Keith Mitchell's 90-yard scoop and score is the Saints Play of the Day
Keith Mitchell's 90-yard scoop and score is the Saints Play of the Day Keith Mitchell turned the tide against the Panthers
Our countdown to the start of the New Orleans Saints' regular season is on Day 90, which means this 90-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Keith Mitchell is the Saints Play of the Day. The linebacker game through in a big spot for the Saints back in 2000, during a grudge match with the division-rival Carolina Panthers.
This game went back and forth, and for a while the Saints couldn't seem to get out of their way -- an early one-handed interception by defensive lineman Darren Howard was returned deep into Carolina territory, only to get punched out of the end zone, resulting in a touchback. On the same play he ran for his first 1,000-yard season with the Saints, Ricky Williams went down with a broken ankle that sidelined him until the playoffs.
But Mitchell scooped up a fumble forced by Sammy Knight, lowered the boom on a Panthers player who tried to stop him, and took off for a 90-yard touchdown return, which you can see here. That proved to be the deciding score in a 20-10 win on the road for New Orleans. And it was a big highlight for Mitchell's 2000 season, which ended with him going to the Pro Bowl. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, recovering four fumbles, breaking up five passes, and intercepting another one that he returned for a 40-yard touchdown. He had 6.5 sacks, too, going down in the Saints record books as one of the more underrated linebackers in team history.
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