Michael Hoecht came within a blink of making one of the wildest defensive plays you’ll ever see on Monday Night Football.
Late in the first half, with Buffalo already ahead 10-3 and Minnesota trying to beat the clock, Carson Wentz - starting for the injured Kyler Murray - spiked the ball to stop the clock. Hoecht shot underneath an offensive lineman and went after the spike, nearly stealing it out of the air. The ball slipped through his hands, and the chance at history was gone.
“His timing was perfect, but his hands were too far apart,” Syracuse.com wrote.
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger shared the clip on X and asked, “How close was this potential INT?” The reaction online came fast.
“Needs to be named after Jalen Carter. Someone will pull it off,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “It would have been the greatest interception of all time. 🤯” A third said, “Inches away from immortality 😂,” while another posted, “I was like WTF just happened?!?
And then I saw the brilliance. Incredible,”
The Carter comparison points back to November 2023, when the Philadelphia Eagles rookie nearly picked off a Patrick Mahomes spike. Carter dove between Chiefs center Creed Humphrey’s legs with three seconds left in the first half. Philadelphia went on to win that Monday night game 21-17.
Hoecht’s near-miss stood out even more given where he’s been. He tore his Achilles in November 2025 and returned this season, though he had been mostly quiet before this attempt.
Buffalo still handled business from there, rolling to a 23-6 win to move to 7-1. Wentz finished 8 of 25 for 81 yards with two interceptions, one to Dorian Williams and another to Terrel Bernard.
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