This former Gamecock standout ‘picks’ up where he left off in Sunday’s NFL game

Heading into a Nov. 12 game, a young fan asked D.J. Swearinger to make three interceptions.

Swearinger has met the request.

After recording two interceptions last week against the Minnesota Vikings, the former South Carolina Gamecock defensive back picked off a Drew Brees pass in the first quarter of the Washington Redskins overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

That’s three interceptions in three consecutive quarters for for Swearinger, who intercepted Case Keenum in the third and fourth quarters of Washington’s Nov. 12 NFL game. It is the first time in the Greenwood native’s career that he has picked off passes in back-to-back games.

In addition to the interception, Swearinger had six tackles, five solo, and a pass defended in the 34-31 loss in New Orleans.

But he made his biggest impact on the first drive of the game.

Brees tried to drop a deep pass down the left sideline to Michael Thomas, who was covered tightly by former Clemson corner back Bashaud Breeland. Playing free safety, Swearinger read Brees and covered half the width of the field in seconds before rising above Thomas and Breeland to make the pick before his momentum carried him out of bounds.

Swearinger also was involved in an important play just before halftime. It was one where former Carolina Panthers receiver Ted Ginn, Jr., made a catch in front of Swearinger’s coverage.

With time running out in the half, Ginn made a catch inside the 15-yard line before being tackled by Swearinger. Instead of giving the ball to an official, Ginn flipped it to Swearinger, who dropped it as time ran off the clock before a referee finally set it.

That left just 5 seconds to play, and with no timeouts remaining, New Orleans was forced to kick a field goal instead of trying for a touchdown.

Saints coach Sean Payton could be seen shouting vulgar expletives on the field, possibly directed at Swearinger. As the teams left the field for the intermission, Payton reportedly continued his NSFW barrage directed at Swearinger, whose “drop” ensured his team was leading at halftime.

This is Swearinger’s first season with Washington, which is his fourth NFL team. After being drafted in the second round by the Houston Texans in 2013, Swearinger has had stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals.

In five seasons, Swearinger has nine interceptions, 276 tackles and five forced fumbles. A third of his career interceptions have come in the past two games.

Swearinger played for the Gamecocks from 2009-12, when he had six interceptions and three touchdowns, in addition to being named All-SEC second team as a senior.

This story was originally published November 19, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "This former Gamecock standout ‘picks’ up where he left off in Sunday’s NFL game."