In the middle of the biggest play of his NFL career so far, New York Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott had turning it into the first touchdown of his pro career – and not getting tackled by the opposing quarterback -- on his mind.
Flott had picked off Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and was racing down the sideline with the football, reaching a top speed of 20.82 mph, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Hurts didn’t head off Flott, but Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, a New York teammate of Flott’s, pushed the former Saraland High School standout out of bounds at Philadelphia 23-yard line at the end of a 68-yard interception return.
“Saquon’s actually faster than I thought,” Flott said. “… I never just ran beside him like that, but he actually got wheels, so good for him. I wish he would’ve let me have it.”
Barkley’s hustle only delayed six points for the Giants.
When Flott made his third NFL interception, the Eagles had reached the New York 15-yard line trying to reduce a 27-17 deficit. Instead, Flott’s interception set up running back Cam Skattebo’s third touchdown since Philadelphia took a 17-13 lead in the second quarter as the Giants posted a 34-17 victory.
Flott became the first player to intercept a pass by Hurts this season as he jumped a throw to wide receiver Jahan Dotson at the Giants 9-yard line.
“Just football IQ,” Flott said. “I was focused. I was dialed in. When I had that cut split, I kind of figured that route was coming, and I reacted to it. …
“I had to capitalize on that moment, and I did.”
Flott played 54 of New York’s 57 defensive snaps on Thursday night. He entered the game having played a little less than 80 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps in 2025. While Flott has started every game and played most of the cornerback snaps in tandem with Paulson Adebo, New York had been subbing in Deonte Banks for Flott. Banks is a 2023 first-round draft pick who started in his first two seasons with the Giants.
Before Thursday night’s game, New York decided to let Flott stay on the field.
“Coming into the game, I was confident,” Flott said, “and I appreciate them for giving me the opportunity. And in my head I was just like, ‘I got to make the most of it,’ you know, to stay out here and prove to my defense, prove to my whole team and the coaching staff that I can do that. …
“It is the opportunity I was waiting for, and I made the most of it.”
New York coach Brian Daboll said the coaches had decided to let Flott handle all the situations at cornerback after Sunday’s 26-14 loss to the previously winless New Orleans Saints.
“Part of it was our game plan of what we were going to do,” Daboll said on Friday. “Still have confidence in (Deonte Banks), but just going into the game, really at the start of the week, that’s the plan that we did have. It could change next week based on what we’re doing or how we’re doing it.
“Flott did a really good job for us. Made a huge play.”
At 2-4, the Giants play the Denver Broncos at 3:05 p.m. CDT Oct. 19 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, where Flott will get another shot at quarterback Bo Nix.
Flott joined the Giants as the 81st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft from LSU, where he started in the Tigers’ secondary in 2020 and 2021.
Flott went to LSU from Saraland, where he helped the Spartans reach the AHSAA Class 6A championship game in 2018. Saraland lost 26-17 to Pinson Valley, which was led by Nix at quarterback. Pinson Valley also had current Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson and Saints cornerback Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry on its team.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.