On Monday night, Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love had the defining moment of his first season in the Emerald City.
The Seahawks came into the game against the Philadelphia Eagles desperately needing a win, having lost four straight with their playoff hopes fading before their eyes. Seattle's situation was looking bleak in the fourth quarter, but that's when Love came to the rescue.
The former New York Giants safety got the better of his old rival with two massive interceptions. The first came on a deep bomb by Jalen Hurts intended for Quez Watkins in the end zone, and while Seattle didn't score any points on the ensuing drive, keeping Philadelphia off the scoreboard was huge. As if that wasn't enough, he came flying across the field to make his second interception of the quarter and ice the game in the final seconds.
Love has had an up-and-down first season in Seattle, but after Monday night, that's all water under the bridge.
"I think just my whole mindset to attacking football is that whenever I'm out there, make the most of it," Love told reporters after the game. "Be productive, whether I'm running down on punt [coverage], I'm going to try to make a tackle, and I have been doing that. I've just stayed steady."
Love and the Giants lost to the Eagles three times last season, including once in the playoffs, so this victory felt especially great. When asked about the revenge factor of this game, Love gave all the credit to his new teammates.
"We lost to them three times last year, and that was tough," Love said. "Tough losses, all of them. I have the best teammates in the world. They had my back; I had their back. Thankfully, I got the win this year."
While the Seahawks still have a lot of work to do to turn their season around and make the playoffs, they at least have a fighting chance now largely thanks to Love's heroics.
"This is huge. December football is critical," Love said. "You just need some energy and some motivation and some momentum going into the end of the season. I think we needed this game. Nothing is guaranteed going forward, we know that. We got to carry this juice going forward. A few plays, here and there, the past couple weeks have really brought us down. This, I already know, is going to revitalize us."
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