Aug 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Daryl Richardson (38) is tackled by New Orleans Saints cornerback Cortland Finnegan (21) during the second half of a preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
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Cooks on his record-setting 98-yard touchdown pass from Brees: “Drew and I, we just happened to be on the same page, thinking the same thing”. It was the longe.
What’s more, Brees often has chemistry with tight ends considering Benjamin Watson was third on the team with 825 receiving yards past year and Jimmy Graham notched a combined 4,396 receiving yards and 46 touchdown catches from 2011 to 2014 with New Orleans. The game appeared to be headed to overtime, but Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio had other ideas. It would have made a lot less sense for Del Rio to not make the gutsy call at that point.
Not only did the Saints give up three fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 35-34 loss to the Oakland Raiders, they found a new level of rock-bottom when the Raiders felt so confident against them that they made a decision to go for the game-winning two-point conversion while trailing by one point with 47 seconds remaining.
Del Rio said that Smith, one of Oakland’s top free agent acquisitions this offseason after signing a four-year contract worth almost $40 million, will start again this week in the Raiders’ home opener against Atlanta. “I didn’t really ask for any feedback there”. “This year, we are talking about learning how to win, learning how to close these games, sticking together and making plays at the end”.
The Raiders not only erased a 14-point, second-half deficit on hostile ground. The NFL has eight 300 plus-yards passers on opening weekend whereas the eighth-best rushing yardage total was 75 yards, by Rashad Jennings of the New York Giants.
“The big thing is trying to take one or two things that you can hang your hat on into the game and kind of trigger on those”, Moore said. Oakland kicked a field goal on the drive to pull to within 24-13, then scored 22 points in the fourth quarter as quarterback Derek Carr threw for 111 yards and a touchdown, completing six of 10 passes. “The ball moved on me”. Cooks snagged 6 catches for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. That set up Travaris Cadet’s short touchdown catch, giving New Orleans a 34-27 lead.
Snead finished with nine catches for 172 yards and New Orleans almost held on, but Saints linebacker Craig Robertson was flagged for interference on a four-down pass that sailed out of bounds.
The next four opponents are the Falcons, Titans, Ravens and Chargers, who went a combined 20-44 last season. “That was just one play”.
After throwing for 424 yards and four touchdowns in the season opener, Brees needs just 36 passing yards next week to pass former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino for third-place all time behind Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
Del Rio spoke to Smith briefly after a 35-34 victory over the Saints. One of those was a powerful 6-yard touchdown run by Latavius Murray, who plowed over a would-be tackler at the 1-yard line. The Raiders forced another fumble by Saints receiver Willie Snead, but weren’t able to pounce on it.
The defense had a rough day, but that is to be expected when facing one of the greatest QB’s to ever play in Drew Brees. “I’m going to always do what I think is best for the football team and that’s what it was”. ITs was longer than any play in the National Football League previous year, and the longest touchdown pass in Saints history.
Snead had 9 for 172 and proves once again the Saints find no name receivers like you and I eat and drink during football games; it’s nearly effortless.
Per our chief analyst Keith Goldner, the conversion jumped their odds to 80.46 percent, and tying it up with a field goal actually would have bumped their odds to 41.09 percent. Lutz hit his first field goal from 42 yards. He also handled kickoffs and hit a 20-yard field goal that was almost blocked.
“In a game like this, conventional wisdom would point to the defense but I would say that we didn’t score enough offensively”, Payton said.
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“I’m not going to start the season off complaining about the officials”. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Ken Crawley, who was covering Crabtree on the decisive 2-point play.
