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DETROIT -- Darius Slay doesn't lack for confidence or a sweet-sounding nickname. In fact, he created it. "Didn't he have a nickname for himself? We didn't give it to him," Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell said with a chuckle. "I'm sure he'll let you know it's 'Big Play Slay.'"
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Detroit's shutdown corner gave a national audience some evidence of why he's deserving of the moniker. Slay stepped in front of Minnesota wide receiver Adam Thielen and intercepted a Sam Bradford pass at the Vikings 33-yard-line.
Slay returned it 13 yards to the 20 with 30 seconds remaining, setting up Matt Prater's 40-yard, game-winning field goal in Detroit's 16-13 Thanksgiving Day victory at Ford Field.
"I didn't get the ball too much all day," Slay said. "I'm surprised they threw it to that side."
Minnesota could have opted to play it safe and go to overtime on the third-and-seven situation. An illegal formation penalty wiped out a pass completion that would have given the Vikings a first down on the previous play.
Yet Slay had a feeling they would stay aggressive. The Lions rallied in Minnesota for an overtime victory earlier this month.
"I wasn't surprised," he said. "I knew he was going to throw. They didn't want to go to overtime. They knew what happened last time we went to overtime."
Slay lost control of the ball but he was ruled down by contact, which was confirmed during a review. His right knee hit the ground before the ball popped loose.
Safety Glover Quin called the defensive coverage, allowing Slay to jump the route. Slay also had a late interception and forced a fumble in a 24-23 victory over Philadelphia that started the Lions' current streak of six wins in seven games.
"It was a great defensive call," Thielen said. "They put him in a really good position but obviously, he's a good player. To make a play in that situation, he did a great job."
Quin had an interception in the first quarter nullified by a pass interference penalty against Slay.
"I don't worry too much about it," Quin said. "I'm glad Slay came back and got the pick at the end. I kept saying, 'You know, that one's going to come back around some kind of way.'"
Slay, a second-round draft pick in 2013, now has six career interceptions. His latest gave Detroit sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
"He's one of those guys who's a bit of a riverboat gambler," Caldwell said. "He'll take a chance when he sees it's there and he'll go after it. He enjoys that spot and relishes the opportunity and he's been able to come up with a few big ones for us."
