Wow.
The San Francisco 49ers were badly in need of some big plays to spark the team in the second half of Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys.
Safety Malik Mustapha tried his best in the first half, and tight end George Kittle made a big play after the catch that led to running back Isaac Guerendo's touchdown plunge to open the third quarter, but it was an ascending cornerback, Deommodore Lenoir, who made the biggest splash play of the night.
On a key third down in Dallas' answering drive to the Niners touchdown, good pressure from linebacker Fred Warner forced a slightly errant throw to the sidelines from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
While that would've been enough on its own, and an incompletion would've done the job of getting the 49ers defense off the field, Lenoir had other ideas, launching himself into a ridiculous corkscrewing jump and making an excellent play on the ball.
While in some player's hands, it would've been a valiant attempt at a highlight interception that goes into the "aw, shucks" file of near plays, Lenoir somehow made an insane, borderline octopus-like contortion of his body to come down in bounds and complete the process of the catch, giving the 49ers excellent field position:
That was fresh.@Dmo_lenoir x #94Niners pic.twitter.com/BNTBmKmWTD
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 28, 2024
They made it all the sweeter by turning that field position into a vital touchdown, giving them a 20-10 lead midway through the first quarter.
It was the latest big play in what has been an excellent year for Lenoir. He's really turning into the 49ers best corner, and more than that, one of the NFL's best corners too.
The only downside? It's about to get even harder to re-sign him at season's end.
Still, what a highlight play he's left us with here in an absolute must-win game.