DETROIT — The first thing Will Hill was going to do when he got on the team bus after the Giants 23-20 overtime win over the Lions Sunday was to call his dad.
“My father has been telling me for weeks, you’re going to get a pick-six, you’re going to get a pick-six, and it finally happened,” Hill said.
It happened with 4:57 left in the fourth quarter with the Giants trailing 20-13 and losing momentum. The Lions had a third-and-seven on their own 22 when quarterback Matt Stafford tried to hit tight end Joseph Fauria. Hill intercepted the pass and raced 38 yards for a game-tying touchdown that silenced Ford Field. The Giants would win in overtime.
It was a huge play by Hill, who was arrested Friday in New Jersey on a warrant for non-payment of child support. It was the latest distraction by a player who previously has endured separate suspensions for substance abuse and performance-enhancing drugs.
The interception was a reminder why the second-year player from Florida may be worth the trouble.
“Will is one of those guys who is always around the ball,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “He’s always in the right places and that play is an example of that. It got us right back in the game. It was the biggest play of the game for us.”
Hill said he just tried to focus on football after his latest off-the-field issue. Staying focused was the key to reading Stafford’s pass and making his second interception of the season.
“We were just talking about it on the sidelines,” Hill said. “They were running stick routes. I just had to oversee all the players and it came into my lap.”
The Lions offense could have taken control of the game after scoring 17 unanswered points. But Hill’s theft ended the surge.
“They had a lot of momentum,” he said. “They stopped us a couple of times and our offense needed a boost and I was the one that gave it to them.”
Coach Tom Coughlin said he had no qualms about playing Hill despite the arrest.
“We support him in every way we can,” he said. “He’s trying like heck to meet all of his responsibilities. I don’t know any more than that. It is a private matter, and it’s something he has taken care of. We, again, support him as best as we can. He tries like heck to meet all of his obligations.”