First Ever Forced, then Fumble Recovery Makes Saints 2nd Year Lineman Heap Praise

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In its 31-30 overtime loss to Detroit on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints came up with one turnover.

Actually, we all know it should have been two, but that's in another article we wrote.

The lone "official" turnover came on a strip-tackle by defensive lineman Vernon Broughton, his first as a Saint.

See the Pro Football Focus (PFF) scores for the Saints from their loss the Lions

In the second quarter of the game versus the Lions, Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs caught a short pass and tried to reverse field. Chasing him down from behind, the 311-pound lineman closing in on Gibbs, wrestling the ball loose from the All-Pro back and grabbing the ball on the way down for the strip-tackle-fumble recovery.

In a rare win in the challenge flag category (last year, Kellen Moore was 1-for-6 when challenging a ruling on the field), the Saints brain trust challenged the original ruling on the field that Gibbs was down by contact. Replay showed the ball did come loose before the runner hit the ground, giving the New Orleans its only "official" turnover of the game.

Well, except for the other one that came during "The Call," not that it matters, of course.

For Broughton, he wasn't initially worried about getting the ball loose from the tightened grip of Gibbs.

"I really just wanted to get out the stack (of players bunched together)," Broughton shared. "(I wanted to) get after the ball. I saw him running, and nobody had him down yet."

He gave all the praise to the Saints staff for helping him be prepared for that moment.

"Definitely our coaches," Broughton shared. "Every day they come with the ball during warm ups and literally punch it out. That's what really helped me."

"I just felt it (the ball) and just took it," Broughton said through a laugh when asked about not punching it out, but grabbing it from Gibbs.

The former 2025 third round Saints pick thinks the Saints D is starting to jell.

"I feel like we did solid," Broughton said about the defense's play against Detroit. "Obviously, it wasn't good enough. We've got to do better. I mean, we did well, but there's stuff we've got to clean up."

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