In the second quarter of the Seahawks’ preseason win over the Broncos, Denver running back Ronnie Hillman took a handoff at the 1-yard line and tried to leap into the end zone but fumbled just before he crossed the goal line. The ball rolled into the end zone, where Seattle’s Brandon Browner jumped on the ball.
Most players would have stayed on the ground and taken the touchback, but Browner wisely realized that no Broncos had touched him, and so he rolled over and raced all the way to the other end zone for a 106-yard touchdown.
If this were a regular season game, that would be a record: The all-time NFL record for longest fumble return is 104 yards, set by Oakland’s Jack Tatum in 1972 and matched by Arizona’s Aeneas Williams in 2000.
Unfortunately for Browner, no one cares about preseason records, and his return may be forgotten by history. But it was an amazing play.