You want a difficult assignment?
Try whittling down the best offensive plays from the past 25 years of Saints football to a top 5.
Alas, such was my task for this week’s installment of my “25 for 25” series.
The job took me several days, and I went back and forth several times on the final three before arriving at this list. With so many great players and games, it was not easy.
Here's my top 5:
No. 5: Deuce dominates
(Jan. 13, 2007)
The Philadelphia Eagles had seized control of their NFC divisional playoff game against the Saints on Bryant Westbrook’s 62-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. That's when the Saints turned to Deuce McAllister to carry them to victory.
McAllister’s bulldozing 5-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive trimmed the Eagles’ lead to 21-20 and set the tone for the comeback. On the first-and-goal play, McAllister was stood up at the line of scrimmage by a gang of Eagles defenders, but he continued to churn his powerful legs and inexorably moved the pile 5 yards to the goal line for the improbable score. For most players, this would have been a no-gain.
McAllister added the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard catch and finished off the Saints’ second-ever playoff win by carrying the ball on nine of the offense’s final 13 plays.
No. 4: Run, Reggie, run
(Jan. 2, 2010)
Reggie Bush never quite lived up to the lofty expectations set for him when he arrived in 2006, but he had his moments. This play was certainly one of them.
Late in the first quarter of the Saints’ NFC divisional playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals, he took a handoff from Brees on a basic off-tackle play to the left, broke a tackle by Bryant McFadden just past the line of scrimmage, then made two men whiff with a ridiculous jump cut and outraced the rest of the bewildered Cardinals defense to the end zone.
The 46-yard run gave the Saints a commanding 21-7 lead en route to a dominant 45-14 victory. It was second-longest of Bush’s five-year Saints career and certainly the most memorable.
No. 3: Brees bedevils the Niners
(Nov. 9, 2014)
This play is not quite as memorable for may fans, but it remains a personal favorite.
With the Saints trailing 21-10 and facing a third-and-6 at the 49ers’ 11 late in the third quarter, Brees somehow eluded a pair of free blitzers — linebacker Michael Wilhoite and safety Eric Reid — with a Houdini-like spin move, then kept his poise and found Jimmy Graham in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown strike.
The play epitomized Brees’ greatness and underrated athletic attributes. The 49ers had the right defensive play call and executed it perfectly, and it still wasn’t enough to stop Brees, who used his extraordinary proprioception and phone-booth quickness to bedevil the defense once again.
No. 2: Graham goes yard
(Jan. 14, 2012)
The 2011 NFC divisional playoff game between the Saints and 49ers at Candlestick Park remains the best game I’ve covered, and this play is the one I remember most.
Graham’s leaping 66-yard, catch-and-run touchdown was the fourth of five combined scores in a head-spinning fourth quarter and stunned the sellout crowd in San Francisco. It gave the Saints a temporary 32-29 lead after they had methodically clawed back from an early 17-0 deficit.
Graham’s catch on a perfectly placed Brees pass appeared to be the final knockout blow, but the 49ers broke the Saints’ hearts 1:28 later on Vernon Davis’ 14-yard touchdown catch with 9 seconds left.
It’s hard to top Graham’s play for sheer drama and significance.
No. 1: Drew delivers in the moment
(Oct. 8, 2018)
Brees had a flair for the dramatic, and he certainly delivered for ESPN and the Monday Night Football audience that tuned in to see him break Peyton Manning’s career passing record in 2018. His 62-yard touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith just before halftime pushed him past Manning in the NFL record book and delivered a wow moment for the national viewing audience. Most amazing: Smith was the fourth option on the play. Brees instantly recognized a flaw in the Washington defense’s coverage and exploited it with a perfect strike to Smith, whose route is designed to clear out for space for the other receivers.
This play had it all: drama, execution and impact. An unforgettable moment from a legendary career. Classic Drew Bees.