This 97-yard kick return TD from Michael Lewis is the Saints Play of the Day
This 97-yard kick return TD from Michael Lewis is the Saints Play of the Day
We're continuing our countdown to the New Orleans Saints' 2025 season opener by spinning the clocks back to 2002, when Saints legend Michael Lewis rallied the team with a 97-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown, which you can see here. Facing a 14-3 deficit late in the first quarter, the Saints needed a spark, and Lewis gave it to them.
Lewis took off with four blockers in front of him deep inside Saints territory, then cut out into the open field where none of the Minnesota Vikings in pursuit could catch him. The game turned into a dogfight in the second half but a couple of Randy Moss touchdown catches kept the win out of reach for New Orleans.
Still, this was an electrifying moment in Lewis' career. It was the first of three kick return touchdowns he would achieve in a Saints uniform, and it went a long way in helping him earn All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition back in 2002. By the time he hung up his cleats, "the Beer Man," owing to his day job on a delivery truck before pro football worked out, set new Saints records for career yards on punt returns (1,482) and kick returns (5,903). Stay tuned for more of his highlights as we work further into this countdown.
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