The football popped into the air and Jason Pierre-Paul knew exactly what to do next: Use both hands.
"I knew one of these days I was going to catch the ball," he said. "I knew if I was ever catching a ball, I'm going to the end zone."
Pierre-Paul returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown and also had three sacks as the New York Giants beat host Cleveland 27-13. It was the third career touchdown for Pierre-Paul, but maybe one that meant a little bit more to the defensive end.
Under pressure, Browns quarterback Josh McCown was hit as he threw by New York's Jonathan Hankins and the ball was corralled by Pierre-Paul, who tucked it under his left arm and rambled untouched to give the Giants a 20-6 lead.
It was another stirring moment in the comeback for the 27-year-old Pierre-Paul, whose career nearly was ended by a horrifying fireworks accident in 2015, when he lost his index finger and parts of two others on his right hand.
The fumble return only reaffirmed Pierre-Paul's return to form as an elite player, coming a week after he had 2½ sacks, forced a fumble and deflected a pass against Chicago.
"I'm not proving anything," he told reporters Sunday. "I told you all last year when I came in, I already won."
Everybody hold
Baltimore punter Sam Koch ran the clock out on the final play of Sunday's 19-14 victory over Cincinnati, prancing around in the end zone while teammates literally held off the Bengals rush to kill the final 11 seconds. Koch eventually took a safety.
