Jared Cook, Drew Brees rally back vs. Titans — with an Alvin Kamara assist

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees connected with TE Jared Cook on a long touchdown pass against the Tennessee Titans, and Alvin Kamara helped

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The New Orleans Saints were in a tight spot against the Tennessee Titans. Down 14-3 late in the first half, quarterback Drew Brees knew his team needed a spark.

Having been sacked and pressured a few times already, he checked and double-checked his offensive line’s protection call before taking the snap out of the shotgun. Then he found tight end Jared Cook on a wide-open out route.

Cook slipped a tackle and cut upfield, parallel to the sideline, and running back Alvin Kamara was in position to keep that lane open. Kamara blocked his defender long enough for Cook to streak past the both of them and into the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown, the longest play the Saints offense has achieved all season. Check it out in the video embedded below:

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Brad Stevens subbing in Tacko Fall to a standing ovation is the NBA moment of season

This random Celtics moment may just turn out to be our favorite video clip of the entire season.

Tacko Fall is a rookie who has spent part of this season with the Boston Celtics and part of the season with the Maine Red Claws. The 7-foot-5 UCF product has also become a total cult hero in his short time in New England, quickly becoming arguably the most beloved member of the team.

In any game that Fall has dressed for this season, Celtics fans have spent much of it badgering coach Brad Stevens to sub him in. It doesn’t necessarily matter if they’re winning or losing, but especially any time the team has a lead late, fans go nuts with “SUB IN TACKO!” chants.

Stevens finally relented on Friday night in the Celtics win over the Pistons, first egging the crowd on a bit, then giving Fall the call to get in the game. The place erupted, a perfect, random NBA moment.

As to why Stevens finally relented? After the game, he said it was his daughter who convinced him, telling him to “give the people what they want.”

Well done, Kinsley. Well done, Coach Stevens. Tacko Time. TACKO TIME.

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid highlights: What we saw from El Clasico

The match ended in a draw, but there were still plenty of highlights in the matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Barcelona and Real Madrid took part in another edition of El Clasico on Wednesday, a game that was rescheduled from October after the previous game was postponed due to Catalan protests.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and what it lacked in goals, it had in drama. Barcelona’s Gerard Pique cleared a shot off the line, only for Sergio Ramos to go and block a shot from going in at the other end moments later.

Later in the match, Messi would put the ball on Jordi Alba’s left foot, in alone on goal, only for Alba to drag his shot just wide.

In the second half, Gareth Bale had multiple clear chances, including a ball go in the net for Real Madrid, only to have it called back for offside.

It ended 0-0. See all the action below.

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Watch: Michael Thomas makes ridiculous one-handed catch vs. Colts

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas shredded the Indianapolis Colts secondary with a touchdown catch and a huge one-handed grab.

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The Indianapolis Colts did a solid job planning for the New Orleans Saints offense, snuffing out several run plays and pressuring Drew Brees in the pocket. But they forgot one important tenet of playing the Saints: you can’t guard Michael Thomas.

The All-Pro, Pro Bowl-quality wide receiver asserted himself early against the Colts with several big gains on vertical routes downfield. He’s done most of his damage running against underneath coverage throughout this year, lacking the top-end speed other athletes are gifted with to separate deep downfield. But what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for in clean routes and strong hands at the catch point.

In this case, Thomas only needed one hand to make a big play. The Colts defense allowed him to get behind them on a seam down the field, and Brees saw an opening to exploit. He fired the ball over, but Thomas was a little behind it — and it didn’t matter, because his outstretched hand corralled the ball in for a 24-yard gain. It was a thing of beauty, and well worth watching:

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Ex-Saints TE Dan Arnold catches his first touchdown for the Cardinals

Former New Orleans Saints tight end Dan Arnold made a huge impact for his new team, catching a touchdown for the Arizona Cardinals.

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One former New Orleans Saints player had a big day with his new squad on Sunday, when tight end Dan Arnold caught a touchdown pass from rookie Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray just before halftime in their game against the Cleveland Browns. Murray trusted Arnold to leap up high at the back corner of the end zone, and his new teammate came through — remembering to tap his toes into paydirt on his way back down to earth. Not bad for his first game in Cardinals red.

Arnold spent the better part of his first three years in the league with New Orleans, initially playing wide receiver as an undrafted prospect out of Wisconsin-Platteville before bulking up in a move to tight end. He was waived earlier this month to make room for backup linebacker Manti Te’o, and the Cardinals didn’t hesitate to snap him up off of waivers on Dec. 5.

While it’s a shame that things didn’t work out better for Arnold and the Saints, it’s great to see him thrive as he continues to find his way in the league. This was a huge play for Arnold, and bodes well for the next leg of his NFL career. See it for yourself:

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Watch: NFL Films Feature Highlights Quenton Nelson

It’s hard for an offensive guard to become a player that changes the direction of a franchise.  Yet, after being taken sixth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Quenton Nelson has done exactly that for the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s hard for an offensive guard to become a player that changes the direction of a franchise.  Yet, after being taken sixth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Quenton Nelson has done exactly that for the Indianapolis Colts.

After countless highlight blocks and dominating plays while at Notre Dame, Nelson made an immediate impact in Indianapolis last season.

NFL Films did a feature on Nelson, finding video from his youth and playing various sports long before his days at Notre Dame, that show you a side of him you’ve never seen.

The Colts don’t appear to be headed back to the post-season this year but for some reason I have a strong belief that they’ll be right back to being a contender again next year when they enter the season on opening day with a much better setup at quarterback than the way they entered this season.

Until next time, RUN THE DAMN BALL.

WATCH: Highlights from Broncos’ 38-24 win over Texans

Click here to watch highlights from the Broncos’ big win over the Texans in Week 14.

The Broncos defeated the Texans 38-24 on the road in Week 14. Check out highlights from the game because, courtesy of the NFL.

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Up next for Denver is a road game against the Chiefs in Week 15.

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Watch: Craig Robertson opens up the second half with tip-drill interception

New Orleans Saints LB Craig Robertson intercepted a tipped pass from San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo in the second half on Sunday.

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The New Orleans Saints were short-handed at linebacker during Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, with starters Kiko Alonso and A.J. Klein sidelined by injuries. The team re-signed former starter Manti Te’o earlier in the week but went with backups Craig Robertson and Stephone Anthony to start the game.

As luck would have it, Robertson ended up being in the right place at the right time to snag an interception early in the second half. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo targeted wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders but the pass deflected off of Sanders’ hands and into Robertson’s waiting mitts, granting the Saints a lucky turnover.

It’s just a shame they weren’t able to make the most of it. Despite some protests from Saints quarterback Drew Brees, head coach Sean Payton trusted kicker Wil Lutz to make a 55-yard field goal and retake the lead. You can find Robertson’s big play in the video embedded in this post:

Unfortunately, the 49ers defense created its own turnover just a few minutes later. They forced and recovered a fumble out of Saints running back Alvin Kamara — the first fumble the Saints have committed all season — which set up a touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle. This game is still creating fireworks, and the Saints are still playing from behind in the third quarter, down 35-30 to San Francisco.

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Watch: Drew Brees goes over the top on fourth down for a Saints TD

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees jumped over the San Francisco 49ers defensive line for a rushing touchdown in their Week 14 game.

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Faced with a short fourth-and-goal in a one-score game, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton made the easy call and sent his franchise quarterback into the teeth of the San Francisco 49ers defense. Drew Brees took the ball himself and jumped over the top of the battling offensive and defensive lines to break the plane and pick up a touchdown to keep his team in the lead.

This one has turned into a boat race, with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan creating big play after big play against a normally-sound Saints defense. Whether he’s scheming receivers wide-open downfield or fooling New Orleans’ pass rushers with trick plays, he’s picked up an early edge over Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Several big returns on special teams by Saints rookie Deonte Harris and precise execution from Payton and Brees are keeping New Orleans on top, but barely.

If the Saints can hold onto their lead at halftime and make their adjustments, they might outlast the 49ers. But it’s hardly been easy so far, and it should continue to be a dogfight as the game wears on.

You can watch Brees’ big touchdown score in the video embedded below, or at this link:

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Watch: Jared Cook catches two touchdown passes on Saints’ first two drives

Veteran New Orleans Saints tight end Jared Cook caught two touchdown passes from Drew Brees early against the San Francisco 49ers.

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New Orleans Saints fans have been hoping for veteran tight end Jared Cook to have his breakout game, and he’s delivering it at the best time. The Saints’ big free agent signing of the offseason caught both of his team’s first two touchdown passes against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday to give New Orleans an early lead.

Both plays featured everything Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff spent the summer talking up about Cook. On the first score, Cook caught a pass from Drew Brees that was thrown high above his ahead (and the 49ers linebacker covering him), secured the ball, and then slipped a tackle to cut into the open field and outrace the San Francisco defense to dash into the end zone. Check it out at this link, or in the video embedded below:

On New Orleans’ next possession, Cook’s athleticism was again on display with another touchdown grab. Cook beat his defender off the line of scrimmage and streaked towards the end zone, giving Brees an easy lay-up lob for six points. But they paid for it with an illegal hit by a 49ers defensive back, who came flying in and struck Cook near his helmet as they both fell to the ground. Cook was slow to get up but celebrated his big play before walking to the Saints medical tent for further evaluation. Stay tuned for an update on his status. Here’s his second highlight play:

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