Former Minden High star L’Jarius Sneed made one of the biggest plays in the AFC Championship Game Sunday In Baltimore, helping to send the Kansas City Chiefs back to the Super Bowl.
On the first play of the fourth quarter and Baltimore facing a second-and-8 at the Kansas City 9, Lamar Jackson completed a pass to Zay Flowers.
Just before Flowers crossed the goalline Sneed slapped the ball out of Flowers’ hands.
Sneed’s teammate Trent McDuffie in the end zone for a touchback.
“He had a step on me,” Sneed said in his post game press conference. “All that was in my mind was step up, make the tackle. That’s what I did and I see him stretch the ball out and I punched the ball and it came out.”
The Chiefs went on to win 17-10 and will play the San Francisco 49ers, who defeated the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC Championship Game, in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Not only did Sneed, a cornerback, make the big play, he was second on the team in total tackles with 10.
His big play came three players after Flowers caught a 54-yard pass against Sneed. He stood over Sneed after the catch and was penalized for taunting.
“I didn’t know that he did that,” Sneed said. If I did I would’ve said something. The guys were telling me he stepped over me.”
Sneed said the fact Flowers got behind him motivated him.
“was kind of mad at myself,” he said. “I didn’t see him get behind me when I went to safety. I was like next play, mentality.”
It’ll be Sneed’s third Super Bowl appearance in just four seasons in the league.
Sneed said the march to this year’s Super Bowl has been different than in year’s past.
“We had a lot of doubters from the beginning of the season,” he said. “They didn’t believe in us. The champs at that, they didn’t believe in us. We stayed at it. We had a lot of adversity, kept going. Look where we’re at now.”
Last year, the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
Sneed was honored with a parade in Minden after the victory.
During the summer, he conducted a camp at Minden and appeared at the 318 Takeover Youth Camp in Shreveport.