Tag: Highlights

Saints rookie C.J. Gardner-Johnson gets his first career interception

New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a rookie from the Florida Gators program, logged his first NFL interception off of Matt Ryan

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was handing out turnovers like they were going out of style on Thanksgiving night, with New Orleans Saints rookie defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson the latest recipient. The fourth-round draft pick out of Florida snagged an interception off of Ryan during the second half, streaking across the field to set the Saints offense up in solid starting field position.

It was the first career interception for Gardner-Johnson, who has steadily seen his snap counts rise after injuries struck the top of the Saints depth chart earlier this year. The rookie has shown a knack for defending passes out of the slot while laying out punishing hits in run defense. He’s dropped two would-be interceptions in previous games, so it’s great to see him expand this part of his skills set. See it for yourself:

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Watch: Taysom Hill scores 30-yard TD, sends Saints into halftime up 17-9

Have a day, Taysom Hill. The New Orleans Saints’ reserve quarterback and do-it-all gadget playmaker scored both of his team’s first-half touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons while also blocking a punt on the Falcons’ opening drive. He was credited …

Have a day, Taysom Hill. The New Orleans Saints’ reserve quarterback and do-it-all gadget playmaker scored both of his team’s first-half touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons while also blocking a punt on the Falcons’ opening drive. He was credited with a touchdown catch off of a Drew Brees shovel pass, but followed up that act with a scoring run that carved through the heart of Atlanta’s defense — from 30 yards out.

The highlight reel-worthy play put Hill’s athleticism on full view, and cast the struggling Falcons defense in a harsh light. Hill kept the ball on a zone-read, caught the defense off-balance, and outraced everyone to streak into the end zone, untouched. Check it out where the video is embedded below:

This is the fifth touchdown Hill has racked up in 2019, and his eighth career score since entering the NFL (including the playoffs). He’s proven to be a threat to make plays on special teams as well as while handling the ball himself, making plays on the ground and through the air. Whether his future lays at quarterback is anyone’s guess; for now, the list of more-exciting players in the game today has to be awfully brief.

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Falcons Highlights: Matt Ryan finds Jaeden Graham for 18-yard TD strike

The Falcons trailed the Saints by seven before quarterback Matt Ryan found tight end Jaeden Graham for an 18-yard touchdown strike.

The Falcons trailed the Saints by seven before quarterback Matt Ryan found tight end Jaeden Graham for an 18-yard touchdown strike. It was Graham’s first career TD. Check it out below:

Atlanta trails, 7-6, in the second quarter to New Orleans after Younghoe Koo missed the extra point.

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Steve Gleason taunts the Falcons after early gaffe: ‘Never punt’

New Orleans Saints legend Steve Gleason didn’t pass up the opportunity to taunt the NFC South-rival Atlanta Falcons after a botched punt.

No one was happier to see the New Orleans Saints block an Atlanta Falcons punt early in their game on Thanksgiving night than Steve Gleason, the living legend whose own block against the Falcons is immortalized with a bronze statue outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Even though his playing days are long behind him, the Saints’ retired playmaker remains an avid fan of his old team and made sure to tune in for their game with his family After Saints quarterback Taysom Hill cut through the Atlanta line to deflect the punt away, giving his team the ball, Gleason took to his official Twitter account to taunt the Falcons:

Gleason has been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) since 2011, a neurodegenerative disease that has confined him to a wheelchair and taken away his ability to speak. He now relies on cutting-edge software to type on an electric keyboard with his eyes, using a text-to-speech program  to communicate.

But he and his family haven’t let that condition prevent him from living his life to the fullest. The Gleasons continue to travel often, and they welcomed their second child to their family last year. He remains a common sight on the sidelines at Saints games and is actively involved in his Team Gleason Foundation.

So here’s to Steve Gleason, one of the greatest alumni of Saints coach Sean Payton’s management of the team. Despite all the adversity he’s experienced, he still has his sense of humor, and is eager to use it to dunk on the Falcons.

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Watch: Taysom Hill blocks a Falcons punt, catches a touchdown pass

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill made two big plays against the Atlanta Falcons, blocking a punt and catching a touchdown pass.

The New Orleans Saints started their Thanksgiving night game with the Atlanta Falcons in the most entertaining way imaginable. Defensive end Marcus Davenport sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on the first play of the game, and the Saints snuffed out Atlanta’s efforts at trying to dig out of that hole.

Forced to punt, the Falcons failed to block reserve Saints quarterback Taysom Hill, who crashed through the line and blocked the punt to give New Orleans the ball inside Atlanta territory. It was a huge breakdown for the Falcons and possibly the worst start they could have hoped for. Check out Hill big play for yourself:

However, Hill wasn’t finished yet. He caught two passes on the Saints’ first drive to first convert a fresh set of downs and then score the game’s opening touchdown, grabbing a shovel pass from Brees and following his blocker into the Falcons’ end zone. All told, Hill almost gave the Saints’ an early 7-0 lead over Atlanta on his own. It’s going to be tough for Hill’s detractors to talk down his impact in this one:

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Drew Brees, Demario Davis hype up Saints in pregame: ‘Today we are thankful’

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and LB Demario Davis hyped up their teammates with a passionate pregame speech against the Atlanta Falcons.

The New Orleans Saints have always had a custom of passionate pregame speeches from quarterback Drew Brees, but the 2019 season introduced a new twist during Brees’ five-game absence with a thumb injury. Linebacker and defensive captain Demario Davis stepped into Brees’ role while the quarterback was away, but they’ve teamed up now that the Saints are back together. The team pregame huddle is even more passionate than it’s ever been, with Brees reviving his iconic “win again” chant from the 2009 Super Bowl season while Davis added his “prowl, kill, eat” mantra.

On Thursday before their game with the Atlanta Falcons, Brees and Davis made things topical by acknowledging the Thanksgiving holiday, and made note of what they’re thankful for.

“Today we are thankful,” Davis shouted to his huddled teammates. Drew Brees picked up where Davis left off, saying, “We came here to get a win. We ain’t leaving until we get it.”

It’s easy to see why the Saints believe they  can rally around this kind of leadership. See the whole speech for yourself:

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Lamar Jackson’s tape from Rams game has us asking: How do you stop him?

The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson finished with five touchdowns, but that doesn’t tell the full story of his dominance over the Rams.

The Baltimore Ravens took apart the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, winning 45-6 in a game that didn’t even feel that close, if that’s possible.

Lamar Jackson was all but unstoppable. The Ravens quarterback finished with five TDs on 15-20 passing. He only had 169 yards in the air, but it was all he needed, as he also had 8 carries for 95 yards. The threat of Jackson also opened up the running game — the Ravens finished with 285 yards on the ground from five rushers, led by Mark Ingram with 111 yards.

I’m just … I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do with Jackson right now. He can make all the throws, and if you somehow cover the Ravens receivers, he can just turn the corner on your edge rusher and pick up eight yards on the ground, always, forever and ever. He’s like a cheat code right now.

Watch his highlights from the game last night. They’re flabbergasting.

Looking at that tape, again, I’m just not sure what you’re supposed to do with him. No linebacker can keep up with him, so if you spy him, you’re still dead. Go all out blitz he’s good enough to find the open receiver. Sit deep in coverage, he’ll just hang out in the pocket until someone is open, or wait until the rush gets too far up the field and run for a first down.

My favorite moment from the highlights above is at the 3:02 mark where the camera cuts to Wade Phillips on the Rams sideline and he blinks a few times, and you can just see the hope escaping. This is a man with no answers. Just puzzled, and broken.

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WATCH: Highlights from Broncos’ game against Bills

Click here to view highlights from the Broncos’ game against the Bills in Week 12 of the NFL season.

The Broncos were defeated by the Bills 20-3 on the road in Week 12. Here are highlights from the game, courtesy of the NFL:

Up next for Denver is a home game against the Chargers in Week 13.

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Watch: Tre’Quan Smith extends the lead with wide-open TD catch

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith benefited from the perfect play call to catch a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers.

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Running back Latavius Murray put the New Orleans Saints on the board early against the Carolina Panthers with a 26-yard touchdown run, and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith stepped up with his own scoring play to extend that lead on a 13-yard touchdown catch. The Saints dialed up a great play in scoring position that asked quarterback Drew Brees to drop back after faking the initial hand-off.

That play-action fooled the entire Panthers defense which bit on what looked like a run play, allowing Smith to jog untouched into the end zone. Brees lobbed the ball his way for one of the Saints’ easiest scoring plays this year. Panthers safety Eric Reid and linebacker Shaq Thompson tried to recover and chase Smith down, but there just wasn’t enough field left for them to cover before he trotted into the end zone.

It was the perfect play in that situation for what Carolina’s defense was showing the Saints, likely the result of tedious film study by Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff. We’ll be sure to double back and see which tendencies they picked up on to get this favorable of a look. In the meantime, check out the scoring play for yourself:

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