Thanks to our good buddy Robert Littal over at Black Sports Online for sending us the links to the videos below, which I think are easily the two plays of the day so far during the first Sunday of games in the 2009 NFL season.
- Video: Brandon Stokley Game-Winning TD Catch — (Black Sports Online)
- Video: Adrian Peterson Stiff-Arm Leads to TD Run — (Black Sports Online)
- Great Deals on 2009 NFL Tickets
— (StubHub)
The first video probably takes the cake as Week 1 Play of the Day, considering it won the game for the Denver Broncos. If you haven’t yet seen it, it’s pretty incredible. Down 7-6, Denver was backed up around its own 20, having under 0:30 to try to get into field goal range.
Brandon Stokley helped them do far better than a field goal.
As the video shows below, Kyle Orton tries to connect with Brandon Marshall, the ball gets tipped up into the air, and Brandon Stokley serendipitously snatches it and runs the length of the field for a touchdown.
What an awful way to lose if you are a Benglas fan.
Of course, the play is made doubly great for football fans because Gus Johnson was assigned to the game. Not that Gus Johnson needs amazing game-winning plays like this to inject some excitement into the proceedings.
Video: Brandon Stokley Game-Winning TD Catch for Broncos over Bengals
The next play is no less impressive from a physical standpoint, but did not have the effect that Stokley’s TD catch had.
And unfortunately it came against my Browns.
Adrian Peterson, simply put, is an absolute beast. Despite having a pretty ho-hum first half, Peterson exploded in the second half, especially during the decisive 3rd quarter. The Vikings imposed their will on the Browns and pounded them into submission with a steady dose of the NFL’s best player.
This run, which includes an impressive stiff arm, and then Peterson actually coming to nearly a complete stop as he jukes a Browns defender before accelerating to the endzone, is all the evidence anyone should need to realize that Adrian Peterson is just on another level.
Video: Adrian Peterson Stiff-Arm and TD Run for Vikings Against Browns
About Jerod Morris
