Rashid Shaheed's 39-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day
Derek Carr faked a handoff to running back Kendre Miller and turned to survey the field; the play action fake gave him time and space to work with, and he found Shaheed streaking to the end zone with a couple of hapless Falcons in pursuit. Shaheed correctly read the angle on Carr's throw and leaped vertically to secure the ball. Atlanta defensive backs Jessie Bates III and Mike Hughes could only watch as Shaheed came down with the scoring catch. Their teammate Richie Grant was a heartbeat too late to jump and meet Shaheed at the catch point.
New Orleans won this one in a blowout, and it wasn't close; they built a 41-17 lead before going to pour it on in the final minute with a controversial Jamaal Williams touchdown run from the Atlanta 1-yard line. It was enough to finish the season at 9-8, but the Saints got no help from the Carolina Panthers, whose pathetic effort led to a 9-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay won the division title and upset the visiting Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round, advancing even further in the playoffs. If Carolina had found a backbone, maybe it would've been the Saints advancing instead. Who knows? That small success might've bought Dennis Allen a little more time as their head coach.
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