INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Grover Stewart is usually the guy making a play so his teammates can get the glory.
He'll consistently soak up double teams so someone can scream into the backfield for a tackle for a loss. He'll use his strength to push opposing offensive linemen back into the pocket, forcing a quarterback off his spot so a teammate can get a sack.
Or, as he's done three separate times this year, he'll be the reason why an interception happened. His presence led to off-target throws safety Camryn Bynum intercepted in Weeks 1 and 2, and a tipped Geno Smith pass landed in the arms of defensive end Laiatu Latu in Week 5.
While Stewart's contributions may not always show up in the box score, they're never taken for granted by his teammates.
"On the field, he's a dominant player," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "There's not too many nose tackles that command that type of respect and make the type of plays that he makes. He's having a hell of a year."
On Sunday, after years of outside-the-box-score assists, Stewart finally got something of his own.
With the Los Angeles Chargers facing a third-and-seven in the second quarter, quarterback Justin Herbert dropped back to pass and hitched instead of ripping a quick throw. Stewart was right there and had to make a quick decision.
"He hitched a little bit and seen him pump fake, and I was like, either I could go try and make a sack or bat the ball," Stewart said. "I was never going to get there in time because he already had his arm up, so I was like, I'm about to bat it."
Stewart flashed his arm in the air and tipped Herbert's pass straight up in the air. He saw the ball the whole way, tracking it as it hung in the air for seemingly eons.
"I looked up," Stewart said, "I said, I gotta get this."
Stewart came down with the ball for his first career interception, which came in his 131st career game. The 314-pound Stewart is the heaviest player to record an interception in Colts history (the 300-pound Jon Hand was the previous record-holder).
"He ain't gonna never stop talking about that one," Franklin grinned.
More importantly, Stewart's interception came at a key point in Sunday's game – the Colts don't go into halftime with a 20-point lead without it. Both he and safety Nick Cross had interceptions in the second quarter, which kept the Chargers out of the end zone over the first 30 minutes.
"It was great to see," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "He's doing all the dirty work that nobody sees and he finally got an assist to himself, got the praise he deserves."
Bynum, who spent the first four years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, had an interesting perspective here. While with Minnesota, he didn't know much about Stewart – who, despite being a dominant player, doesn't get much national attention because he doesn't stuff box scores. The stuff Stewart does is the stuff his coaches and teammates notice, but plenty others miss.
Now with the Colts, though, Bynum said the thing he's noticed most about Stewart has been, as he put it: "Realizing how good he is."
"I never realized — I was kind of ignorant of the fact that he was this good," Bynum said. "He's one of those players that's opening up plays for a lot of other people. It's cool seeing him get the shine for once."
