Tag: Bears trick play

Twitter reacts to the Saints borrowing trick play from the Bears

If there was something familiar about the Saints’ trick play, it’s because the Bears ran the exact same play against them last week.

With the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers deadlocked in a close divisional battle, Saints head coach Sean Payton pulled out a trick play to give his team the lead in the second quarter.

Running back Alvin Kamara took a direct snap and handed it off to receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who pitched it to quarterback Jameis Winston, who connected with Tre’Quan Smith for a 56-yard touchdown.

If there was something familiar about the play, it’s because the Chicago Bears ran the exact same play against New Orleans last week in the wild-card round. The only difference is, the Saints actually executed it while Javon Wims dropped the ball in the end zone.

They say that the NFL is a copycat league, and it certainly appears so with this play. Take a look at them side-by-side.

Naturally, Twitter had plenty to say about the Saints borrowing from the Bears — and they actually acknowledged that the play came from Chicago, unlike the announcers on FOX.

WATCH: Saints borrowed trick play from Bears, but they actually pulled it off

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as the Saints borrowed a trick play from the Bears, which failed last week.

The Chicago Bears were dealt an early playoff exit by the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs with a 21-9 loss. It was a game that the Bears should’ve won, given New Orleans’ struggles opened the door. But Chicago couldn’t help but get in their own way.

The Saints certainly learned from that wild-card victory — and Sean Payton even took a page out of Matt Nagy’s book. In the second quarter of Sunday’s divisional game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints ran the exact same play that the Bears nearly executed to perfection last Sunday against them.

The only difference was that the Saints receiver didn’t drop the ball. Literally and figuratively.

When Chicago ran the play, running back David Montgomery took the direct snap and handed it off to running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who then pitched it to quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who launched it nearly 50 yards to receiver Javon Wims for what should’ve been the game-tying touchdown in the first quarter.

Only, as Bears fans know too well, Wims dropped it. It went right through his hands, much like any sort of momentum Chicago might’ve had in that game.

When New Orleans ran the exact same play against Tampa Bay, running back Alvin Kamara took the direct snap and handed it off to receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who pitched it to quarterback Jameis Winston, who connected with Tre’Quan Smith for the 56-yard touchdown.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But the Saints actually pulled the trick play off — which is why they’re still in the playoffs while the Bears aren’t.

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