When Bills all pro slot corner Taron Johnson went out with an arm injury, fellow defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram stepped up.
The former UAB Bison made good on his first extended playing time as a Buffalo Bill, netting his first two takeaway interceptions of his pro career. The second of which he returned 31 yards for a touchdown.
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“I don’t even have words to describe it but I got a group of teammates that love me and I love them,” Ingram said to the media about how the experience felt.
During Buffalo’s 31-10 NFL Week 2 road win against their division rival, the 27-year old grabbed one of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa passes on Miami’s first offensive possession of the game. He then added the pick-six in the third quarter.
“It’s a blessing to be in this position,” he added. “I would say really just my mindset, every week and every day coming in and preparing and telling myself that I’ll be in position to make plays, I’ll be in position to make that play whenever that play comes, I just always tell myself that.”
Ingram joined Buffalo as an undrafted free agent coming out of college, seemingly by limited playing time in only seven regular seasons contests.
Nonetheless, when the opportunity presented itself, Ingram rose to the occasion to make the most of the opportunity.
And that caught the eye of his head coach.
“Ja’Marcus comes in again, gets another big play for us, and that’s great to see. And these guys work hard, you know, so good things happen when you work hard. And sometimes the ball finds you like that,” Sean McDermott said.
Ingram played at several universities including the University of Buffalo before joining the Bills, and his career has been one in which nothing’s promised and everything’s been earned. To that end, he’s worked hard in practice to be ready for when opportunity presents itself.
“It’s a lot, especially getting told that I might not be up,” Ingram continued. “My mindset is preparing like I’m going to play. Preparing like I’m a starter no matter what, but it’s still things that I feel, and it’s a lot to be able to step up in those moments, and the fact that they have faith in me to be able to do that, it’s just a blessing to be a part of this organization that I can step up in those moments and make plays.”
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