DETROIT — During his time playing about 50 miles west of Detroit, Mike Sainristil established a reputation for creating significant plays in Michigan. However, none might have matched his performance on Saturday at Ford Field.
The cornerback for the Washington Commanders, who excelled at Michigan, made two interceptions—one in each half—during his team’s surprising 45-31 win against the Detroit Lions, earning a place in the NFC Championship Game.
“It simply feels nice to return to the place where I earned my income, you get what I mean?” Sainristil stated. “I wish to have left a legacy at the University of Michigan — a legacy for my teammates to recall, one for the fans to cherish.” However, it felt wonderful to return here, simply to come out and present myself and stand out.
The team members, they all performed exceptionally. The defense took the necessary actions we needed to take. We requested two turnovers; we concluded the game with five. The offense was on fire, and special teams were thriving. When you operate as a cohesive unit, a team functioning seamlessly, you can achieve results like we did this evening.
The Commanders chose the 24-year-old in the second round of last year’s draft from Michigan, where he was named Big Ten Championship Game MVP and significantly contributed to the Wolverines’ National Championship journey.
When questioned about how his experience in Ann Arbor readied him for occasions like Saturday night, he stressed the significance of staying composed.
“Never allowing any moment to become too overwhelming,” Sainristil stated. “Simply accept it as it is and make the most of the opportunities that arise.”
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, addressing reporters after the game, lauded his rookie cornerback for his maturity and adaptability.
“Quinn remarked that Mike is a person who is difficult to deceive.” “Similar to Jayden (Daniels), he possesses a somewhat older soul.” He adapts to coaching rapidly; he avoids making the same mistakes. Thus, for him, the chances, when it came to seizing them, he succeeded in that.
Generating turnovers was a major focus for the Commanders this week, and Sainristil’s two interceptions contributed to a total of five turnovers. Jeremy Chinn and Quan Martin both recorded interceptions, while Dorance Armstrong generated a strip sack that was recovered by Frankie Luvu.
“We have been discussing the importance of generating turnovers all week — in fact, all year,” Sainristil mentioned. “Basketball is everything.” That’s what we emphasized, and this evening we managed to recover the ball and return it to the offense. They were on a roll, managing to score 45 points against that team.
“That’s a really great football team over there, you understand what I mean?” We appreciate their achievement in reaching this point, but for us, they are merely another obstacle to our goals. And this evening, we aimed to come out here and be assertive and validate our beliefs — confirm to ourselves that we are indeed who we claim to be.