Brandin Echols' Pick-Six Was Highlight of Rookie's Memorable Performance
Down by one score, the Jets needed to make a stop on third down midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday, preventing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins from cruising to victory.
Rather than forcing Miami to punt, however, rookie cornerback Brandin Echols took matters into his own hands, returning his first career interception for a touchdown and tying the score.
"Obviously it was exciting, but I knew coming to the sideline that we had to go back out there and try to do it again," Echols told reporters after Sunday's loss. "My mindset once I got it, I was happy, excited, I knew I had to flip the switch and go back out there and try to make another play."
Echols read the play like a book, breaking to cut in front of tight end Hunter Long right as Tagovailoa dug his back foot into the turf and began his throwing motion.
Once he picked the ball off, there was nothing but green grass in front of him.
With the pick-six, Echols became the first Jets rookie to return an interception for a touchdown since Jonathan Vilma did it back in 2004.
That play was certainly unforgettable for the 24-year-old, but Echols did even more on Sunday. He defended a total of three passes—his single-game high in 2021—while recording four tackles.
Factor in those numbers and Echols has 49 tackles and seven passes defended over 11 games this season, a solid first campaign for the Kentucky product.
"I would say my game grew more within me, my confidence, and me learning and understanding different concepts within the game," Echols explained.
The corner cracked a smile as his postgame presser came to a close, adding that Sunday featured his first pick-six since Junior College.
With Bryce Hall continuing to impress at cornerback, New York is beginning to see the potential of this youthful secondary, a unit that entered this season with a lot to prove.
The sixth-rounder will look to continue to develop over the final three games of the season, absorbing as much as he can before his rookie year comes to a close.
He and the rest of New York's secondary will be tested the rest of the way as well. The Jets face Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars on Sunday before finishing the regular season against Tom Brady's Buccaneers and Josh Allen's Bills.
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