Ravens’ Michael Pierce explains why he avoided the chance to go back for a touchdown

Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce caught the first pass of his career Saturday in a team-leading win over the Cleveland Browns.

Pierce’s Bailey Zappe interference ended the game for good. Pierce intercepted the pass and appeared to have a gap if he wanted to try to return it for a touchdown. But after running six yards, the 355-pound player gave up on a slide and celebrated instead.

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Pierce was asked why he didn’t return the ball.

“There’s a long history of turning big people’s thinking and fumbling and all that into memes,” he said, via NFL.com. “At the risk of ruining a career play like that for me, it’s time to go home. So, the bus was out of gas. We’re good.”

Pierce joined the Ravens in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. He became a starter in 2017 and played one season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 before returning to the Ravens. Saturday’s game was the 99th of his career.

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“I’m glad I caught it, that’s the most important thing,” he added. “I’ll be honest – I don’t want to swear too much on TV – but oh s-word, you know what I’m saying? Oh my god, he really dropped the ball.

“I have decent hands. I’m glad I caught it, and like I said, the coach preaches smart football, and like I said, I don’t want to end up in a meme on Instagram, my wife and all the people laughing. So we did the right thing and kept going.”

Ravens running back Derrick Henry is congratulated by Lamar Jackson after beating the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

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Baltimore won the game 35-10.

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