Bridgewater responds to backlash for lack of effort on Slay's TD

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Teddy Bridgewater looked like he wanted no part of trying to tackle Darius Slay on an 83-yard fumble return touchdown on Sunday afternoon in Denver.

And the veteran quarterback is hearing about it.

Aside from getting roasted on Twitter for his business decision, the Broncos watched the play as a team on Monday morning and the coaching staff pointed out that Bridgewater clearly should have given more effort.

“I totally agree,” Bridgewater said to reporters in Denver. “That’s not the type of tape that I want to put out there. It’s one of those situations where you get pissed after you watch it because it’s like, you know how much this game means to you, you know guys are out there trying to make a play.”

When asked, Bridgewater said he thought Melvin Gordon was going to be ruled down and he thought eventually the whistle would get blown.

“But at the same time, man, it’s just … I’m right there,” Bridgewater said. “Opportunity to just dive, sacrifice, do whatever I can to help the team in that moment and I failed. And I own up to it. It’s unacceptable as a football player and a member of this team. You play this game and you lay it all on the line every weekend.

“That’s one of those moments where I just have to accept the fact that I didn’t give everything I had in me on that play. And I understand, man, there’s going to be some backlash that comes with it. I’m a grown man, I’m a professional athlete and I understand that’s what comes with that backlash and things like that. But it doesn’t define who we are as a football team, it doesn’t define me as a man and as a football player.”

The fumble recovery touchdown was the biggest play in the Eagles’ 30-13 win on Sunday. On that drive, the Broncos looked like they were going to convert a 4th-and-1 on what could have been a game-tying drive. Instead, Slay scored to put the Eagles up 27-13 going into the fourth quarter and the game was basically over.

According to NFL NextGen stats, the Eagles’ win probability increased from 68% to 91% because of that play.

So the Broncos would be justified in seeing just a tad more effort from their starting quarterback.

“I was hoping Teddy didn’t try to because I probably would have given him a good [stiff arm],” Slay said. “But that’s my dawg, though. Teddy’s my dude, man. Been playing against him for a long time. I went to him after the game and said, ‘Boy, you tried to tackle me?’ He said, ‘Slay, you know I can’t tackle you.’ Because I was out there rolling.”

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