Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell detailed his thought process after his backwards pass was caught and returned for a touchdown by Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto on Sunday.

"Shane [Steichen] came over, talked to me and said, 'If it's not there, throw it away,'" Mitchell told reporters. "So, if you kind of look from my perspective, it was there until [No.] 15 turned into Ed Reed and just came through out of nowhere."

The touchdown by Bonitto gave the Broncos an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, eventually defeating the Colts by the final score of 31-13.

The third-year linebacker was tipped off to the trick play once he saw Mitchell's technique while catching an initial screen pass from Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

"It was kind of a slow-developing play so I knew something was kind of weird," Bonitto said after the win, per Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. "The receiver usually doesn't go catch screens like that. Once I saw [Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson] kind of, like, drifting in the back a little bit, I was like 'I'm just going to try to go break on it.'"

"I ended up getting it," he added.

A comparison to Reed is high praise, as the Pro Football Hall of Fame safety ranks No. 7 on the NFL's all-time interceptions list with 67 picks. While Bonitto may not be at the same level, he's developed a knack for finding the end zone as of late.

Sunday represented his second consecutive game with a touchdown, picking off Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston and returning the ball for a score during a 41-32 win in Week 13.

Bonitto has operated as a key piece of the Broncos' defense in 2024, recording 11.5 sacks, 31 pressures, 14 tackles for loss, three passes defensed and two forced fumbles.

As for Mitchell, the rookie wideout is still searching for consistency down the stretch of his first season in the NFL. In 14 games, he's caught 40.8 percent of his targets for 254 yards.

Sunday's win represented a crucial victory for the Broncos, as both teams are fighting for wild card spots in the AFC standings. Denver currently holds the No. 6 seed at 9-5, while Indianapolis fell to 6-8 and sits just outside the playoff picture with the No. 8 seed.