breaks down to 4.7 targets a game.
Opposing quarterbacks know it’s not a good idea to try him, but hopefully they will keep trying him — so he could keep taking the ball away.
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