Jimmy Graham's go-ahead 66-yard touchdown is the Saints Play of the Day
It's Day 66 in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints, and that means this 66-yard touchdown catch by Jimmy Graham is our pick for the Saints Play of the Day. The only bad thing about the play was that Graham scored too soon. You can see it for yourself right here, but we understand if some fans aren't eager to relive this 2011 particular playoff game.
The Saints were in dire straits back in 2011, having fallen behind early to the San Francisco 49ers. In the first half, San Francisco's second-ranked defense looked the part. They ended four of the Saints' first eight possessions with turnovers and forced two punts; New Orleans went into halftime trailing 17-14. All three of their drives in the third quarter ended with kicks, between two punts and a 41-yard field goal. Then the fourth quarter started, and things got a little crazy.
Darren Sproles gave the Saints their first lead of the afternoon with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees, and the 49ers answered with a perfectly-timed Alex Smith touchdown run from 28 yards out. And then it was Graham's turn to spark some fireworks. The big tight end caught a lob from Brees at the San Francisco 41-yard line, with two 49ers defenders around him (and two more closing in). But he spun away from his pursuers and quickly got up to speed. A good block from Devery Henderson pushed one defender out of frame, and then Graham shoved cornerback Carlos Rogers away from him with a stiff arm on his way to the end zone. He emphatically dunked the ball over the goal post in celebration and, with just 1:38 left in regulation, it looked like the Saints might escape with a win.
Of course it wasn't meant to be. Roman Harper couldn't tackle Vernon Davis in the open field, and Malcolm Jenkins couldn't guard him in the end zone, either. The 49ers pulled off a last-minute stunner and one of the greatest seasons in Saints history ended with a loss. But that doesn't diminish what Graham accomplished here. By the end of the day the New Orleans offense put up 407 yards and 36 points on a defense that had given up 308 yards and 14 points per game in the regular season. That it wasn't enough to win the game says a lot about the bad job Gregg Williams and his defense did, but poor defenses became a theme for this era of Saints football. We're just glad we came out the other side.
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