This 76-yard TD by Sam Mills is the Saints Play of the Day
Our countdown to the New Orleans Saints' 2025 season opener is on Day 76, which makes this touchdown from Sam Mills our pick for the Saints Play of the Day. It was an impressive play at the time, but it also went down in the team record books as the longest play of Mills' storied NFL career. That isn't normally something you track for linebackers, but watch the play and you'll see why it matters.
Mills, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer, stripped the football from New York Jets quarterback Browning Nagle and covered 76 yards on the return to score for New Orleans -- you can see the entire play here. Mills set the tone early in what would be a 20-0 shutout win on the road for the Saints, capping their 1992 season with a 12-4 record. That tied a franchise record for the most wins in the regular season.
It's not a surprise that Mills was the player to step up in a moment like this. The "Field Mouse" was known for punching above his weight class (he was listed at just 5-foot-9 and 229 pounds) and making plays other guys only dreamt of; this was the first of three fumbles he returned for a touchdown in his NFL career, and his 18th takeaway in seven years with the Saints. He earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod back in 1992 and was also selected for the All-Pro second team by the Associated Press. Mills went on to become a legend with the startup Carolina Panthers, too, but he earned his place in pro football history with the Saints first.
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