Weird NFL plays go viral all the time, but the "backside" interception by New Orleans Saints rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore against Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan on Sunday -- a key play in New Orleans' 23-13 victory -- probably can't be properly described in mixed company.
"I'm living right," Lattimore tweeted after he reached around his, well, waist while flat on the ground to haul in the interception against his backside before the ball hit the turf.
Three plays later, a 6-0 Saints lead became 13-0 on Drew Brees' 54-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. 14 seconds before halftime.
Almost immediately, the play became an Internet firestorm. Several creative hashtags were created to describe what viewers had just seen: #buttpick; #buttinterception, #buttcatch, #rearenderception, #intoftheyear; #theimmaculatebuttception; #butttheyllreviewit.
Ryan's pass probably should have been caught for a first down by wide receiver Marvin Hall, but the ball popped through his hands and into the air, coming to rest on Lattimore's back while he lay flat on the ground.
Linebacker Craig Robertson and safety Marcus Williams helped keep the ball from hitting the turf.
"I just seen the ball pop up and I was mad because I fell down because I could've easily caught it off the tip," Lattimore said. "I felt it on the back of my leg. Everybody tried to come grab it, but I did a little leg curl and just dragged it. I must be living right.
"I knew it never touched the ground because it was on the back of my leg. I haven't seen anything like that before. It helped us win, so that's the biggest thing."
Lattimore led the Saints with four passes defended. He regularly shadows the opponent's best receiver. Even though Atlanta's Julio Jones caught seven passes for 149 yards, he did not score.
Lattimore said he was glad to contribute to the Saints' first playoff team since 2013.
"It means the world to me," he said.
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