Derek Carr wanted his shot. The New Orleans Saints gave it to him, and it was executed to pure perfection.
The Saints were clinging to a 16-15 lead over the Tennessee Titans with just over two minutes remaining. Video footage from “Inside the NFL” showed Carr being adamant about throwing a “go” route to Rashid Shaheed to ice the game.
Carr received the green light. Before the play, he came over to Shaheed and told him to, “Freaking run!” And let’s just say the message was received loud and clear:
Shaheed’s 41-yard completion gave the Saints a fresh set of downs. Running back Jamaal Williams put the game away for good with a first down run on 3rd-and-4 from the Tennessee 40. Williams actually fumbled the ball but managed to regain it before the Titans could pounce on it.
Though the Saints struggled in the red zone and allowed the Titans’ ferocious front seven to sack Carr four times, he finished with 305 yards passing on 22 completions. Chris Olave led the way with eight receptions for 112 yards, while Shaheed hauled in five catches for 89 yards and a score.
With the victory, New Orleans moved to 1-0 for the fifth consecutive season. They’ll try to improve to 2-0 on the year when they visit the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers on “Monday Night” Football next week.
