Vikings' Patrick Peterson explains how he called game-winning interception vs. Bills: 'I am going to pick this off'

Jacob Camenker

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Vikings' Patrick Peterson explains how he called game-winning interception vs. Bills: 'I am going to pick this off' image

Patrick Peterson made arguably the biggest play of the Vikings' season when he intercepted Josh Allen in the end zone to seal a 33-30 overtime win against the Bills in Week 10.

The interception stopped a drive during which the Bills had moved the ball 52 yards in just over two minutes. They were threatening to score a potential game-winning touchdown and thwart a shocking comeback by the Vikings.

Ultimately, they came up short. And it was thanks to Peterson's big play.

Peterson explained on an episode of his "All Things Covered" podcast with two-time Super Bowl champion Bryant McFadden that he was able to make the play for one simple reason. He was prepared for the type of plays that the Bills were running in the red zone.

MORE: Breaking down how the Vikings beat the Bills in crazy overtime thriller

"Buffalo's concept in the red zone is 'laser,' meaning they use the No. 2 receiver as a clear-out guy. He's basically running to the opposite pylon and the No. 1 receiver behind him is running a dig," the 32-year-old cornerback detailed. "They also like to run a double-post, that's a quarters-beater, and that's what we were in."

So, Peterson had a pretty good idea of what type of play the Bills would run to beat Minnesota's coverage. He also knew that his matchup, wide receiver Gabe Davis, had a tendency to work back toward the middle of the field on his routes.

"Going back to my film study, I knew [Davis] was an in-breaking receiver," Peterson said. "He showed that all game."

BENDER: Picking the winners of every NFL game in Week 11

With that knowledge in hand, Peterson felt that he would have a chance to make a big play if the Bills did what he expected. In fact, he was so confident that he even called his shot to Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White on the bench.

It's crunch time, if he runs this route, I am going to go pick this ball off.  Ask Tre'Davious White. I was on their sideline, 'Tre if they come to this side, I'm about to pick this ball off.'

Lo and behold, we were in quarters; I knew Josh knew we were in quarters. They ran the laser concept. ... Josh thought he had it, and like I said, Josh is a guy that trusts his arm strength. He's a gunslinger. Coach alluded to it all week. 'Stay plastered into your coverage. Stay tight into your coverage. He just might throw you one.'

Indeed, Allen did just that. And Peterson was perfectly positioned to make the play. That allowed the Vikings to improve to 8-1, and they are now tied with the Eagles for the best record in the NFL.

MORE: Vikings radio announcers react to wild late-game win over Bills

Peterson believes that the defense is playing a big part in that fast start, as seven of Minnesota's eight wins have come by just one score.

"These are the things we talk about going back to training camp. Defense wins ball games, " Peterson said. "And at the end of the day, as a defense, we've been winning ball games."

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.