ARLINGTON, Texas –On Wednesday, things were not looking good for Danny Trevathan. His practice was cut short by an injury and he wasn't sure of the extent of its seriousness.
"When I felt that pop, man, I stated seeing baby memories and stuff," Trevathan said after the Broncos' 51-48 win against the Cowboys. "I thought I was done."
But things started looking better as the tests were negative and he was back to practicing Thursday. Things looked really good Sunday night as he picked up his second interception of the season and it couldn't have come at a better moment for the Broncos.
The Cowboys took over after the Broncos scored to tie the game at 48 with just under three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Shaun Phillips sacked Tony Romo on the first play of the drive and the defensive line pressured Romo again on second down. This time, as he tried to hit tight end Gavin Escobar, Trevathan dove in front and picked off the pass – giving the Broncos the ball back just 24 yards from the end zone.
"I was baiting him but I saw (Derek) Wolfe rushing him and put his hands up," Trevathan said. "Romo threw it and I felt like, man, its that time. Hopefully I don't drop the ball when I get in the end zone this time. But you know I fell to the ground, so forget it."
The Broncos proceeded to march down to the shadow of the end zone and set up Matt Prater for the game-winning field goal as time expired.
From injured to making crucial interceptions – it's been an eventful week for Trevathan.
"You know what, he told me, 'When you're hurt, it makes you appreciate stuff more,'" safety Rahim Moore said of Trevathan. "And to see him go out there and play and make a great play like that makes him appreciate it more because he never thought that would have happened when he was down in practice. You never know how things are, and man, that was fantastic play."
The Broncos' defense was forced to overcome a handful of injuries in the game including a shoulder injury that ended linebacker Wesley Woodyard's game early, and a concussion that took cornerback Chris Harris off the field.
Trevathan said that just because Woodyard and Harris weren't on the field, it didn't mean that they didn't have an impact in keeping their teammates focused and motivated.
"It definitely affected us," Trevathan said. "Especially losing some of that leadership and that mentality that they bring to the game. But we have to have guys step up. Wesley, he might be out, but he's still in there with us and Chris might be out but he's still out there with us. We're rocking with them to the end."
Trevathan finished the day with five tackles – the second most on the team – four of them solo to go along with his game-changing interception.
"It's a play made by the whole team," he said. "Carried over, especially from practice, it's not one guy that stands out with this. We're a team and I did it for my dogs right here – Nate (Irving) and Wesley.
"We're here and we're just going to keep on."
