Vikings LB Eric Kendricks intercepts Marcus Mariota for a touchdown

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks had a fantastic interception that he returned for a touchdown against Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans.

These days, playing pass defense in the NFL is not an easy task. With all of the rules in place to help out receivers and quarterbacks, stopping teams from airing out the ball can be a major challenge for every team, not just the Minnesota Vikings.

For the Vikings, they put high expectations on their middle linebacker to perform. Eric Kendricks is highly athletic, and can be used as a run stopper, blitzer, or even to drop into coverage if needed.

However, it was Kendricks’ instincts that led him to make one of the biggest plays of the day for Minnesota during their week 1 regular season contest against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

In case you missed it, here is the play as shared by the Minnesota Vikings on Twitter:

Take it to the house, @EricKendricks54! pic.twitter.com/d66YFsyPHa

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 11, 2016

On this play, Kendricks recognized the play immediately. While the rest of his team dropped into zone coverage, Kendricks stared down and play and saw that the running back Derrick Henry was sneaking out for a pass.

Minnesota had been burned on this play before, and Kendricks wasn’t about it let it happen again. Diagnosing the play, he stayed where he was instead of dropping back into coverage.

Under pressure from Everson Griffen, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota tried dumping off the ball to Henry, but Kendricks slid in front of the rookie running back to intercept the pass. 77 yards later, Kendricks was in the end zone, celebrating his first NFL touchdown.

Congratulations to Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks on his first career touchdown. This young man appears to be a great piece of the defense and should continue to grow and develop with the franchise.