Latest news with #SaintsPlayoftheDay
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Drew Brees' sixth touchdown in a single game is the Saints Play of Day 96
Drew Brees' sixth touchdown in a single game is the Saints Play of Day 96 TD No. 6 from QB No. 9 is our pick for Saints Play of the Day There are 96 days to go until the New Orleans Saints start their 2025 regular season, which means we're highlighting Drew Brees (who wore No. 9, of course) and touchdown pass No. 6 against the Detroit Lions back in 2009, which you can see here. The game was surprisingly competitive. Coming off a winless 2008 campaign, the Lions put up a great fight and were battling the Saints hard deep into the second half. Then Brees and the New Orleans offense showed why they were ready to go win a Super Bowl by putting the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. Brees threw six touchdown passes on the day. While his sixth wasn't the most impressive throw of his career, it exemplified everything he and the Saints offense did well that season. Brees dropped back, buying time on a delayed screen to fullback Heath Evans. His timing was perfect and Evans caught the pass to turn uphill with many blockers in front of him. No team ran the screen better than the Saints did in 2009. Center Jonathan Goodwin and right guard Jahri Eavns were the first on the scene, bulldozing a couple of Lions defenders out of the way so Evans could work his way to the sideline -- putting just enough of an angle on the defense to where he could tiptoe into the end zone for a score. That put the tally at 44-27, and a John Carney field goal pushed it one point further. The Saints won their season opener, put the NFL on notice, and started a journey that ended with Brees hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
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.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Brandin Cooks' record-breaking touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day
Brandin Cooks' record-breaking touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day Brandin Cooks, Drew Brees broke a record which had stood since 1967 There's a 98-day stretch between us and the start of the New Orleans Saints' 2025 regular season, and we're counting down the days by looking back on some of the most iconic plays in franchise history. This time, our Saints Play of the Day is the 98-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Brandin Cooks back in 2016, which you can watch here. It was a classic grab-and-go reception by Cooks streaking down the left sideline. Brees dropped back to throw from his own end zone and found Cooks in one-on-one coverage against cornerback Sean Smith. Once Cooks put a step on his opponent, he was gone, and safety Reggie Nelson wasn't able to make up the distance in the open field. Cooks broke a Saints record that had stood since their inaugural 1967 season on this play, outgaining Walter Roberts' 96-yard catch to achieve the longest play from scrimmage in team history. And he just returned to the Saints this offseason after spending time with the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys. They're hoping he can still uncork some big plays downfield like this one.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Patrick Robinson's 99-yard pick-six off of Michael Vick is the Saints Play of the Day
Patrick Robinson's 99-yard pick-six off of Michael Vick is the Saints Play of the Day WE ARE 99 DAYS AWAY FROM NEW ORLEANS SAINTS FOOTBALL! Here's a 99 yard pick-6 by @PatRobinson25 — Cruz Oxenreider (@TheRealCruzOx) June 1, 2024 We've got 99 days to count down until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2025 regular season with a home game against the Arizona Cardinals, which means that Patrick Robinson's 99-yard pick-six is the Saints Play of the Day. Robinson gave the team a rare spark in what had been a brutal 2012 season, which you can watch here. With the Philadelphia Eagles (led by ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick) driving down to the Saints' goal line on Monday Night Football, Robinson stepped up to intercept a pass deflected off of tight end Brent Celek's hands. But he wasn't done yet. Robinson went streaking down the sideline with a convoy of teammates blocking for him, covering 99 yards to put the night's first points on the board. Talk about a tone-setter. Robinson's heady play gave the Saints an early lead in a game that proved to be, well, not very competitive. The Saints took care of business against the Eagles in a 28-13 win in prime time. A few years later Robinson signed with the Eagles in time for their 2017 Super Bowl run, but he finished his career where it started by returning to New Orleans for a few years and retiring in 2020. It wasn't quite the career anyone envisioned when the Saints drafted him in 2010's first round, but Robinson ultimately did pretty well for himself.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Aaron Craver's controversial kick return TD is the Saints Play of the Day
Aaron Craver's controversial kick return TD is the Saints Play of the Day Craver redeemed himself for an early fumble against the Vikings There are 100 days standing between us and the start of the New Orleans Saints' 2025 regular season, which makes this 100-yard kick return touchdown by Aaron Craver our pick for the Saints Play of the Day. Drafted as a running back, Craver did most of his damage in the NFL as a receiver, but the most memorable moment of his career came on a surprise score against the Minnesota Vikings back in 1998. Craver appeared to be hit by Vikings linebacker Pete Bercich before slipping and falling to the turf, and the players around him came to a stop, thinking the play was dead. But Craver noticed there was no whistle from the officiating crew, so he climbed back to his feet and ran through the confused Minnesota coverage unit, crossing the field for a score. The Vikings challenged the ruling but were unable to overturn the play. It was a good way to make up for an earlier fumble on special teams that led to points for the opposing team. You can see it all here. The Saints needed all the lucky breaks they could get against one of the best teams in the NFL. They kept it close late into the fourth quarter, until Minnesota's pass rush brought Billy Joe Tolliver down on three consecutive plays to close it out. New Orleans fell to 4-5, while the Vikings improved to 8-1, well on their way to an incredible season that ended with brutal heartbreak in a season-ending overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons. As for Craver? He returned to New Orleans for the 1999 season but only fielded one more kickoff, gaining just 3 yards on the try. He called it a career after appearing in 103 regular season games with the Saints, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, and San Diego Chargers, plus five playoff games between his time with Miami and Denver. He did well for himself as a third-round pick and went down as one of the 12 players out of 28 drafted in Round 3 who went on to play at least 100 games in the NFL. That he managed to sustain his career and try his hand at so many different things is commendable, and he won his place in Saints history with this touchdown against the Vikings.
