Bridgewater was one of the few Broncos players that had a shot to stop Slay after Melvin Gordon fumbled on a fourth-and-short pile-up at the line of scrimmage. Bridgewater had an angle to potentially tackle Slay or at least slow him down en route to the end-zone.
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Instead, Bridgewater made a business decision. He stopped about one stride away from Slay and refused to put his arms in the path of the defensive back. That fully cleared a route to the end-zone for the veteran defensive back.
Bridgewater’s decision is somewhat understandable. He is a quarterback, after all, and he attempted to explain his decision-making after the game.
“As I see it, I see a guy trying to put a block and then I’m thinking maybe I could force the ball back inside and one of our guys will make the tackle,” Bridgewater said.
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That said, Slay’s score extended the Eagles’ lead to 27-13. Had Bridgewater attempted the tackle, the Broncos would have at least had a chance to keep it a one-score game. Instead, he chose to protect himself and that earned him criticism from NFL fans, media and former players on Twitter.
Slay’s big play definitely served as a turning point in the game. Philadelphia pulled away from Denver and maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the fourth quarter in their 30-13 win.
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