Tag: Highlights

WATCH: Highlights from Noah Fant’s rookie season with Broncos

Broncos rookie tight end Noah Fant had a big year in 2019. Here are his highlights.

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Earlier this week, the Broncos’ media department rolled out video highlights from Drew Lock’s rookie season. Today we get a look at Noah Fant’s highlights from last season.

Fant (6-4, 249 pounds) was selected by Denver after the Broncos traded down in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft, landing the Iowa product with the 20th overall pick. Fant went on to lead all rookie tight ends in catches (40), receiving yards (562) and yards per catch (14.0) in 2019.

Fant is part of a young core of players that appear to have bright futures in Denver, joining quarterback Drew Lock, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, running back Phillip Lindsay and linebacker Bradley Chubb, among others.

“[Next season will be] a big opportunity for us because we are very young and we finally have some experience as well as a young team,” Lock said on Dec. 29. “There’s time for us to build and be something super special.”

Fant will be a key piece of the team’s quest to become something special.

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On this date in Broncos history: Tim Tebow hits Demaryius Thomas for 80-yard TD

In 2012, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow threw an 80-yard game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in the NFL playoffs.

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On January 8, 2012, the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers were tied 23-23 in overtime of the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.

Denver led 20-6 in the second quarter before letting Pittsburgh fought back and sent the game into overtime. Fortunately for the Broncos, they won the coin toss and got the ball first to begin overtime.

Under the league’s new rules, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive would win the game. That’s exactly what Denver did.

Facing a first-and-10 on the first play of overtime, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow connected with wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who was about 20 yards downfield when he caught the pass. Thomas then outran the Steelers’ defense 60 yards for a game-winning score.

It was a thrilling moment for fans in Denver and arguably the highlight of Tebow’s NFL career. Tebow finished the game with 316 yards and two TDs and Thomas ended the day with 204 receiving yards and a score.

Broncos Wire recently named Tebow’s game-winning touchdown pass to Thomas the second-best Broncos moment of the 2010s decade.

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Watch: Taysom Hill gives the Saints another spark, catches 20-yard TD pass

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill helped rally his team late against the Minnesota Vikings with a huge touchdown catch from QB Drew Brees.

The New Orleans Saints were in a bad way late in the fourth quarter, trailing the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 20-10. But Saints quarterback Drew Brees found some rhythm behind improved blocking from the offensive line, and then he found another Saints quarterback for a 20-yard touchdown pass — Taysom Hill, of course.

Hill emerged as a legitimate receiving threat in the regular season, with six touchdown catches to his credit. So it shouldn’t be a big surprise that he caught another scoring pass in the playoffs. But there’s something to be said for how timely it was, cutting the Vikings’ lead to just three points with more than ten minutes left in the game.

The Saints need to get more big plays like this if they’re going to come from behind and defend the Superdome against Minnesota. Drew Brees and the Saints offense have struggled to make headway against the Vikings defense except for a few chunk plays like this from Hill. Some more of the team’s playmakers must step up.

Watch: Taysom Hill throws 50-yard pass, lead-blocks for rushing TD

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill threw a rare pass, connecting for 50 yards. He then blocked on Alvin Kamara’s touchdown run.

What can’t Taysom Hill do? He’s caught passes (including six touchdown throws), ran with the ball, and blocked all over the field, but his detractors — usually fantasy football nerds — point to the few pass attempts he’s made as evidence that he shouldn’t be labeled a quarterback.

So he quieted them by connecting with rookie wideout Deonte Harris on a 50-yard pass in Sunday’s wild-card round game with the Minnesota Vikings. Harris was named a first-team All-Pro for his efforts returning punts and kickoffs, but Saints coach Sean Payton found a way to get the rookie involved on offense against Minnesota. See it for yourself:

But Hill wasn’t finished just yet. After creating this big play, he remained on the field and blocked for Saints running back Alvin Kamara at the goal-line, paving the way for Kamara to fight his way into the end zone. It was Kamara’s fifth rushing touchdown in his last three games:

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Watch: Janoris Jenkins, Vonn Bell end first Vikings drive with a fumble

New Orleans Saints CB Janoris Jenkins forced a fumble out of Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen, which Saints SS Vonn Bell recovered.

It didn’t take long for the New Orleans Saints defense to assert itself in their wild-card round matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. In the game’s opening minutes, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins targeted wide receiver fAdam Thielen on a route down the sideline, which he caught. Thielen moved to turn upfield and was immediately struck by Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

“Jackrabbit” Jenkins had the presence of mind to put his helmet on the football as he tackled Thielen, and it flew out for a fumble. And who else would have been in position to recover it than strong safety Vonn Bell? Bell led the NFL’s defenders in fumbles recovered during the regular season (5), and he again put himself in the right spot at the right time to create a turnover early in the postseason.

Now that’s how you want to start a playoff game. Jenkins made up for an earlier holding penalty in coverage, and Bell made an impact in his first game back from a knee injury. See it for yourself:

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Watch: Demario Davis, Drew Brees fire up the Saints before kickoff vs. Vikings

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis and quarterback Drew Brees addressed the team before their wild-card round game with the Vikings

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The New Orleans Saints always hold a team huddle following pregame warmups, with team leaders Drew Brees and Demario Davis addressing the team to set the tone in the final minutes before kickoff. They kept that tradition running on Sunday, just ahead of their wild-card round game with the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s hard to not get pumped up listening to Brees and Davis fire up their teammates. They’ve found a great balance between the iconic “win again” cadence Brees introduced a decade ago in the run up to Super Bowl XLIV, and the “prowl, kill, eat” mantra Davis has made his signature. With leadership in place like this — respected voices who turn their words into actions, and lead by example — there’s no doubt that the Saints will follow them anywhere.

You can see this week’s pregame huddle where it’s embedded below, or by following this link:

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Kevin Love loses it mid-game on Collin Sexton, sure seems done with Cleveland

Kevin Love showed up Collin Sexton, and seems like he’s fed up with the situation in Cleveland.

There have been rumors swirling for weeks that Kevin Love is on his way out of Cleveland, and he sure looked like someone who was ready to leave on Saturday night, when frustrations clearly ran over for Love.

At the end of the first half of the Cavaliers’ game against the Thunder, there were 14 seconds remaining on the shot clock and 22 seconds remaining on the game clock.

The Cavaliers had a decent reason to run the clock down a bit before getting their offense going, so as not to force up too quick a shot and give the Thunder more chance on the final possession of the half.

Cavaliers rookie Collin Sexton did more than run the clock down a bit, though. He just sort of stood near half court, dribbling and dribbling. Love, who was being guarded by the much-shorter-than-him Chris Paul, got completely fed up. He called for the ball in the post, was ignored by Sexton … so Love kept walking toward the young guard.

Love then demanded Sexton toss him the ball. Sexton gave it to him, and Love fired a furious two-handed pass to Cedi Osman, who couldn’t make much happen and hurled up a long 3 … and actually got bailed out by a foul call.

Still, watch Love:

This is tough. Sexton will argue that he was trying to run the clock down to get a final look. Still, his lack of awareness is rough here: Love has a much shorter player guarding him in the post. That has to be the look.

Sexton didn’t give it a look. Sexton made his mind up, until Love came out and showed him up. No matter who’s at fault, it seems that Love’s time in Cleveland is running short.

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Watch: Choppa, Louisiana Philharmonic collaborate for Saints highlight video

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra remixed the 2003 hit single “Choppa Style” for a New Orleans Saints highlight video before the playoffs

The New Orleans Saints have ridden with the 2003 hit single “Choppa Style” as their anthem for several years now, often blasting it during big moments at the Superdome and in victorious locker rooms across the league. Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater popularized the song again during the 2018 season, when he introduced the “Bike Life” dance he picked up from the next generation of football players at his old high school in Miami.

But on Friday, two days ahead of their clash with the Minnesota Vikings during the wild-card round of the playoffs, the Saints dropped a remix. And they didn’t go to just anyone for such a special occasion: they brought Choppa, the man himself behind the big hit, as well as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Those artists and musicians collaborated on a special orchestral version of “Choppa Style” which the Saints then played over a highlight reel of the 2019 season’s biggest moments, which you can see in the video embedded below. This is as good as it gets, folks:

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