Exclusive: Frank Crum Breaks Down His Surprise NFL Playoff Touchdown
- Jeff Bugher
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Former Wyoming Cowboy and Denver Broncos tackle, Frank Crum, delivered one of the most unexpected and memorable moments of the NFL postseason last Saturday, hauling in a seven-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter of Denver’s divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
With 9:33 remaining in the second quarter and the Broncos trailing 7-3, Crum lined up as an eligible receiver and slipped free in the red zone, catching a pass from quarterback Bo Nix to pull Denver ahead by three following the PAT.
“Like Coach [Sean] Payton was saying, we got Johnny Moe [John Morton] that came back into the building, who was with us my first year, and then he went to Detroit last year,” Crum said. “He is back with us for the postseason. That’s a play that they ran in Detroit. with Skipper [Dan Skipper], who's another offensive tackle in this league.”
According to Crum, the play is part of Denver’s weekly install package for the game, even if it rarely makes it off the call sheet.
“They just approach that we install every week, for every team,” Crum said. “They ask you to do your job and outline your requirements for that job. Thankfully, there was a red zone play for me this week.”
Crum tells Pokes News the Broncos practiced the play only two times leading up to the game.
Crum didn’t know the play would be called Saturday, but he knew it was an option near the goal line.
“I knew that there was a shot in the tight red zone, that was an option,” he said. “That was one of our plays for the tight red zone. So I just knew I needed to stay ready and prepare for that play just like any other play.”
When the call came through, Crum understood his role immediately.
“When we installed it, that was kind of the whole I knew I was most likely going to get the ball on this release,” Crum said. “You're just banking on a guy, not respecting your eligibility as a receiver, and then slip out late. So I knew I was the first read.”
Frank was right, a guy didn’t respect his eligibility, leading to his touchdown.
After securing the catch, Crum turned upfield and powered through contact at the goal line rather than attempting to evade the defender.
“I’ve never been in a position where I had to figure out what to do with a tackler coming downhill,” he said. “There was no 'left' or 'right' in my mind. It was just ‘get straight across the goal line’.”
Ball security was at the forefront as he finished the play, especially when plowing over a defender.
“Our running backs coach, Coach Lou [Ayeni], he hits on ball security every week,” Crum said. “Once that play got put in, I started paying a little more attention to doubling the football and turning my shoulder away from contact to protect at all costs.”
The touchdown celebration quickly became a viral moment, as guard Quinn Meinerz lifted Crum into the air in a “Lion King” pose. Frank told Pokes News that the celebration was unplanned and spontaneous. “The big man got a chance to do the ‘Quinn Meinerz Leap’.”
For Crum, the moment wasn’t just about him, it was also about working as a team. Bolles and his teammates came up to congratulate him.
“It's cool when another O lineman scores, and it felt good to know that the guys were genuinely excited for you,” he said. “But it's a great room that talks more about how our rooms organize and it's guys who care about each other's success more than their own.”
The touchdown is one Crum says he’ll carry with him forever.
“It's going to be a memory I'll never forget,” he said. “It's, yeah, it's an O-lineman's dream, is what I've been saying, but that's the truth. It's special.”
And for Crum, a Wyoming native, the moment carried even deeper roots.
“Definitely a memory forever,” he said. “I'm proud to be from Wyoming, and to be a Wyoming guy catching a touchdown in the NFL playoffs is special, and I'm grateful for that, and I'm grateful for the people of Wyoming, and maybe we can get some more local Wyomingites wearing the orange and blue.”
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