The people are now referring to Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Austin Johnson as a ‘ball hawk,’ and the people are correct.
The 6-foot-4, 314-pound lineman recorded an interception in Buffalo’s Week 10 win over the Indianapolis Colts, a first-quarter takeaway in which the Bills generated immense pressure and forced Indianapolis quarterback Joe Flacco to dispose of the ball on a quick screen pass; Johnson, being the ball hawk that he is, was in the right place at the right time and reeled in the pick.
It’s Johnson’s second interception in three weeks, as he tallied an interception on an eerily similar play in Buffalo’s Week 8 win over the Seattle Seahawks. It’s often said that turnovers come in bunches, and this is especially true of the 30-year-old lineman, as prior to Week 8, he had never recorded an interception in his football career.
Not in the NFL. Not in college. Not in high school. Not in Pop Warner. In late October, Johnson was your standard defensive lineman whose ball skills were never questioned, but rather never even thought about. Fast forward to mid-November, and he’s tied for the team lead in interceptions on the season with two.
Johnson’s nose for the football over the past three weeks has been so impressive, in fact, that he’s now tied with a two-time All-Pro defensive back (and division rival) in terms of career interceptions. The Buffalo defender is now level with New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner in career interceptions with two; Gardner, a former fourth-overall pick, hasn’t recorded a pick since Week 9 of his 2022 rookie season.
Gardner’s lack of career turnover production obviously doesn’t bring into dispute his talent or general play, as the 24-year-old is unequivocally one of the better defensive backs in the NFL; that said, it’s quite funny that a Bills defensive tackle has recorded as many interceptions in three weeks as the New York cornerback has in three years. Gardner’s interception total will likely inch closer to the mean throughout his career, but for the time being, he’s tied in career interceptions with a rotational interior defender.
Gardner and Johnson’s clubs will next face off in a Week 17 bout that many pundits believed would have AFC East seeding ramifications before the start of the season. This doesn’t figure to be the case, as after Week 10, the Bills are 8-2 while the Jets are 3-6; regardless, Johnson will look to add to his career interception total when facing off against Aaron Rodgers in the late December clash.
