Broncos safety Justin Simmons notched a wild interception but immediately took the ball to pay tribute to Demaryius Thomas days after No. 88’s passing.
It was an emotional week for Denver Broncos fans and many players on the roster after the shocking death of former wide receiver Demaryius Thomas at just 33 years old.
Denver made sure to honor Thomas throughout Sunday before their matchup with the Lions, including a video tribute, No. 88 decals on the field, and starting off the game by lining up with 10 players on offense to highlight the absence of Thomas.
However, safety Justin Simmons added a beautiful moment to honor the memory of the former Broncos wide receiver.
With the game all but decided in favor of Denver, the Lions were trying to move the ball in garbage time. However, Simmons made sure that didn’t happen as he made a fantastic play to dive in front of a Jared Goff pass and grab a nice interception. After the play, though, he made a beeline for one of the No. 88 decals and put the ball in the middle of it.
Broncos: Justin Simmons pays tribute to Demaryius Thomas after INT
After the 38-10 victory for the Broncos, the team’s official Twitter account said what was evident from Simmons’ tribute and from everything the team did throughout the game, that the win was for Thomas.
It’s impossible to imagine the emotions of playing in an NFL game just days after Thomas, a former teammate for several players still on the Denver roster, passed away. However, the team was clearly fueled by those emotions and wanted to show out in honor of the wide receiver’s memory.
Suffice it to say, they couldn’t have done a more poignant job of doing just that with Simmons, the 10-man lineup and everything the Broncos showed on Sunday in Thomas’ honor.