Running back Latavius Murray put the New Orleans Saints on the board early against the Carolina Panthers with a 26-yard touchdown run, and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith stepped up with his own scoring play to extend that lead on a 13-yard touchdown catch. The Saints dialed up a great play in scoring position that asked quarterback Drew Brees to drop back after faking the initial hand-off.
That play-action fooled the entire Panthers defense which bit on what looked like a run play, allowing Smith to jog untouched into the end zone. Brees lobbed the ball his way for one of the Saints’ easiest scoring plays this year. Panthers safety Eric Reid and linebacker Shaq Thompson tried to recover and chase Smith down, but there just wasn’t enough field left for them to cover before he trotted into the end zone.
It was the perfect play in that situation for what Carolina’s defense was showing the Saints, likely the result of tedious film study by Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff. We’ll be sure to double back and see which tendencies they picked up on to get this favorable of a look. In the meantime, check out the scoring play for yourself:
