Commanders’ John Ridgeway Body Slams Texans’ Dameon Pierce in Game

The Washington rookie employed a WWE move to bring down the Houston ballcarrier.

Commanders rookie John Ridgeway pulled off a tackle in Sunday’s game against the Texans that would have made any WWE performer proud. 

Early in the second half with Houston on offense, Davis Mills checked down to running back Dameon Pierce who began to shuffle his way upfield. However, the rookie ball carrier quickly met the towering Ridgeway, who swallowed him whole.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 321 pounds, Ridgeway wrapped up the much smaller Pierce (5’10”, 218 pounds), but still couldn’t manage to bring him to the ground. The defensive tackle then decided to change his approach, opting to fully upend the Texans’ running back and body slam him to the turf.

Dameon Pierce got body-slammed by John Ridgeway. Penalty for unnecessary roughness was called.https://t.co/ttuQnVeTdA

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 20, 2022

Unfortunately for Ridgeway, he plays in the NFL and powerbombing a ballcarrier is generally frowned upon. The rookie defensive tackle was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play, which advanced the Texans half the distance to the goal, to the Commanders’ 5-yard line. Houston ended the drive with a 29-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn four plays later. 

Though Ridgeway’s tackle might have contributed to a score for Houston, Washington controlled the game for most of the afternoon. The Commanders took down the Texans 23–10 to improve to 6–5 on the season.

Commander Country: PICK SIX! Commanders Start Hot vs. Texans, Take Early Lead

For more Washington Commanders coverage, go to Commander Country.