Landon Collins treats London to the interception return of the NFL season

Already leading his team in tackles entering Sunday’s game in London, New York Giants safety Landon Collins sure made his first interception of the season count in a victory against the Los Angeles Rams.

It will go down in the box score as a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown, but Collins probably covered twice that when he corralled a Tavon Austin drop that ricocheted a handful of yards in the air. The University of Alabama product broke a handful of would-be tackles, cut across the field, thanks to some well-timed blocks, and finally pushed a scrum 5 yards into the end zone.

Collins’ incredible return midway through the second quarter could not have come at a better time. After a fumble and a pair of punts gave way to an early 10-0 Rams lead, New York couldn’t punch home a 71-yard drive that stalled in the red zone. Kicker Robbie Gould, playing in place of the exempted Josh Brown, got the Giants on the board. Two plays later, Collins brought New York even.

Unbelievably, Collins nearly did it again, returning a fourth-quarter interception 35 yards to the Rams’ 18-yard line, ultimately setting up a 1-yard touchdown plunge for Rashad Jennings that gave the Giants a 17-10 lead with 9:23 remaining.

On a draft-day deal in 2015, the Giants traded three selections to Tennessee — a second, fourth and seventh — to move up and take Collins with the first pick of the second round. Entering Sunday, he had amassed 121 career tackles, more than any other Giants player since the start of last season.