(Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)

You know them when you see them. The instant classics

And that’s what the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints gave us on Monday night, with their comebacks, with a riveting final minute in which both teams scored and a 58-yard field goal on the final play to give the Saints a 30-28 victory.

You had a wonderful quarterback matchup between Houston’s young Deshaun Watson and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. Stunning mistakes (high props to Houston coach Bill O’Brien for costing his team two times-out on a failed challenge, the officials for botching the amount of time that should have been on the clock at the end of the first half, to the detriment of the Saints).

And then there was the pace and flow of the game.

Down 14-3 early before a shocked crowd at the Superdome, the Saints took their first lead on the first play of the first quarter. In the final minute, the Texans covered 75 yards in two plays to tie the game at 27-27, and got a second chance to go ahead when a penalty for roughing the kicker nullified a blocked extra point.

With but 37 seconds left, the Saints took possession of the football and quickly pushed to the Texans 40. One tick remained on the clock after they called their final timeout.

Wil Lutz, who had missed a 56-yard field goal at the end of the first half, then booted the longest one of his career to win the game.

“That one’s got to be a top-one moment for me,” he said.

Indeed. For many of us. It was an unbeatable show, full of drama and twists. It was the game at its best.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman