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
Does The Browns’ Loss Take Away From The Hype?
-
Robert Kraft wants to re-sign Brady just long enough that he can retire as a Patriot. Earlier this week,...
-
The skilled third-baseman will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Scott Rolen is one of the most skilled and recognized third-basemen...
-
Brady’s 23rd football season has ended. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys went head-to-head for...
-
Smith has been fired after one season with the team. Over the weekend, the owners of the Houston Texans...
-
Pelé passed due to complications related to colon cancer. On Thursday night, the sporting world received unfortunate news: Pelé,...
-
His return heralded a victory over the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday, Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas needed to take...
-
Mayfield will be available on waiver to other NFL teams. After an underwhelming performance in his current role as...
-
Mike White led the team to a decisive victory over the Bears over the weekend. On Saturday, the New...
-
The game has been moved out of New York due to an encroaching snowstorm. This weekend, the Buffalo Bills...
-
Negative pushback prompted the team to give the role to someone else. Recently, the Brooklyn Nets have been in...
-
The Bears got Claypool in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick. This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut a deal...
-
Belichick has cycled through several players in search of the right one. Recently, the New England Patriots have been...