Former Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton had the game of his life on “Thursday Night Football.”

It was a big night for the Denver Broncos, led by…Cody Barton?!

Why yes, the former Seattle Seahawks linebacker took a lot of criticism (probably too much, to be honest) for his performances when he was in Seattle's starting lineup, but moving on Thursday Night Football He was the star of the show against what was left of the New Orleans Saints.

The opening quarter began with Barton throwing off a poison interception after a deep throw from New Orleans quarterback Spencer Rattler. Barton would make up for this lost gimme by throwing Rattler into a sack and forcing a fumble, after which the Broncos recovered.

Barton thought he had a fumble return touchdown after Rattler dropped the snap, picked it up and tried to throw it. He was there with the scoop and the score, but the move was canceled out by an offside penalty from DJ Jones.

No problem! Barton would score his first NFL touchdown in the fourth quarter. That has since been changed to a rattler fumble rather than an interception, but it's still six points and the final touchdown of Denver's night in a 33-10 victory over the Saints, whose 2-0 start is a distant memory.

Even though it wasn't his first pick-6, it's still his first NFL fumble return touchdown.

Barton finished the game with eight total tackles and one pass defensed in addition to his strip sack and scoop-and-score. His role has increased since starter Alex Singleton suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and things are going well for him so far.

Drafted in the third round by the Seahawks in 2019, Barton was generally a special teams player (and a good one at that!) in his first few seasons with occasional starts and reserve snaps at linebacker. In his final season, he was named a full-time starter alongside Jordyn Brooks before joining the Washington Commanders as a free agent. Things didn't go particularly well for Barton in DC, but in the Mile High City it's a different story.

While it was easy to make fun of the Broncos' trade for Russell Wilson, Denver arguably has a better chance of making the playoffs than the Seahawks. even when Bo Nix does things like that. Denver's defense ranks 7th in DVOA, 4th in points allowed, and 4th in EPA/game, and the Broncos' remaining schedule is reasonably favorable enough to at least push for the postseason.

Vance Joseph has his Broncos defense firing on all cylinders, and tonight was Cody Barton's night to shine.