Winston drops a dime to Smith for the 16-yd TD 🙌#TBvsNO | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/kqb72Tc7Ym
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 31, 2021
Whew. New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston answered an early score by his old team with a gorgeous touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith in the first quarter at the Caesars Superdome, officially going down as a 16-yard connection.
It’s a breath of fresh air after Winston and Smith struggled to get on the same page a week ago, during Smith’s first game back from injured reserve. And it showcased both players’ talents — Winston’s ability to throw the ball with careful touch, lifting his pass over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back, and Smith’s focus to make a play in the end zone.
All Smith seems to do is catch touchdown passes. He’s scored 17 times on 87 career receptions in his four-year NFL career, including the playoffs. That’s a 19.5% scoring rate, which wild when you compare it to the Saints’ all-time touchdowns leader (Marques Colston, who scored on 10.1% of his catches). The Saints will need more big plays like this from Smith and Winston if they’re going to get where they want to go this season.
